The Psychology of BNPL: A Systematic Review of Impulsive Buying and Post-Purchase Regret (2018-2025)

A growing number of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) service providers are emerging in digital markets around the globe; however, there is growing academic and regulatory concern about the potential psychological and behavioural impacts of these services on consumers. As part of addressing fears that BNPL services may be contributing to impulse purchases and post-purchase regret, this study provides an integrative and systematic review of empirical research on BNPL use from 2018 to 2025, examining how BNPL services affect impulse purchase behaviour and post-purchase regret. This review utilised PRISMA 2020 guidelines and CASP appraisal and a structured Scopus search, resulting in 10 peer-reviewed studies meeting the inclusion criteria out of the 15,605 initial records. The evidence indicates that BNPL service mechanisms, including instalment framing, urgency cues, and perceived affordability, influence both the reduction of payment salience and increases in impulsive purchasing. There is strong theoretical evidence supporting the role of regret as an emotional outcome related to BNPL. Yet, none of the reviewed studies assessed post-purchase regret using validated psychological tools. Instead, all the reviewed studies assumed that regret was being experienced indirectly through financial stress, compulsive spending and decreased overall well-being, indicating a significant omission in methodology of the BNPL literature. This review developed a conceptual model of psychological processes linking BNPL-induced impulsiveness with regret-related consequences. The results of this study contribute to the development of consumer behaviour theory by defining the missing measurement of regret, identifying the underlying theoretical mechanisms associated with BNPL-driven emotions and providing guidance for future longitudinal, experimental and cross-cultural research. Additionally, the results provide recommendations for protecting consumers, enhancing financial literacy and improving ethical design practices of BNPL product offerings.