The Effects of Social Media in Online Impulse Buying Behavior of

Grade 11 Students in Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo National High School

A Research
Presented to the Senior High School Department of
Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo National High School

In partial fulfillment
of the requirements of the course
Practical Research 1

Researchers
Dela Cruz, Angelica
Laureta, Elimar
Pablo, Gerlyn
Rivera, Princess Lyka
Turingan, Ayeza Johnyella
Valencia, Adelieca Faith

Second Semester, 2025

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 CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL

In partial fulfillment of the course Practical Research 1, this research entitled “THE
EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON IMPULSE BUYING BEHAVIOR OF
GRADE 11 STUDENTS IN GEN. EMILIO AGUINALDO NATIONAL HIGH
SCHOOL”, has been prepared and submitted by GERLYN M. PABLO, et al. has
been accepted and approved.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

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DEDICATION

4
TABLE OF CONTENTS

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 Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

According to data presented by DataReportal, produced by Simon Kemp et al.,

billions of people worldwide use social media, accounting for more than half of the

global population. Online "impulse buying" is becoming more popular as the number

of social media users worldwide grows and digital marketplaces gain popularity

(Somera, 2024). As a result, social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and

Instagram have become highly efficient tools for businesses to increase audience

engagement and brand visibility, which are essential for their growth in a variety of

ways.

Online shopping has grown significantly in recent years, as Filipinos have

[Link] has become an important and convenient part of our everday lives as it

offers a significant and non time-consuming buying of goods. As a result, this factor

creates an environment where consumers can make both rational and irrational

purchases. The enormous growth of social media and digital marketing influences the

buying decisions of consumers, specifically teenagers who are more expose to social

media. One of the most noticeable effect of social media on the shopping behavior of

students is impulsive buying. With more exposure to social media and advertisement

circulating around it, teenagers are more tempted to buy things without proper

planning. With 73 million Filipinos working and studying from home, the COVID-19

pandemic boosted eCommerce demand in the Philippines, leading to $17 billion in

market sales in 2021 (International Trade Administration, 2024). In addition, an

estimated ten percent of urban-dwelling Filipinos are impulsive buyers, according to a

study by Gutierrez (2004).

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 Many researchers have already conducted a large number of studies on this

phenomenon, but the majority of them concentrated on young adults. Nevertheless,

the researchers discovered a scarcity of studies that addressed the Philippine context

of teens' impulsive purchasing behavior, which represents a research gap. This study

discusses how social media influences teenagers who are primarily exposed to digital

technologies to make irrational purchasing decisions.

Background of the Study

Online impulse buying is defined as a person's unplanned purchase of a

product. It has a significant impact on a person's financial budgeting, potentially

harming their budget, disrupting savings goals, and even leading to debt. Researchers

want to know how social media influences online impulsive buying and help students

think about how they can spend their money responsibly. In general, social media

serves as a platform for businesses to attract customers and promote products, as well

as for consumers to receive recommendations and share their experiences (Leong et

al., 2018).

They use marketing tactics, as well as online shopping apps/platforms such as

Shoppee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop to attract their customers. They advertise their

products to make them more appealing to consumers, which can cause financial

problems with budgeting. GGI Insights states that, "Marketers have perfected the art

of tempting us into making unplanned purchases. Through clever advertising

techniques and persuasive messaging, they create a sense of urgency and desire within

us. One common tactic is the use of limited-time offers or flash sales, which create a

fear of missing out (FOMO) and push us to make impulsive buying decisions."

In the Philippines, online impulsive buyers are typically Gen Zs or

Millennials, and the consequences of their online impulsive purchasing decisions can

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 lead to them being scammed. Filipino internet users, primarily Gen Z and Millennials

are increasingly using e-commerce platforms for their retail needs. These platforms

not only provide a diverse range of shopping options but also offer competitive

pricing, making them a preferred choice among online consumers in the Philippines

(Jeff Alejandrino, 2024).

In General Emilio Aguinaldo National High School, the effect of social

media to online impulsive buying is evident. With this, the researchers attempt to

understand the how social media and different e-commerce or platforms affect the

online impule buying behavior of Grade 11 students in the said school. Therefore, this

research was conducted to provide a support to every Grade 11 students in General

Emilio Aguinaldo National High School.

