The Moderating and Mediating Roles of Parichay, Tatkal Parichay and Karuna-Bhaav in Online Impulsive Buying Behaviour: An Indian Perspective

Abstract

The rapid growth of digital connectivity in India has caused a change in how people shop online.  As mobile commerce and social media become increasingly similar, impulsive purchasing behaviour (IBB) has become a major force in Indian e-retail, making up a large part of all online purchases (Statista, 2023; IAMAI, 2023).  This is not just because of persuasive algorithms or visual merchandising; it's also because of strongly held social and cultural norms that affect how people connect with each other in collectivist cultures like India (Pandey & Singh, 2020; Sinha & Tripathi, 1994). The Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework remains prevalent for interpreting how people make online decisions. While existing models fail to account how indigenous cultural constructs can affect mental states and behaviour (Mehrabian & Russell, 1974; Chan et al., 2017). 
This study looks at three novel Indian relational constructs — Parichay (deep-rooted interpersonal familiarity), Tatkal Parichay (rapid digital bonding), and Karuna-Bhaav (moral-emotional reciprocity)—to evaluate their roles as mediators and moderators in the SOR paradigm when it comes to online impulsive buying behaviour.  Employing mixed-methods approach to survey 850 Indian internet buyers from both urban and rural areas, supplemented by 30 semi-structured interviews to learn about the cultural factors that affect digital transactions. Additionally, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) jointly with bootstrapping was utilised to check the mediating and moderating effects of the constructs on the data.  Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) is a multivariate statistical technique that analyses complex relationships among observed and latent variables through a combination of factor analysis and multiple regression.
The results show that Tatkal Parichay (rapid digital bonding) has a big effect on the link between online stimuli (like influencer interaction, narrative, and real-time chat) and consumer arousal. On the other hand, Karuna-Bhaav (moral-emotional reciprocity) works as a strong link between emotional states and impulse buying intentions. For example, Tatkal Parichay intensifies consumers’ immediate reactions to external triggers, while Karuna-Bhaav transforms these emotional responses into purchasing behaviour. 
Furthermore, Parichay builds trust and long-term engagement in certain merchants or platforms over time.  Observations indicate that Indian consumers respond to marketing stimuli not entirely on cognitive and emotional grounds, but also through relational and moral lens.  The ramifications are substantial for marketers, platform designers, and policymakers aiming to create ethical, culturally attuned, and inclusive digital marketplaces.  This study bridges the gaps between global behavioural models and everyday realities of Indian consumers by looking at consumer relationships through culturally sensitive point of view.