Determinants of F-commerce Impulse Purchase in Bangladesh: Mediating Effect of Perceived Price Dispersion

Abstract

F-commerce has become a major platform for online buying and selling in Bangladesh, enabling real-time interactions between businesses and consumers. This study examines how Facebook usage intensity, hedonic gratification, parasocial relationships, social interaction, social trust, online product vividness, and perceived price dispersion influence impulse purchasing behavior. Using survey data from 403 Bangladeshi F-commerce users and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0, the findings reveal that parasocial relationships, social interaction, and social trust significantly encourage impulse purchases, while Facebook usage intensity, hedonic gratification, online product vividness, and perceived price dispersion have no significant effect. Perceived price dispersion also does not mediate these relationships. The study provides practical insights for marketers and businesses seeking to enhance customer engagement and stimulate impulse buying in Bangladesh's growing F-commerce sector.