Consumer behavior in Online Flash Sale: Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis

Flash sale programs have shown outstanding success in the four-wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Vietnam. This study aims to examine factors that affect consumers' attitudes towards flash sales programs, thereby influencing their purchase intention in a certain period during which programs take place. The research illustrated that attitude plays a crucial role in investigating consumer behavior during flash sales, considering five factors including perceived usefulness, flash sales information quality, website quality, perceived perishability, and perceived scarcity. Using the PLS-SEM method, this study analyzed data collected from consumers who have been participating in e-commerce platforms in Vietnam. The result showed that all the five factors positively affect attitude towards flash sales and explain nearly 60% of its variance. Perceived perishability has a more significant impact than other factors. Also, the study indicated the intermediary role of attitude towards flash sales about purchase intention on flash sales. Subsequent discussions will explore the implication of optimizing flash sales programs.