The Psychology of Purchase Decisions: A Conceptual Framework Integrating Dual-Process Theory, Brand Affect, and Digital Nudging in Contemporary Consumer Behaviour

Abstract

This conceptual paper develops an integrated theoretical framework for understanding consumer purchase decisions in digitally mediated marketplace environments. Drawing on dual-process theory (System 1 and System 2 cognition), brand affect theory, construal level theory, and behavioral economics, the paper proposes the Consumer Decision Architecture Model (CDAM), which explains how digital environments systematically interact with cognitive processing modes to shape purchase outcomes. The framework synthesizes four decades of consumer behavior research with emerging evidence from neuromarketing, digital nudging, and online behavioral targeting. Three central propositions are advanced:  digital interfaces disproportionately activate System 1 (heuristic) processing through environmental design choices, brand affect moderates the relationship between processing mode and purchase intention and  construal level mediates the temporal and social distance effects of digital nudging on consumer decision quality. The paper contributes a unified theoretical architecture that bridges classical consumer behavior models with contemporary digital marketing practice, offering researchers a testable framework and practitioners actionable design principles for ethical consumer engagement.