Abstract

This study examines the role of time pressure in shaping online impulsive buying behaviour through a systematic literature review. It focuses on how limited-time offers, countdown times, and flash sales mechanisms stimulate impressive purchases in online shopping environments. The study synthesizes previous research to identify key psychological mechanisms, situational triggers, and individual factors that influence consumers’ spontaneous buying tendencies. Data were collected from peer-reviewed international journal articles published between 2010 and 2025, and thematically analyzed to uncover emerging psychological concepts and relational patterns. The review finds that countdown timers in flash sales effectively heighten consumers’sense of urgency, increase emotional arousal, and reduce rational evaluation, leading to unplanned purchasing behaviour. Furthermore, this effect is moderated by self-control, product involvement, and transaction simplicity. The study also highlights how digital marketing strategies intentionally employ temporal cues-particularly flash sale countdowns-to accelerate purchase decisions. However, this raises ethical concerns regarding potential consumer manipulation. These findings deepen the understanding of time-based persuasion and provide valuable insights for developing responsible and consumer-centered marketing strategies in the e-commerce context.