The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Antecedants for the Impulse Buying Behavior of US Citizens

In an analysis based on the theory of Fear, this study examines impulse purchase patterns during the COVID-19 Pandemic across major US urban centers. Data from 889 US consumers were collected from leading US cities to evaluate impulse buying behavior fluctuations using SEM-based multivariate approaches to examine the survey statistics. We used COVID-19 as a moderating variable of this impulse purchase behavior. The results confirmed that Fear of a complete lockdown, peers buying, scarcity of essential products on shelves, US stimulus checks, the limited supply of essential goods, and panic buying have had a compelling and affirmative influence on the sharp swings of impulse buying patterns. The findings further confirm that Fear Appeal and social media fake news have had a strong positive impact on impulse buying as mediating factors. Finally, it was concluded that COVID-19 is a significant moderating factor influencing the impulse buying behavior of US citizens. The practical implications suggest that marketers and brand managers should devise novel strategies to enhance their brand’s market share to attain a competitive advantage in COVID-19 or similar panic situations in the future. These research findings are essential to comprehend the sharp fluctuations of impulse buying patterns in the current cutthroat competition environment across the US and other parts of the world.