Muscat – Rewards, reviews, personalised offers and visual appeal are among the strongest factors influencing how consumers shop through mobile devices, according to a peer-reviewed study involving a researcher from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU).

The research found that mobile purchasing decisions are shaped by a combination of marketing, visual and psychological factors that affect both perceived value and impulse buying.

The study was conducted by a research team that included Dr Ali Tarhini from the College of Economics and Political Science at SQU.

Researchers analysed responses from 891 mobile shopping users to examine how marketing stimuli influence perceived value and spontaneous purchases, and how these factors translate into actual buying behaviour.

The findings showed that rewards, recognition, reviews and ratings had the strongest influence on how consumers perceived value.

Personalised offers and visually engaging shopping experiences, meanwhile, emerged as the most significant drivers of impulse buying.

The study also produced a less expected finding: constant access to mobile shopping may, in some cases, reduce impulsive purchasing.

Researchers said the ease with which consumers can compare products and access information through their phones may give them more time and opportunity to assess alternatives before completing a transaction.

The research also identified a positive relationship between perceived value and impulse buying, suggesting that consumers who see greater value in a product or shopping experience may be more likely to make spontaneous purchases.

Differences were also recorded between generations in their responses to reviews and ratings, indicating that age groups do not necessarily react to the same digital cues in the same way.

The researchers used structural equation modelling based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response model and Consumption Values Theory to assess the relationships between marketing inputs, consumer perceptions and purchasing responses.

The findings suggest that mobile shopping platforms need to look beyond discounts alone and focus on how users perceive value, interact with reviews and respond to personalised and visually appealing experiences.

The study adds to research on how digital transformation is changing consumer behaviour as mobile devices become an increasingly important channel for retail purchases.