Conceptual Framework

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

1. What are the Interviewing 1. Identify the different

different types of students about types of social media
social media contents the different contents that encourage
that encourage forms of social impulse buying
impulse buying media content practices of students.
practices of the that encourage
students? them to buy, how 2. Learn how these
social media social media contents
2. How these social influences their influence the
media contents online purchases, unplanned purchases of
influence their and the students.
unplanned purchases? consequences of
their unplanned 3. Discover the effects
3. What are effects of shopping habits of impulse buying
this buying habits to for them as behavior to the
the learners? students. learners.

FEEDBACK

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Statement of the Problem

The main problem of this study is the impulse buying decisions of Grade 11

students in Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo National High School when it comes to purchasing

products online and how social media affect these kinds of decisions. Specifically,

this research seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What are the different types of social media contents that encourage

impulse buying practices of the students?

2. How these social media contents influence their unplanned purchases?

3. What are effects of this buying habits to the learners?

Hypothesis

There are many types of social media content that encourage impulse buying,

and the researchers predict that TikTok Shop is the most commonly used social media

platform. While advertisements made by influencers sharing their experiences, ideas,

and thoughts about a single product are one type of social media content that may

frequently influence impulse buying behavior.

Scope and Delimitations

The generalizability of this study from other schools will be limited because it

will only concentrate on Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo National High School in Gen.

Aguinaldo, Ramon, Isabela. With the exception of the additional grade levels, it is

solely focused on Grade 11 students who were enrolled in the 2024–2025 academic

year. The fact that this will be done in a set amount of time will limit its capacity to

record persistent trends or online purchasing habits. Additionally, the main focus of

this study will be the kinds of social media marketing content that have a major effect

on their impulsive purchasing habits, how these types of contents affect their

unplanned purchases, and what are the effects of irrational purchasing decisions to

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them as learners. Other factors not stated in this section are beyond the scope of this

study.

Significance of the Study

This study aims to provide an explanation on how social media contributes to

the impulsive buying behavior of teenagers, specifically Grade 11 students in Gen.

Emilio Aguinaldo National High School. Moreover, this study is beneficial to the

foolowing:

Students/Teenagers. This research will allow students to have a self-

reflection about their unplanned purchasing decisions influenced by social media and

to develop an effective financial management plan to avoid this kind of buying

behavior.

Business Owners. They can use this paper to understand how social media

affects the behavior of consumers, for them to establish more engaging social media

contents to persuade their audiences.

Future Researchers. This can help them to conduct further studies to deepen

their understanding about the relationship of social media and buying behavior of

teenagers and how they affect each other.

Parents. This study may help parents understand the factors influencing their

children's online purchasing behavior, allowing them to better guide their children.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are further defined either operationally or conceptually:

Ecommerce. Also known as “electronic commerce” is a business model that enables

the buying and selling of goods and services over the internet.

Enormous. Marked by extraordinarily great size, number, or degree.

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Impulsive. Showing behaviour in which you do things suddenly without any planning

and without considering the effects they may have.

Irrational. Not logical or reasonable.

Marketplace. A place where a particular product or service is bought or sold.

Rational. Based on or in accordance with reason or logic.

Sales. The exchange of a commodity for money.

Scarcity. The state of being scarce or in short supply; shortage.

Urban-dwelling. A type of residence located in a city or densely populated area,

often characterized by limited space and proximity to other buildings.

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 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents the relevant literatures and studies that the researcher considered

important in strengthening the significance of the current study. It also presents the

synthesis to provide new perspective to completely comprehend the research for a

better understanding of the study.

Related Literature Foreign

Social media refers to computer-mediated channels of communication that

enable users to interact socially with both large and small audiences either

asynchronously or in real-time (Bayer, Trieu, & Ellison, 2020). Social Media

platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are the most popular to

individuals in today’s generation when it comes to sharing and interacting online.

