Ngoc-Hong Duong

In the digital age, unverified news and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) have become pervasive, raising concerns about their influence on customer behavior and decision-making. This research aims to investigate how unverified news affects customer purchase intention and satisfaction, emphasizing the mediating role of brand image within customer relationship management. Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) as the theoretical framework, the study collected the data from 378 undergraduate and postgraduate students in Vietnam. The hypotheses were tested through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS4. There are two significant results. Firstly, unverified news has significantly influenced brand image and trust, leading to customer satisfaction and purchase intention. Secondly, brand image plays a mediating role in the relationship between e-WOM and purchase intention. This research contributes to the marketing literature by demonstrating how unverified news shapes consumer behavior. The findings provide actionable insights for businesses to adapt their marketing strategies, addressing the growing challenges of misinformation to improve brand trust and customer satisfaction in today’s information-driven market.

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
In the digital economy, scarcity marketing has emerged as a powerful strategy that strongly shapes consumer decisions, particularly among Generation Z. However, while widely adopted, the psychological mechanisms through which scarcity influences impulsive buying remain insufficiently clarified, especially in emerging markets. This study aims to examine how scarcity-based marketing affects impulsive purchase behavior through psychological drivers, and to explore the moderating role of self-control. A mixed-method approach was employed. The qualitative stage included focus group discussions and expert interviews to validate constructs and refine measurement items. The quantitative stage involved an online survey conducted in January 2025 with 420 Gen Z consumers in Vietnam, analyzed using structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and descriptive statistics. The findings indicate that product scarcity activates important psychological responses such as competitive arousal and fear of missing out (FOMO), which subsequently encourage herding tendencies and lead to impulsive purchases. Self-control moderates these relationships by weakening the influence of competitive arousal while enhancing the impact of herding behavior. This study concludes that scarcity marketing influences Gen Z’s impulsive buying primarily through social and psychological pathways. The results extend the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework by highlighting both direct and moderated effects of consumer psychology in a scarcity context. From a managerial perspective, the findings offer practical implications for designing scarcity-driven campaigns more responsibly, balancing short-term effectiveness with the need to foster sustainable and ethical consumer engagement.