Exploring the harm of cognitive overload content to sustainable consumer choices

decision fatigue as a mediator and international digital nudging intensity as a moderator

Autores/as

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.23925/2179-3565.2026v17i2e76450

Palabras clave:

Cognitive Overload, Sustainable Consumer Choice, Decision Fatigue, E-commerce, Digital Nudging

Resumen

Building on conservation of resources theory (COR) and dual-process theory (DP), we explore how cognitive overload (CO) negatively affects sustainable consumer choices (SCC) in Pakistan’s digital and retail settings. We postulate decision fatigue (DF) as a mediator through which CO impairs consumers’ ability to sustainably purchase products. Further, we also propose digital nudging intensity (DNI) as a moderating factor. The results of a scenario-based experiment (Study 1) involving 392 consumers from Karachi and Lahore reveal that CO leads to a substantial reduction in sustainable intentions through DF. Study 2, using multiwave survey data of 214 online consumers in Pakistan, verifies the mediation of DF. We also observe that low intensity of digital nudging mitigates the influence of CO and high intensity of digital nudging increases DF, thus negatively affecting sustainable choices. Our work advances sustainable economic decision-making by incorporating psychological limitations with digital nudging and provides practical insight for creating sustainable consumer environments.

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Biografía del autor/a

Dina S. AlGhamdi, Taibah University

,Applied College, Marketing Department 

Suleiman Ibrahim Mohammad, INTI International University

Faculty of Business and Communications – Negeri Sembilan – Malaysia

Zahid Hussain, KASB Institute of Technology

Department of Business Administration – Karachi – Pakistan

Ahmad Moh’d Mansour, Al-Ahliyya Amman University

Business School, Hourani Center for Applied Scientific Research – Amman – Jordan

Asokan Vasudevan, INTI International University

Faculty of Business and Communications – Negeri Sembilan – Malaysia

Ahmad Shaheen, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport

College of Management and Technology – Alexandria – Egypt

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Publicado

2026-09-03

Número

Vol. 17 Núm. 2 (2026): Journal on Innovation and Sustainability

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Papers

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