Urgency appeals and cognitive biases in digital advertising: a neuromarketing experimental study on impulsive purchase decisions

Impulse buying has become a defining feature of today’s digital marketplace, where consumers are constantly exposed to personalized offers, real-time notifications, and limited-time promotions. In such environments, decision-making is increasingly rapid and guided by emotions and cognitive shortcuts rather than deliberate, reflective reasoning. This thesis investigates how urgency appeals in digital advertising—such as time scarcity cues and loss-framed messages—shape purchase intention, and how this effect varies according to individual levels of consumer impulsivity. The theoretical framework integrates findings from neuromarketing, behavioral economics, and cognitive psychology, highlighting the crucial role of System 1 processes, affective arousal, and cognitive biases in online consumer behavior. Scarcity bias, framing, and loss aversion are examined as persuasive mechanisms capable of accelerating evaluations and increasing susceptibility to impulsive purchases. Neuromarketing insights help explain how emotional salience and attentional capture can shape valuation, shedding light on why urgency tactics tend to reduce cognitive control and foster more immediate compliance. The empirical research consists of a quantitative online experiment involving two advertising messages promoting the same product. Participants are randomly assigned to either a neutral condition, focused on functional attributes, or an urgency condition, emphasizing a limited-time discount. Impulsivity is measured using a validated psychological scale, while purchase intention is assessed through a structured set of behavioral items. The statistical analyses aim to examine whether exposure to urgency-framed advertisements increases purchase intention (H1), whether individuals with higher Impulse Buying Tendency (IBT) exhibit higher purchase intention overall (H2), and whether IBT positively moderates the relationship between urgency framing and purchase intention, strengthening the effect of urgency cues among more impulsive consumers (H3). The results contribute to a better understanding of the psychological dynamics underlying digital persuasion and demonstrate how situational cues and individual differences influence buying behavior. From a managerial standpoint, the findings provide practical implications for designing effective—but ethically responsible—advertising strategies that respect consumer autonomy while acknowledging the persuasive power of cognitive biases. The study ultimately highlights how neuromarketing can help bridge scientific knowledge and marketing practice, offering valuable insights into the hidden drivers of online consumer decisions.