Inside Gen Z’s Shopee Impulse Buying: Live Commerce, Flash Sales, E-WOM, and Hedonic Motivation

Abstract

The expansion of Indonesian e-commerce has intensified consumers’ exposure to interactive product demonstrations, time-limited promotions, and peer-generated evaluations. This study examines the relationships between live streaming, flash sales, electronic word of mouth (E-WOM), hedonic shopping motivation, and impulsive buying among Generation Z Shopee users in Greater Jakarta. A quantitative survey collected valid responses from 150 purposively selected participants. The data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4. Live streaming (β = 0.360, p < .001), flash sales (β = 0.165, p = .006), E-WOM (β = 0.349, p < .001), and hedonic shopping motivation (β = 0.246, p < .001) were positively associated with impulsive buying. The model yielded R² = .618 and adjusted R² = .605; live streaming displayed the largest standardised path coefficient. The findings position interactive commercial encounters and pleasure-oriented shopping motives as complementary explanations of spontaneous purchasing among digitally engaged young consumers. Implications concern the design of credible, transparent, and responsible marketplace communication.