Social networking site continues to grow over a period of time. It becomes popular in

every country all around the world. “Surveys suggest that over 93% of teens use

social media, which is approximately 37 million teenagers in the USA [Link],

Snapchat, and Instagram remain popular, with majorities of teens aged 13 to 17

reporting use (63%, 60%, and 59% respectively). Among older teens aged 15 to 17,

these shares increase to about seven-in-ten.” (Chaddock, 2024)

Furthermore, the rise of social media has had a significant influence on the

strategies used by businesses to keep in touch with their customers (R. Sundaram et

al., 2020). The concept of Social Media Advertising (SMA) and Social Media

Marketing (SMM) was created at this time.

According to Datareportal's Digital 2024 Global Overview Report (Simon

Kemp et al., 2024), social media is used by more than half of the world's population

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(62.6%) in 2024, with a 1.3% growth in 2025, bringing the total to 63.9%. It is

utilized by 5.07 billion people globally, with a projected increase to 5.24 billion by

the beginning of 2025. Every day, people spend an average of two hours and twenty

minutes on social media.

Related Literature Local

During the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are forced to purchase online that

caused online shopping applications such as Shopee and Lazada to rapidly shifts.

Because of Shopee’s significant online shopping events, the platform was regarded as

the top online shopping app in the Philippines as of 2020 (Bacay et. al, 2022). Using

these shopping apps, you browse for the items you want, add them to your cart or

basket, place your order, and pay for them either in person or through an electronic

wallet (GCash, PayMaya, etc.). Creative sales promotions such as offering free

vouchers, promotional codes, offering discounts, freebies, and flash deals, are

developed to persuade and attract buyers to purchase products. In line with the study

of JE Bulacan et al. (2022) that concludes, there is a strong correlation between price

and Shopee users' online buying habits, indicating that affordability is what drives

Filipino Shopee buyers to use the platform.

According to Rodriguez et al. (2024), social media can be a place for financial

learning, but it can also encourage people to make impulsive purchases and buy things

that is unnecessary, in which it can hinder financial responsibility. With the rapid

growth of social media platforms, people often see numerous influencers showcasing

their luxurious lifestyle. This can make students want to buy things that they could not

afford. This behavior can lead to irrational decision of spending their money unwisely

and impulsively. Thus, the more the students are expose to social media, the more

likely they spend a fortune to stay trendy and to fit themselves in online community.

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Therefore, to prevent this issue from getting worse, it is needed to conduct a study in

the effects of social media to the purchasing decisions of students to help them

manage their finances responsibly and wisely.

Related Studies Foreign

Purchase decision is the process by which the consumer make choice to buy

goods or certain services from various available options (Kurdi, 2022). While,

According to Burton et al. (2018), impulse purchases occur when there is a sudden

and strong emotional desire, which arises from a reactive behavior that is

characterized by low cognitive control. Therefore, the study concludes that emotions

play a significant role in influencing people’s decision-making, especially when it

comes to making an unplanned purchases.

According to Bansal, M & Kumar, S (2018), Social Media Marketing (SMM)

is a way for businesses to use social networks like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

to promote and advertise their products or services using paid advertising campaigns

on various social media platforms. Online companies’ goal is to create contents and

advertisements that attract and catch the attention of their target audiences that are

interested and will share it with their friends, which helps online businesses reach

more people and build a stronger brand. Findings of their study, there are five factors

influencing impulsive purchases: The hedonic motivation, website quality, trust,

situational variables, and variety seeking. It concludes that impulse buying is these

factors combined that can make it seem like an impulsive purchase seems wise and

rational.

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Related Studies Local

Gallagher et al.(2017)discovered that students who engage in excessive

internet shopping experience post-purchase remorse(shame,enxiety,and guilt), which

can lead to depression. Additionally, spending an excessive amount of time and

money on online ahopping can lead to academic and financial hardship, both of which

are associated with depression(Liu et al.,2017;Wright,2017).

Williams et al.(1972).customers spend less time planning before going

shopping ,yet with a lifestyle shopper mindset and a higher income, which encourages

customers to buy more,impulse buying [Link] to crafts (2012),technology

does not produce impulse customers;rather,it provides impulsive consumers have

greater resources to shop and easier access to execute transactions in a short period of

time,resulting in purchases that are truly impulsive.

