Understanding Digital Consumer Decision Pathways: An Integrated Model of Perception, Trust, Experience Quality, Engagement, Perceived Value, and UX Flow in Emerging Online Service Markets

Abstract

The rapid expansion of digital platforms has intensified competition, making it critical to understand how user experience and psychological factors influence consumer purchase behavior. Despite extensive adoption of digital services in urban markets, there is limited empirical evidence on how customer perceptions, trust, experience quality, engagement, perceived value, and UX flow jointly shape purchase decisions and purchase probability. This study aims to examine these relationships among digital platform users in Karachi. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected through a structured questionnaire from 400 active digital service users. The proposed model was tested using PLS-SEM, ensuring reliability and validity through established measurement and structural model assessments. The results indicate that customer perception, experience quality, engagement, and perceived value exert significant positive effects on UX flow, which in turn strongly influences purchase decision (β = 0.61, p < 0.001) and buying probability (β = 0.58, p < 0.001). Customer trust also demonstrated a direct and statistically significant effect on purchase-related outcomes. Overall, the model explained 62% of the variance in purchase decisions and 59% of the variance in buying probability, indicating strong explanatory power. The findings suggest that digital platforms should prioritize seamless UX flow, trust-building mechanisms, and value-enhancing features to strengthen consumer decision-making and long-term purchasing behavior. Future research may extend this model across different cities or service categories for broader generalizability.