Social Media Marketing and Buying Behaviour among Gen Z Consumers in Karnataka: The Roles of Brand Engagement and Trust

Author

Shilpa Bhat N. H., Ashoka K. G. , Mahendra H. R., Karthik Naik


Abstract

 Purpose: This study examines how social media marketing activities affect the buying behaviour of Gen Z consumers. It focuses on two factors, consumer brand engagement and brand trust, that may explain how social media marketing influences purchase intention. The study also examines whether purchase intention leads to actual buying behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach: The study was conducted among 312 Gen Z respondents from Bengaluru and ten selected Tier 2 cities in Karnataka. The proposed model was tested using PLS-SEM with 34 measurement items and 5,000 bootstrap samples. The analysis included frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, common method bias assessment, measurement-model assessment, structural-model assessment, and mediation analysis.

Findings: The measurement model showed acceptable reliability and validity. Social media marketing activities had a positive effect on consumer brand engagement and brand trust. Consumer brand engagement and brand trust, in turn, had positive effects on purchase intention. Purchase intention also had a positive effect on actual buying behaviour. The indirect effect of social media marketing activities on purchase intention through consumer brand engagement was 0.212, while the indirect effect through brand trust was 0.175. Both indirect effects were statistically significant at p < .001.

Originality/value: Instead of examining only the direct effect of social media marketing on purchase intention, this study explains how social media marketing works through consumer brand engagement and brand trust. It also extends the model by examining actual buying behaviour. The model therefore provides a simple framework for understanding how social media marketing may shape the buying behaviour of Gen Z consumers.



Keywords

social media marketing activities; consumer brand engagement; brand trust; purchase intention; actual buying behaviour; Gen Z



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References


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