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 CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the methodologies utilized for data collection and analysis

which are relevant to the research. The chapter also explains the research steps, such

as participant selection, data gathering, and data analysis.

Research Design

The researchers utilized the descriptive method, specifically interviews, in

using qualitative approaches in gathering information in the effect of Social Media in

Online Impulsive buying of Grade 11 students in General Emilio Aguinaldo National

High School.

Locale of the Study

This research will be carried out on the site of Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo

National High School, an established educational academy in Gen. Aguinaldo,

Ramon, Isabela.

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Respondents

The respondents/participants of this study will be a total number of 50

students from Grade 11, who are using social media excessively. The researchers will

use a purposive sampling which is the selecting the respondents intentionally, based

on their experience in buying products online. They are chosen by the researchers due

to the evident widespread use of social media among Grade 11 students, as well as the

growth of the number of products purchased by them online every day through the use

of shopping apps.

Data Gathering Procedure

After the title was approved, data collection will begin in February 2025, with

the researchers conducting interviews with those intentionally selected Grade 11

students. Beforehand, the researchers will draft a request letter to the School

Principal. Following that, the researchers will identify the objectives and goals of the

study, including the questions to be addressed to organize necessary materials for the

interview. After that, they will inform the participants and explain that their

information will be kept strictly confidential and used only for the purposes of this

study. Afterwards, the researchers will analyze and interpret the results through

thematic analysis that involves a careful reading, familiarization of the materials,

generating, and reviewing the themes to understand the different interpretations of the

respondents on the completed interviews.

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 CHAPTER IV

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

This chapter presents the findings of the study, analyzing, and interpretation of

the datas gathered through face to face interview, which aims to identify the effects of

social media on online impulse buying of Grade 11 students in Gen. Emilio

Aguinaldo National High School. With the information collected, the researchers

classified five themes which will be discuss in this chapter: Social media as a

Persuasion of a Product, Social Media Advertisement Dependency, Vouchers and

Discounts of Online Shopping Platforms, Expectation versus Reality, and Disruption

of School Allowance.

Data Analysis

The researchers used the qualitative approach in order to gather

comprehensive insights related to the study. Qualitative datas are obtained through a

face to face interview with 15 purposively selected Grade 11 students, meaning the

respondents are intentionally chosen based on a specific criterion. Data analysis

involved a thematic analysis of the interview transcripts. By identifying and analyzing

the themes, the researchers are able to get the needed information for the study.

Presentation of Themes

Theme 1: Social Media, Persuasion of a Product

“Yes kasi hindi masasayang yung oras ko na bumili sa labas kasi mayroon ng online”

“Oo, pag may nakikita akong magagandang product e napapabili ako”

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“Yes, kasi some social media pwede ng gamitin for online buying”

"Yes, naiimpluwensyahan ako ng mga nakikita o napapanood ko online."

“Oo,nahihikayat ako kasi sa mga napapanood kong endorsement.”

“Yes,nakakaapekto kasi nakakaadik bumili”

The researchers asked the respondents if they believe that social media have

changed the way they see the need for a product and if they usually buy goods that are

unnecessary because of social media influence. They all answered “Yes,” which

proves that social media have a great contribution to their buying behavior. These

answers conclude that social media is an effective instrument for marketers to

persuade customers to buy their products in agreement with the study conducted by

Leong et al., 2018, that says social media serves as a platform for businesses to attract

customers and promote products.

Theme 2: Social Media Advertisement Dependency

"Wen, nu adda nakitam jay NF para kang naaakit tas punta agad sa shopee."

"Oo, nahihikayat ako kasi sa mga napapanood kong endorsement."

"Oo, syempre pag may ads na lumalabas like perfume maak-akit nak nukwa isu

bilbilhik. Through ads."

"Yes, kasi kapag may nakita akong ads sa feed na products, mapapabili ka kasi gusto

mo itry kahit hindi mo kailangan."

"Oo, kasi dala na lang ng impluwensiya ng influencer kasi may yellow basket sila."

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"Oo, naaakit ako sa dumadaan sa fyp kapag."

