How digital detox influences purchase intention in social commerce: the mediating role of digital fatigue and the moderating role of mindfulness

The paper examines the mediating role of digital detox (DD) between purchase intention (PI)-digital fatigue (DF)-mindfulness (MF) as moderators in the context of social commerce. The research utilized a sample of 297 participants in the fashion and retail sector in the UAE to develop empirical data through self-administered questionnaire. The structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the connections between hypotheses and was strong enough to test for complicated mediation-moderation. The results show that DD has a significant positive effect on PI both in direct and indirect effect due to reduced DFs. In addition, MF strengthens the estimated positive connection between DD-PI and weakens the negative influence of DF on the formation of MF as a moderator. The article advances the digital consumption and social commerce literature because it has defined DD as a primary driver of consumer well-being and behavioral intention, particularly in terms of its application in emerging-market contexts. In a practical manner, the research offers meaningful perspective into managers and marketers to come up with consumer engagement policies that integrate digital balance and MF practises. Although the results produced are significant both in theoretical and managerial contributions, the data is tied to limited cultural and industry-specific generalizability boundaries, implying the need to employ cross-cultural and longitudinal studies in further investigations.