Online sales promotion and impulse buying online in the E-business age: A theoretical model approach

Abstract

E-marketing has been wiespread. Up to 2009, the Internet users have reached 54% of the total world population. Online sales promotion represents a short-term “weapon” to stimulate customers' internal impulsivness and to trigger off impulse buying in the E-business environment. Impulse buying online, on the other hand, describes the picture of consumers' basic psychological trait and response toward external stimuli. Previously, some studies have demonstrated that there is impulse buying in the Internet environment, and some other studies have demonstrated that online sales promotion is the most important influential source on consumers' purchasing behavior. However, neither theoretical research nor imperial study has revealed the relationships between the two constructs. This paper focuses on online sales promotion and impulse buying online. The paper investigates the dimensions of online sales promotion, and proposes a theoretical model on the relationships between online sales promotion and impulse buying online via the time and energy spended on web browsing. The finding of this paper converts important messages to scholars by showing the value of exploratory study as well as empirical study on online sales promotion and its impact on impulse buying online, and converts novel messages to managers by showing the relationship between online sales promotion and impulse buying online via web browing.