The BNPL phenomenon: Digital consumer communication and behavior in shopee paylater

Putri Ananda, Jasmine Alya Pramesthi

Abstract


Background: Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services experienced 125% growth in Indonesia in 2021-2022. It proves a fundamental transformation in consumer communication and fintech marketing communications, in which the platform’s persuasive architecture and digital word-of-mouth communications shape the financial decisions of the younger generation. Purpose: The study examined consumers’ experiences with Shopee PayLater (SPayLater) through a phenomenological approach, exploring utilitarian-hedonic motivations, impacts on shopping patterns and financial management, users’ subjective experiences, and the socio-psychological factors that influence continued usage behavior. Methods: It employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) with 20 active SPayLater users. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and digital observations. They were analyzed by integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior, Self-Determination Theory, and Hedonic-Utilitarian motivation theory, with triangulation of methods, sources, and theories. Results: The findings reveal a shift in consumption behavior from “buying by need” to “buying by want,” with peer recommendation more persuasive than formal marketing communication. Implications: The research produces a Digital PayLater Consumer Communication Model (DPCCM) that explains the BNPL communication ecosystem through five components: platform communication strategy, social network influence, individual psychological mechanisms, behavioral consumption manifestation, and feedback loop dynamics. The research provides a significant theoretical contribution to the digital communication literature by producing a new framework for understanding how the dynamics of persuasive communication in the digital commerce ecosystem shape the financial decisions and consumption behavior of Indonesia’s young generation.


Keywords


Buy now, pay later (bnpl); communication behavior; digital consumer communication; shopee paylater

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.24198/jkk.v13i2.64209

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