A Higher-Order Model of Flow and Impulsive–compulsive Buying in Online Shopping: The Role of Hedonic and Utilitarian Browsing Motives

The purpose of this study is to empirically investigate the impact of hedonic and utilitarian browsing orientations on flow experience and their relationship with impulsive and compulsive purchasing behavior in e-commerce settings. The rise in consumer engagement in online shopping suggests that browsing is not only functional but also emotional and immersive. Therefore, this study integrates the perspectives of dual browsing motivations and flow theory to understand the psychological processes underlying unplanned purchasing behavior on digital platforms. A survey of 386 active Indonesian e-commerce users was conducted using purposive sampling. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) in SmartPLS 4.0. The findings indicate that both hedonic and utilitarian browsing significantly affect flow experience, with hedonic browsing emerging as the stronger predictor. Flow experience was found to positively influence both impulsive and compulsive purchasing behavior, while impulsive buying also exerts a strong influence on compulsive buying. This study is unique in that it integrates hedonic and utilitarian browsing within a unified framework, examining their effects on impulsive and compulsive buying behavior through flow experience, while modeling flow experience and compulsive buying as second-order multidimensional constructs. The study also provides valuable insights for e-commerce practitioners seeking to manage engaging user experiences.