Page Header Logo

Cover Page

Journal Content
Browse
  • By Issue
  • By Author
Information
  • For Readers
  • For Authors
  • For Librarians
Current Issue
Atom logo
RSS2 logo
RSS1 logo
  • About the Journal
  • Aims and Scope
  • Submission
  • Author Guidelines
  • Review Process
  • Privacy Statement
  • Article Processing charges
  • Publication Ethics
  • Open Access
  • Copyright and License
  • Archive Policy
  • Plagiarism Policy

Template Cover Page Cover Page
Similarity Checker

Cover Page

Member of

Cover Page

Statistics


Flag Counter

  • Home
  • Current
  • Announcement
  • Archive
  • Editorial Team
  • Reviewers
  • Contact us
  • Search
Home > Articles

The Role of TikTok Content Virality in Shaping Gen Z’s Purchase Intentions

  • Alvin Lesmana
    Universitas Widya Dharma Pontianak


DOI: https://doi.org/10.37034/infeb.v7i4.1301
Keywords: TikTok, Content Virality, Generation Z, Purchase Intention, Social Media

Abstract

The rapid growth of social media, particularly TikTok, has reshaped marketing communication and consumer behavior, especially among Generation Z (Gen Z). This study aims to examine the role of TikTok content virality in shaping Gen Z’s purchase intentions in Pontianak City. A quantitative survey approach was employed with 225 Gen Z respondents who had been active TikTok users for at least the past six months. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) with SmartPLS. The findings indicate that TikTok content virality significantly influences Gen Z’s purchase intentions, both directly and indirectly through mediating variables: user engagement, emotional response, and trust/credibility. Furthermore, the moderation analysis reveals that brand trust and influencer credibility strengthen the relationship between content virality and purchase intentions. This suggests that the effectiveness of viral content is determined not only by its reach but also by the degree of consumer trust in both the brand and the content creator. Theoretically, this research contributes to digital marketing literature by reinforcing the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) within the TikTok marketing context. Practically, it provides valuable insights for marketers to design authentic, interactive, and credible content that sustainably enhances Gen Z’s purchase intentions.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Patel, N., & Chauhan, R. (2024). Exploring the Digital Landscape: Understanding and Adapting to Evolving Consumer Behavior in the Digital Age. Journal of Business and Halal Industry, 1(3 SE-Articles), 1–10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47134/jbhi.v1i3.186 .

Hamade, L. (2021). Viral Marketing and Its Influence on Customer’s Purchasing Decisions: A Quantitative Study in Lebanon. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/9788366675704-033 .

Catur, A., & Ali, H. (2025). The Role of TikTok in Shaping Gen Z’s Brand Loyalty and Consumer Behavior. 1, 77–83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.38035/gmbr.v1i2 .

Meng, L., Kou, S., Duan, S., & Bie, Y. (2024). The Impact of Content Characteristics of Short-Form Video Ads on Consumer Purchase Behavior: Evidence from TikTok. Journal of Business Research, 183, 114874. DOI: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114874 .

Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. DOI: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T .

Lewis, N. A., Bravo, M., Naiman, S., Pearson, A. R., Romero-Canyas, R., Schuldt, J. P., & Song, H. (2020). Using Qualitative Approaches to Improve Quantitative Inferences in Environmental Psychology. MethodsX, 7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2020.100943 .

Plötz, S., Martinez, L. M., Martinez, L. F., & Ramos, F. R. (2023). The Influence of TikTok Videos on German Gen Z Consumers’ Attitude and Purchase Intention Towards Sustainable Brands. In Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics (pp. 270–289). Springer Nature. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31836-8_27 .

Bulazo, M., Sotto, M., & Ryan, B. (2025). Influence of Tiktok Trends on the Buying Intentions of Gen-Zs. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, IX, 438–452. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.914MG0034 .

Ferdianto, R., Nurcahyo, S., Wahyuni, E., & Aisyah, S. (2024). TikTok Made Me Buy It: Analyzing the Influence of Content Marketing and Engagement on Generation Z’s Purchase Intention. Strata Social and Humanities Studies, 2, 103–112. DOI: https://doi.org/10.59631/sshs.v2i2.258 .

