Fear of Missing out (FOMO) Marketing and its Role in Impulse Buying Behaviour Among Young Consumers

In today’s digital marketplace, marketing strategies increasingly leverage psychological triggers to influence consumer decisions. One such strategy is FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) marketing, which creates a sense of urgency and scarcity through limited-time offers, flash sales, exclusive launches, social proof, and influencer promotions. This study examines the role of FOMO marketing in shaping impulse buying behavior among young consumers, particularly those actively engaged on social media and e-commerce platforms. Young consumers are highly connected, digitally active, and socially influenced, making them more susceptible to emotional and spontaneous purchasing decisions. The research explores how marketing cues such as countdown timers, “only a few items left” notifications, trending tags, and peer recommendations trigger urgency and reduce rational evaluation, leading to impulsive purchases. The study also investigates the psychological factors underlying this, including social comparison, need for belongingness, perceived scarcity, and instant gratification. Using a structured research design, the study aims to measure the relationship between exposure to FOMO marketing techniques and the frequency of impulse purchases among young consumers. The findings are expected to provide insights for marketers in designing effective promotional strategies while also highlighting the potential risks of excessive impulsive spending among youth. Overall, this research contributes to understanding how emotional marketing strategies influence consumer behavior in the digital era and offers practical implications for businesses targeting the youth segment.