The Influence of E-Wallets and Hedonism in Mediating the Relationship Between Lifestyle and Impulsive Consumption Behavior Among Gen Z Students

This study aims to analyze the influence of lifestyle on impulsive consumer behavior, with e-wallets and hedonism as mediating variables, among Generation Z college students in Bengkulu City. The study population consists of active students from four universities: Dehasen University (UNIVED), Bengkulu University (UNIB), Muhammadiyah Bengkulu University (UMB), and Prof. Dr. Hazairin University (UNIHAZ). A sample of 84 respondents was selected using purposive sampling, with the criterion being active students who have used e-wallets for at least the past three months. Data analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares (PLS) with the assistance of SmartPLS. The results of the study indicate that lifestyle has a positive and significant effect on e-wallet usage, with a path coefficient of 0.625 and a t-statistic of 9.949 > 1.96, and a positive and significant effect on hedonism, with a path coefficient of 0.554 and a t-statistic of 8.397 > 1.96. However, lifestyle does not have a significant direct effect on impulsive consumption behavior, with a path coefficient of 0.066 and a t-statistic of 0.822 < 1.96. Meanwhile, e-wallets have a positive and significant effect on impulsive consumption behavior with a path coefficient of 0.562 and a t-statistic of 3.793 > 1.96, and hedonism also has a positive and significant effect on impulsive consumption behavior with a path coefficient of 0.313 and a t-statistic of 2.378 > 1.96. The mediation test results indicate that e-wallets and hedonism fully mediate the relationship between lifestyle and impulsive consumption behavior, with Sobel test t-statistic values of 3.577 and 2.163, respectively, both greater than 1.96. The coefficient of determination (R²) for the impulsive consumption behavior variable is 0.744, meaning that 74.4% of the variation in impulsive consumption behavior can be explained by lifestyle and hedonism, while the remaining 25.6% is explained by other factors outside the model. These findings indicate that Gen Z students’ lifestyles do not directly trigger impulsive consumption behavior, but rather through increased intensity of e-wallet usage and levels of hedonism. The implications of this research emphasize the importance of digital financial literacy as well as self-control when transacting using e-wallets.