Trust and Purchase Behavior in Social Commerce Platforms among Gen Z Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64137/31079423/IJEBMR-V2I3P111Keywords:
Social Commerce, Gen Z Consumer Behaviour, Trust, Influencer Marketing, Purchase DecisionAbstract
The exponential proliferation of social commerce platforms has fundamentally transformed consumer behaviour among Generation Z, rendering trust a pivotal determinant of online purchase decisions. The nature of this study is to understand the multiple areas between trust and purchase behaviour on social commerce platforms among young adults (Gen Z students), particularly influenced by influencers, peer reviews and algorithmic personalisation powered by AI-driven recommendation systems. Using a descriptive-quantitative type of research design, primary data were then collected from 80 total qualified responses (filtered by sending it out via Google Forms to submit within the limited time period but only extracted full sheets-not mouthing) through an online structured questionnaire that we filled out–on average taking between five and seven minutes per form. The instrument consisted of 26 items arranged within eight thematic sections covering demographic profiling, digital media behaviour, social commerce engagement and the mechanisms through which consumers form trust in this market context, as well as purchase frequency (e.g. the analysis included frequency distribution, Pearson correlation and chi-square test. Results show consumer reviews are the most important trust antecedent (75%), Instagram and YouTube were found to be the leading product-discovery channels, and there is a positive statistically significant relationship (r = 0.358, p < 0.01) between platform-level trust digital engagement metrics and purchase impact self-reported measures of purchases made through these platforms across their patron database in November-December 2019. In fact, 70% reported purchase regret emblematic of the trust-quality dissonance that defines social commerce. This study provides empirical insights into the burgeoning field of Gen Z consumer studies and social commerce research.
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