Decoding Direct-to-Consumer brand purchase behaviour among young consumers: role of Fear of Missing Out and AI-enabled recommendations

This study investigates the young consumers’ purchase intention towards Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) brands using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The study extends TPB by incorporating Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and AI-enabled personalized recommendations. A sample of 449 young Indian consumers participated in the online questionnaire-based survey. The results reveal that purchase intention alone does not significantly predict actual behavior; however, AI-enabled recommendations significantly moderate this relationship. Digital experience and sustainability consciousness strongly influence consumer attitudes, which consequently affect purchase intention. Among subjective norms, peer influence has the most significant influence, followed by influencer endorsements and expert recommendations. Perceived behavioral control and FOMO also influence purchase intention significantly. This study answers the key question of what drives young consumers to purchase D2C brands. Theoretical contributions and the implications for D2C brands are also presented.