Wahyudi, M., Rahmadhani, M., Mu’is, A., & Evelyna, F. (2025). The Impact of Short-Form Video Marketing, Influencer Relatability, and Trust Signals on Gen Z’s Purchase Intention. International Journal of Business, Law, and Education, 6, 855–864. DOI: https://doi.org/10.56442/ijble.v6i1.1108 .

Hollebeek, Linda D, Glynn, Mark S, & Brodie, Roderick J. (2014). Consumer Brand Engagement in Social Media: Conceptualization, Scale Development and Validation. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 28(2), 149–165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2013.12.002 .

Yusendra, M. A. E., Paramitasari, N., & Rahmawati, L. (2020). Building and Enhancing Startup Business Performance Using Entrepreneurial Marketing and Collaborative Business Incubation. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24(1), 1241–1255. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37200/IJPR/V24I1/PR200224 .

Rosita, J., Ihalauw, J. J. O. I., Abdi, A. S., & Sirine, H. (2023). The Effect of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Social Media Adoption on Marketing Performance of Culinary Start-up Business. Journal of System and Management Sciences, 13(3), 29–51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33168/JSMS.2023.0303 .

Appel, G., Grewal, L., Hadi, R., & Stephen, A. T. (2020). The Future of Social Media in Marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(1), 79–95. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00695-1 .

Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2011). Two Hearts in Three-Quarter Time: How to Waltz the Social Media/Viral Marketing Dance. Business Horizons, 54(3), 253–263. DOI: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.006 .

Afthanorhan, A., Awang, Z., Rashid, N., Foziah, H., & Ghazali, P. L. (2019). Assessing the Effects of Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction. Management Science Letters, 9(1), 13-24. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2018.11.004 .

Dobele, A., Lindgreen, A., Beverland, M., Vanhamme, J., & van Wijk, R. (2007). Why Pass on Viral Messages? Because they Connect Emotionally. Business Horizons, 50(4), 291–304. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2007.01.004 .

Yulanie, N., & Irawanto, D. W. (2022). The Effect of Self-Efficacy on Job Performance: Gen X and Gen Y Preferences in R/D Based University. Proceedings of the International Conference on Innovation and Technology (ICIT 2021), 86–92. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2991/aer.k.211221.011 .

Hill, R. J., Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1977). Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research. Contemporary Sociology, 6(2), 244. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2065853 .

Youssef, C., & Lebdaoui, H. (2020). How Fashion Influencers Contribute to Consumers’ Purchase Intention. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-08-2019-0157 .

Kelman, Herbert C. (1958). Compliance, Identification, and Internalization Three Processes of Attitude Change. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 2(1), 51–60. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002200275800200106 .

Efendi, S., Sugiono, E., Guritno, E., Sufyati, E., & Hendryadi, E. (2020). Building Innovation and Competitiveness for Low Technology Manufacturing SMES Through Imitating Capability and Learning: The Case of Indonesia. Cogent Social Sciences, 6(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2020.1803515 .

Suparno, D., Tjahjawulan, I., Martodiryo, S., Anshary, A. H., Mulyono, Badrian, Suwondo, T. (2023). The Influence of Financial Literacy, Digital Literacy, Digital Marketing, Brand Image and Word of Mouth on the Z Generation’s Interest in Islamic Banks. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 7(4), 1975–1982. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2023.6.015 .

Ohanian, R. (1990). Construction and Validation of a Scale to Measure Celebrity Endorsers’ Perceived Expertise, Trustworthiness, and Attractiveness. Journal of Advertising, 19(3), 39–52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.1990.10673191 .

Delgado‐Ballester, E. (2004). Applicability of a Brand Trust Scale Across Product Categories: A Multigroup Invariance Analysis. European Journal of Marketing, 38(5–6), 573–592. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560410529222 .

Download
Published
2025-11-09
Issue
Vol. 7, No. 4 (December 2025): Accepted
Section
Articles
How to Cite
Lesmana, A. (2025). The Role of TikTok Content Virality in Shaping Gen Z’s Purchase Intentions. Jurnal Informatika Ekonomi Bisnis, 7(4), 893-897. https://doi.org/10.37034/infeb.v7i4.1301
  • ACM
  • ACS
  • APA
  • ABNT
  • Chicago
  • Harvard
  • IEEE
  • MLA
  • Turabian
  • Vancouver
Download Citation
  • Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
  • BibTeX
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.



Indexing and Abstractions:

Published:

       Creative Commons License
       This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC BY 4.0).