The Impact of Influencer Marketing on Impulsive Buying Behavior Mediated by Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) Among GEN-Z Pop Mart Consumers in Bandung
Keywords:
Influencer Marketing, Fear of Missing Out (FoMo), Impulsive Buying, Pop Mart, Generation ZAbstract
Abstract. The rapid growth of social media has transformed marketing strategies by enabling brands to leverage influencers to shape consumer attitudes and purchasing behavior. In the collectible toyindustry, Pop Mart has successfully utilized influencer marketing to strengthen consumer engagement, particularly among Generation Z consumers who are highly active on digital platforms and frequently exposed to influencer-generated content. Such exposure may trigger psychological responses, especially Fear of Missing Out (FoMO), which encourages consumers to make spontaneous purchasing decisions, particularly for limited-edition collectible products. This study aims to examine the effect of influencer marketing on impulsive buying behavior and to investigate the mediating role of Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) among Generation Z Pop Mart consumers in Bandung. The study applies the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) theory, where influencer marketing represents the external stimulus, FoMO serves as the internal psychological state, and impulsive buying reflects the behavioral response. A quantitative research approach was employed using purposive sampling, with data collected from 200 Generation Z respondents in Bandung who had purchased Pop Mart products and actively used social media. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, multiple linear regression, path analysis, and the Sobel test to evaluate the mediation effect. The findings reveal that influencer marketing has a positive and significant effect on impulsive buying behavior and significantly increases consumers' Fear of Missing Out, which subsequently stimulates impulsive purchasing decisions. Furthermore, the Sobel test confirms that FoMO partially mediates the relationship between influencer marketing and impulsive buying behavior, indicating that influencer-generated content creates psychological urgency that encourages consumers to purchase collectible products without prior planning. This study contributes to the consumer behavior and digital marketing literature by extending the application of the Stimulus–Organism–Response framework within the collectible toy context and provides practical implications for marketers in designing effective and ethical influencer marketing strategies that enhance consumer engagement while minimizing excessive psychological pressure on consumers.
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