Swipe, Spend, Repeat: The Hidden Psychology Behind Digital Marketing and Financial Decisions

Dr. Vanitha Jyothi M1, Dr. Ramesh Krishna Vipparthi2, Mr. Prashant Pandey3, Dr. S. Velayutham4, Dr. S. Saravanan5

1Professor, MBA Department, Swarnandhra College of Engineering and Technology (Autonomous), Seetharampuram, West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, India

2Lecturer in Commerce, Department of Commerce, Government College (Autonomous), Rajamahendravaram, Andhra Pradesh, India

3PhD Research Scholar, Department of Commerce, Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar, Punjab, India

4Professor, Department of MBA, Bharath Institute of Higher Education & Research, Selaiyur, Chennai, TN, India

5Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, Dr. Ambedkar Government Arts College, Vyasarpadi, Chennai, TN, India

Abstract: In an era of “Swipe and Sign” transactions, digital marketing strategies are not just designed to make customers buy, but in a more nuanced way, it’s helping to dictate the thinking around purchases. This conceptual research delves into the unobvious psychological pathways that digital marketing strategies employ to influence consumer financial decision making in a highly personalized and increasingly algorithmic marketplace. For the purpose of this study, Personalized Digital Marketing, Scarcity and Urgency Appeals, and social proof and Influencer Persuasion are posited as the three critical Independent Variables influencing Consumer Financial decision making (Dependent Variable). The model further hypothesizes the significance of Impulse buying tendency as the underlying media mechanism whereby digital persuasive stimuli transmute momentary psychological nudges into financially binding buying decisions. The model contends that tailored recommendations will induce a sense of Personal relevance, urgency statements to abbreviate decision-making time and social proof to legitimize spendings, prompting customer to traverse from ‘Should I buy?’ to ‘Why not?’. This, in itself, presents a concealed financial signature as a consequence of digitally driven purchasing incentives. Moreover, the conceptual model illustrates how this unarticulated financial footprint may impact purchasing power through unrequited consumption, diminished self-control over expenditure, and myopic decision making.

Keywords: Digital Marketing; Consumer Financial Decision-Making; Impulse Buying Tendency; Consumer Psychology; Digital Persuasion.