From daily check-ins to reward missions and mini-games offering vouchers, interactive features in shopping apps and social commerce platforms are more than just fun distractions.

Based on my published research in the International Journal of Management Science and Application (2024), I found that:

👉 Promotional activities positively influence flow experience, and

👉 Flow experience significantly contributes to impulsive buying behavior.

🎯 The Connection: Promotion → Flow → Impulse Purchases

Flow is a mental state where users feel fully immersed and engaged. When users are in flow, their critical thinking is lowered — and they are more likely to take spontaneous actions, including purchases.

By embedding promotions into gamified experiences, apps trigger the brain’s reward system. These mechanisms increase time spent on the app and subtly push users to act on emotional impulse — often without realizing it.

📱 Social Platforms Are Doing the Same

Short video platforms are now integrating seamless shopping features, where a user watches entertaining content and can buy a product instantly. It creates a frictionless path from content consumption to checkout, leveraging the user’s emotional engagement.

💡 Key Takeaway for Designers

As a UI/UX designer, this research reminded me that:

Design is not only about usability or visual appeal.
It’s also about understanding psychology and marketing intent behind every feature.

Before labeling a new feature as “strange” or “unnecessary,” ask:

• What behavior is this trying to influence?

• Is this part of a deeper marketing strategy?

• How does this support the business goal?

In commercial apps, every feature exists for a reason. And the more we understand that reason, the more impactful our designs can be.

📚 Reference:

Nurlaili, M. (2024). The Influence of Promotion on Flow Experience and Its Impact on Impulsive Buying. International Journal of Management Science and Application (IJMSA).
Read the full research