"Oo, kasi syempre kahit hindi importante nabibili kasi attractive ganun."

"Advertisements (Ads)"

"Gaya ng YouTube ‘pag nanonood na ng movie may lumalabas na ads like yung

pabango, nacucurious ako kung mabango ba ito kaya parang naiisip ko what if bilhin

ko ito?

“Short videos and Endorsements”

Based on the responses stated above, the researchers conclude that teenagers

are more attracted to contents like advertisements, short-videos, and endorsements

about specific products that are shown on their newsfeeds and/or For You Page (FYP)

online. These type of contents catch the customers’ attentions that leads to curiosity

and attraction which affect their buying behavior as customers. It is also stated that

these social media contents had encourage them to buy something unplanned. In

addition, the action taken by the customers are mostly based on how it is presented

and advertised online.

Theme 3: Vouchers and Discounts of Online Shopping Platforms

"May discount kaya di mahal"

"Meron, free shipping talaga"

"May free shipping tas vouchers"

"Shopee kasi mas maraming free shipping"

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"Tiktok, quality tapos discounts at free shipping"

“Oo, shopee, lahat ng feature ng shopee”

“Shopee, nakakainteresting kasi yung binebenta, hinihikayat niya akong bumili sa

mga bagay kasi may free shipping”

Majority of the respondents stated that discounts and free shipping that are

being offered by online shopping platforms also encourage them to purchase products.

This indicates that the affordability of the product makes it more appealing to

consumers. These factors create a sense of urgency between consumers specially with

limited time offers and time sensitive vouchers which can drive the consumer to make

an impulsive purchase. In line with the study of JE Bulacan et al. (2022) that states

that there is a strong correlation between price and Shopee users’ online buying

habits. Additionally, majority of the respondents prefer Shopee more than other online

shopping platforms. This interpretation of data support the findings of Baccay et al.,

2022 that Shopee was regarded as the top online shopping app in the Philippines on

2020.

Theme 4: Expectations vs. Reality

"Meron, expectation maganda yung products but in reality pangit yung product

parang low quality"

"Oo,kasi maganda sa picture tapos binili ko agad,hindi ko tinignan yung ratings"

"Yes, kasi nadisappoint ako sa product. Expectation vs Reality"

“Oo, parang nasayang lang yung pera”

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“Oo, kasi minsan sa online shopping may fake and sometimes narealize ko na yung

pera na yon ay mas kailangan ko sa paaralan like school materials”

“Meron, kasi dun sa picture kasi buong gamit siya as in naka set tas nung dumating

iisa lang palang product tas nagsisiako kasi maliit siya tas hindi ko rin nagagamit”

These answers given by the respondents show disappointments based on their

experiences on shopping online. This is the consequence of their unplanned

purchases. They expect for a high-quality type of product as what they see on the

picture online, without knowing that it might be far from the reality.

Theme 5: Disruption of School Allowance

“Ano kapag nagorder ka tas wala ng pera, walang pangbabayad na pera tas

malulungkot kasi wala ng pera.”

“Negative,kasi kabibigay pa lng ng baon nagagastos ko agad. Sa positive nabili ko

lahat ng gusto ko.”

“Oo, dahil minsan wala na akong allowance para sa sarili, lagi nalang bumibili sa

online dahil sa pagbili ko nito wala na akong pera.”

“Kasi walang budget bumibili ako, tas nauubos yung pera ko.”

“Hindi ko nabibili yung ibang needs ko kasi nagastos ko na sa mga bagay na hindi ko

kailangan online. Nauubos pera ko tapos hihingi ako ulit sa parents ko .”

“Negative, gamin pagpurchase mo maleless yung earnings mo yun ung effects nito sa

akin.”

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“Masyadong positively nabibili ko ang lahat ng gusto ko. Negatively naubusan ako ng

budget.”

“Wala na akong baon kapag, kapag binigyan ako ng allowance tas may nakita ako sa

socmed e binibili ko agad. Nambuburaot na lang ako or umuutang.”

“Negative, syempre nawawalan nako ng pera tas mas madalas nabibili yung wants

ko .”

