WHEN RATIONALITY INSPIRES AND FATIGUE PERSISTS: UNDERSTANDING DRIVERS OF ONLINE PURCHASE INTENTION

Abstract

Using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, this study investigates the effects of digital fatigue and digital rationality on online purchase intention. Although these forces have been frequently examined separately in prior research, little is known about how they interact to influence consumer decision-making in digital contexts. Direct and indirect effects were tested using mediation models on survey data from 259 members of Generation Z. The results show an unexpected asymmetry. Without influencing attitudes, digital fatigue directly increases purchase intention, suggesting that tiredness can influence consumers to make quick, closure-focused decisions. Contrarily, digital rationality only impacts intention through attitudes, demonstrating that logical assessments result in positive perceptions, which in turn influence more robust purchase intentions. By showing that attitudes mediate selectively based on the stimulus, these findings enhance the theory of consumer behavior. The study offers a more comprehensive understanding of digital decision-making by incorporating dual-process accounts and resource depletion perspectives into the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework. The necessity for interfaces that provide clear information to consumers who are rationally oriented while reducing friction for weary users is highlighted by the practical implications.