THE SHIFT IN CONSUMER BEHAVIOR TOWARDS A CASHLESS SOCIETY IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY ERA

Abstract

The digital economic transformation in Indonesia has driven a fundamental change in how people transact, marked by the widespread use of e-wallets and the Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) as everyday non-cash payment instruments. This phenomenon does not merely replace physical currency with electronic media; it also reshapes decision-making patterns, spending habits, and public perceptions of risk and data security. This article aims to map and synthesize prior research findings on the shift of consumer behavior toward a cashless society, focusing on three main aspects: the drivers of digital payment adoption, its effect on impulsive spending patterns, and the accompanying challenges of financial literacy and data security. The study adopts a qualitative approach through the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method, referring to the PRISMA flow, covering nationally and internationally indexed journal articles published between 2021 and 2026. The selection process yielded a set of relevant articles, which were then thematically analyzed using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework and the concept of the cashless effect. The synthesis indicates that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness consistently emerge as the primary determinants of intention to use QRIS and e-wallets, while trust plays a comparatively weaker role. Meanwhile, the convenience of non-cash transactions has been shown to accelerate purchasing decisions and is associated with a heightened tendency toward impulsive buying, partly due to a reduced "pain of paying" typically associated with cash transactions. The reviewed studies also consistently highlight a gap between the pace of payment-technology adoption and the level of financial-digital literacy in society, which contributes to greater vulnerability to online fraud, data theft, and uncontrolled consumptive behavior. The practical implications of this study underscore the need for synergy among payment service providers, regulators, and educational institutions in designing digital literacy programs targeted at the most vulnerable segments of society, while also encouraging the integration of self-control nudges into digital payment applications so that the shift toward a cashless society proceeds in step with users' financial well-being.