The influence of psychological triggers, content engagement, and self-regulation on the relationship between social media ads and impulsive buying.

Social media advertising has been widely studied for its influence on consumer behavior, but research rarely examines how psychological triggers, content-driven factors, and self-regulation jointly shape impulsive buying. This study addresses that gap by analyzing their combined effects. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was used, involving 392 university students in Cebu City, Philippines. Data were collected through a structured online survey measuring social media ad exposure, psychological triggers, content-driven influence, self-regulation, and impulsive buying. Reliability testing yielded a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.8542. Regression analysis was applied to determine relationships among variables. Respondents generally agreed they were exposed to social media ads (M = 3.59) and practiced self-regulation (M = 3.86), while impulsive buying tendencies were neutral (M = 2.85). Psychological triggers (M = 3.22) and content-driven factors (M = 3.36) showed moderate influence. Multiple regression revealed that psychological triggers and content-driven factors had the strongest positive effects on impulsive buying, while self-regulation had a significant negative effect. Social media ad exposure showed a smaller but significant positive association. The full model explained 57% of the variance in impulsive buying. Findings suggest that impulsive buying is shaped more by persuasive content and psychological cues than by exposure alone, with self-regulation acting as a protective factor. Marketers should prioritize engaging content and ethical strategies, while educators and policymakers promote financial literacy and self-control to mitigate impulsive buying.