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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, MANAGEMENT & SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJARCMSS) [ Vol. 9 | No. 2 (IV) | April - June, 2026 ]

Understanding Generation Z Purchase Intention in the Digital Era: The Roles of Social Media Marketing, Influencer Credibility, eWOM, Personalized Online Experiences and Brand Trust

Dr. Preeti Arora

Generation Z represents an increasingly important digitally connected consumer segment whose purchase decisions are shaped by social media content, influencer communication, online reviews and personalized digital experiences. This study develops an integrated framework examining the relationships of Social Media Marketing, Influencer Credibility, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), and Personalized Online Experiences with Purchase Intention, while positioning Brand Trust as a mediating construct. The study is grounded in the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Technology Acceptance Model. For demonstration of the proposed empirical analysis, a dataset of 500 Generation Z respondents was generated and analysed using reliability assessment, convergent and discriminant validity assessment, structural regression-style modelling and bootstrapped mediation. The measurement indicators demonstrate satisfactory internal consistency and convergent validity, while the discriminant-validity matrices remain below commonly used HTMT thresholds. The structural relation produces positive relationships between the proposed digital-marketing factors, Brand Trust and Purchase Intention.

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