Analyzing Impulsive Buying and Risky Indebtedness Behavior in The Use of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) Services

This preliminary study examines the influence of various factors on the intention to use Pay Later services and their relationship with risky indebtedness behavior. The study adopts a mixed-method approach by integrating Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Design Science Research (DSR). Data was collected in May 2026 through an online survey distributed via Google Forms to respondents that have used BNPL or Pay Later with 45 valid responses analyzed using SmartPLS4. The data was collected using purposive sampling from Pay Later users. The findings reveal that perceived risk significantly affects risky indebtedness behavior, perceived trust, and self-control. Perceived trust, self-control, and risky indebtedness behavior were also found to significantly influence users’ intention to adopt BNPL services. In addition, self-control significantly affects impulsive buying behavior, while impulsive buying and intention to adopt BNPL significantly influence financial wellbeing. The study further proposes an AI-driven artifact designed to improve responsible lending decisions through behavioral credit scoring, and financial risk monitoring. This research contributes to the understanding of behavioral and psychological factors affecting BNPL adoption and highlights the importance of financial risk governance in digital payment ecosystems.