Achievement Orientation, Personalized Experience, and Social Interaction as Drivers of Purchase Intention: The Mediating Roles of Personal Fulfillment and Social Connectedness in Digital Commerce

The rapid expansion of digital commerce necessitates engaging consumer experiences beyond functional transactions, highlighting gamification as a critical digital marketing mechanism. This study investigates the impact of gamified experiences on consumers’ Purchase Intention, specifically examining the mediating roles of Personal Fulfillment and Social Connectedness. Drawing upon Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Uses and Gratifications (U&G) perspective, the conceptual framework evaluates three gamification design dimensions: Achievement Orientation, Personalized Experience, and Social Interaction. Employing a quantitative approach, data were collected from 215 digital commerce users via purposive sampling. The structural relationships were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS 4. The empirical results reveal that Achievement Orientation, Personalized Experience, and Social Interaction significantly enhance both Personal Fulfillment and Social Connectedness. Furthermore, these psychological and social benefits positively drive Purchase Intention, with the social pathway demonstrating the strongest substantive contribution. The findings suggest that digital marketers should design gamified environments that not only facilitate individual accomplishments but also foster meaningful community connections to maximize purchase-related outcomes.