Herding Behavior and Customer Purchase Intention: Evidence from Southeast Asian Mobile Markets

Lay Hong Tan (Univerisiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka)
Zechan Anwar (University of Okara)
Meryl Qin Lei Yan (Universiti Sains Malaysia)
Mohammad Aliff Ashraff Bin Alias (Universiti Sains Malaysia)
Muhammad Khairul Nizam Bin Abdul Razak (Universiti Sains Malaysia)
Muhamad Nazirul Amin Bin Mohd Zaid (Universiti Sains Malaysia)
Muhammad Salman Tasawar (University of Okara)
Aliza Fatima (University of Okara)
Hamza Akram (University of Okara)
Daisy Mui Hung Kee (Universiti Sains Malaysia)

Journal of the Community Development in Asia
Vol 9, No 3 (2026): September 2026

This study examines the influence of Herding Behavior on Customer Purchase Intention toward Samsung smartphones in Southeast Asian mobile markets, with Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and Risk Aversion as mediating variables. A quantitative cross-sectional approach was employed using data collected from 159 respondents through an online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using reliability, correlation, regression, and mediation analyses. The results indicate that Herding Behavior significantly influences Customer Purchase Intention (? = 0.411, p .001) and FOMO (? = 0.762, p .001). FOMO (? = 0.223, p .001) and Risk Aversion (? = 0.351, p .001) also significantly influence Customer Purchase Intention, with the model explaining 61.7% of its variance (R² = 0.617). Mediation analysis further reveals significant indirect effects through FOMO (? = 0.247, p .001) and Risk Aversion (? = 0.068, p .001). These findings demonstrate that FOMO and Risk Aversion function as parallel mediators, providing insights into the social and psychological mechanisms underlying smartphone Purchase Intention.