“Negative, nawawalan ako ng pera sa school at nakalaan palagi sa parcel. Kasi

minsan yung baon ko, itinatabi ko para lang mabili ang bagay na [Link] pag

walang pera.”

“Negative and positive, positive kasi pinoprovide niya yung kailangan kong bilhin

then negative dahil minsan wala na akong natirang pera.”

“Negative,kasi nga kahit hindi kailangan binibili parang nasasayang yung pera.”

“Kulang baon ko kaya di ko nabibili yung mga gusto kong pagkain kaya sobrang gipit

na gipit ako na ako kapag.”

According to the researchers' analysis of the participants' statements, the

majority of respondents stated that their spontaneous buying habits had an undesirable

impact on their finances because they spent their allowances instantly, which resulted

in financial issues like a lack of allowance and the inability to pay for school

expenses, which can also lead to debt. However, because they are able to obtain what

they desire, this behavior makes them happy. Even if they may be satisfied with their

purchase, most of them later expressed regret due to a variety of reasons, including

the actual product's quality.

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Discussion and Interpretation

Based on the information provided by the selected Grade 11 respondents, the

researchers discovered that platforms such as Shopee and TikTok had significant

influence to the respondents to become impulsive buyers. Majority of the respondents

claimed that they prefer to purchase on Shopee due to the excessive amount of free

shipping vouchers and discounts, which has encouraged them to buy things without

proper preparation. Furthermore, the visual attractiveness and the way products are

marketed and displayed online significantly influence consumer attraction, as people

are more likely to purchase items that are visually appealing and attractive. Finally,

the participants indicated that making impulse purchases adversely impacts their

financial situation, such as shortage of funds caused by not enough budgeting that

primarily centers on online shopping. One of the hypotheses does not align with the

responses from participants, as they indicated a preference for Shopee over Tiktok

shop. On the contrary, most of the evidence supports the researchers’ hypothesis that

advertisements as social media content often impact impulse buying behavior.

CHAPTER V

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 CONCLUSIONS, INTERPRETATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The findings and explanation of the data collected through in-person interviews were

the focus of the previous chapter. Thus, the researchers will present a summary of

their findings along with suggestions in this chapter. According to the findings in

related literature, during the COVID-19 pandemic, local consumers felt the need to

make purchases online, which led to a rapid shift in online shopping applications like

Shopee and Lazada (Baciy et al., 2022). This chapter's summary will include the

research findings. The recommendations will serve as guidelines to help the learners

refrain from making impulsive purchases.

SUMMARY

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of social media on online impulse

buying behavior of Grade 11 students. In gathering datas, the researchers used a face-

to-face interview with 15 respondents that are purposively selected. After the

interview, the researchers used thematic analysis in analyzing the informations

collected. The findings indicates that social media plays a significant role in

influencing the students to purchase online impulsively. Majority of them favor

Shopee App over Tiktok Shop. One of the factors that motivated them to purchase a

product online was through the visual appeal of the product and how it was advertised

or endorsed by influencers online. Through these kinds of content, they are often

encouraged to buy without proper planning. In addition, the researchers noticed from

each interviewee's comments that their impulsive purchases affect their finances most

of the time, leading to financial problems and even debt. Therefore, this study

concludes that social media influence the impulsive buying behaviour of Grade 11

students in Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo National High School in different ways.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Students

- Students should evaluate the product ratings and reviews to ensure they are

purchasing quality items that are worth the money. In this way, they can make a more

informed decisions about what to purchase.

- Students should focus on saving money for essential items rather than spending on

desired products just to meet satisfaction. They need to understand how to save for

necessities instead of spending it on things that are not needed.

- Learn how to manage your finances efficiently. This includes budgeting, saving, and

understanding how to make their money last long.

Business

- The visual appeal of the products significantly contributes in attracting consumers.

Therefore, online businesses must enhance their marketing strategies and the way they

showcase their products on the internet.

Family

- Teach children on how to handle their finances at their young age, for them to learn

how to spend their money wisely and productively as they grew older.

School

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-Financial literacy should be taught in schools so that students can understand the

value of saving money, creating a budget, and differentiating the needs and wants.

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