THE INFLUENCE OF INFORMATION QUALITY AND ONLINE RECOMMENDATIONS ON IMPULSIVE BUYING DECISION THROUGH E-TRUST IN SOCIAL E-COMMERCE

Abstract

This study aims to examine the influence of information quality and online recommendations on impulsive buying decisions through e-trust among Indonesian social e-commerce users. A quantitative approach was conducted using a survey involving 120 students from Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia who had purchased products via Shopee, TikTok Shop, Tokopedia, Lazada, or Instagram. Participants were selected using purposive sampling, aged 17 years or older with prior online shopping experience. Data were collected using a five-point Likert-scale online questionnaire and analyzed using PLS-SEM with SmartPLS 3.0. The results reveal that both information quality and online recommendations have significant positive effects on e-trust, which subsequently increases impulsive buying decisions. Furthermore, e-trust fully mediates the relationship between the two antecedents and impulsive buying decisions. These findings confirm the applicability of the S-O-R framework, suggesting that e-trust functions as a key cognitive mechanism that transforms informational and social stimuli into spontaneous purchasing actions. Practically, social e-commerce marketers are advised to enhance product information accuracy and emphasize authentic online recommendations to build consumer trust and encourage responsible impulsive buying behavior.