Building trust in social commerce: A sequential model of platform features, marketing content, and dual trust in shaping Generation Z engagement

Rian Piarna; Dwi Vernanda; Tri Herdiawan Apandi

doi:10.31106/jema.v22i2.24240

Authors

Rian Piarna Department of Information Technology and Computer Science, Politeknik Negeri Subang, Subang
Dwi Vernanda Department of Information Technology and Computer Science, Politeknik Negeri Subang, Subang
Tri Herdiawan Apandi Department of Information Technology and Computer Science, Politeknik Negeri Subang, Subang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31106/jema.v22i2.24240

Keywords:

Social Commerce, Content Quality, Personalization, Platform Trust, Vendor Trust, Customer Engagement, Purchase Intention

Abstract

Social commerce has revolutionized the digital landscape, positioning social media as a primary shopping channel for Generation Z. Despite their intensive use of social media for commercial activities, limited research has examined the psychological mechanisms underlying customer engagement in this context. This study investigates how social media service features and social commerce marketing content sequentially influence customer engagement through trust-building mechanisms and purchase intention. Drawing on a dual trust perspective, distinguishing between platform trust and vendor trust, this research proposes and tests a sequential mediation model tailored to Generation Z consumers. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed, using purposive sampling to collect data from 400 Generation Z respondents. The model was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results support the proposed sequential mediation model, with 10 of 15 hypotheses confirmed. Social proof proved to be the most important predictor of trust in a platform, whereas content quality affected both dimensions of trust (platform and vendor) across social commerce platforms. Personalization demonstrated the strongest effect on vendor trust. The model explains a substantial proportion of variance in platform trust, vendor trust, customer engagement, and purchase intention.

References

Alnoor, A., Al-Abrrow, H., Al Halbusi, H., Abbas, S., Khattak, Z. Z., Bashir, M., & Alharbi, R. K. (2022). Uncovering the antecedents of trust in social commerce: An application of the non-linear artificial neural network approach. Competitiveness Review, 32(3), 492-509. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-04-2021-0058

Brislin, R. W. (1970). Back-translation for cross-cultural research. Journal of Cross- Cultural Psychology, 1(3), 185-216. https://doi.org/10.1177/135910457000100301

Bowden, J., & Mirzaei, A. (2021). Consumer engagement within retail communication channels: an examination of online brand communities and digital content marketing initiatives. European Journal of Marketing, 55(5), 1411–1439. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-01-2018-0007

Bozkurt, S., Gligor, D. M., & Babin, B. J. (2021). The role of perceived firm social media interactivity in facilitating customer engagement behaviors. European Journal of Marketing, 55(4), 995-1022. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-09-2019-0719

Busalim, A., & Asadi, S. (2025). What drives customers to engage with social commerce: A systematic review and factor derivation approach. Information Systems and e-Business Management, 23, 717-743. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-025-00700-x

Cao, P. T. (2025). E-commerce behavioral intention of Vietnam Gen Z by using the UTAUT2 model. Journal of Advances in Management Research, 22(2), 323-337. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAMR-06-2024-0198

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Routledge.

Dawes, J. (2008). Do data characteristics change according to the number of scale points used? An experiment using 5-point, 7-point and 10-point scales. International Journal of Market Research, 50(1), 61-77. https://doi.org/10.1177/147078530805000106

Dessart, L., Veloutsou, C., & Morgan-Thomas, A. (2015). Consumer engagement in online brand communities: A social media perspective. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 24(1), 28-42. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-06-2014-0635

Djafarova, E., & Bowes, T. (2021). 'Instagram made me buy it': Generation Z impulse purchases in fashion industry. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 59, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102345

Duffett, R., & Mxunyelwa, A. (2025). Instagram mega-influencers' effect on Generation Z's intention to purchase: A technology acceptance model and source credibility model perspective. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 20(1), 42-68. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer20010003

Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104

Gefen, D., Karahanna, E., & Straub, D. W. (2003). Trust and TAM in online shopping: An integrated model. MIS Quarterly, 27(1), 51-90. https://doi.org/10.2307/30036519

Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203

Hajli, M. N. (2014). The role of social support on relationship quality and social commerce. Technology Forecasting and Social Change, 87, 17-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2013.10.016

Hajli, N. (2015). Social commerce constructs and consumer’s intention to buy. International Journal of Information Management, 35(2), 183–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2014.12.005

Hajli, N., Sims, J., Zadeh, A. H., & Richard, M.-O. (2017). A social commerce investigation of the role of trust in a social networking site on purchase intentions. Journal of Business Research, 71, 133–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.10.004

Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115-135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8

Herzallah, D., Muñoz-Leiva, F., & Liebana-Cabanillas, F. (2022). Drivers of purchase intention in Instagram Commerce. Spanish Journal of Marketing - ESIC, 26(2), 168–188. https://doi.org/10.1108/SJME-03-2022-0043

Hidayat, R., Carlos, V., Kurniawan, R. H., & Mailangkay, A. B. L. (2024). The impact of TikTok Shop live streaming on Generation Z consumer behavior in purchase decision-making. Global Conference on Communications and Information Technologies (GCCIT) 2024, 245-250. https://doi.org/10.1109/GCCIT58121.2024.10428536

Hollebeek, L. D., Glynn, M. S., & Brodie, R. J. (2014). Consumer brand engagement in social media: Conceptualization, scale development and validation. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 28(2), 149-165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2013.12.002

Holliman, G., & Rowley, J. (2014). Business to business digital content marketing: marketers' perceptions of best practice. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 8(4), 269–293. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-02-2014-0013

Hood, S. L., Thoney-Barletta, K. A., & Rothenberg, L. (2024). Understanding the role of Instagram in young adult consumers' purchase and post-purchase evaluation behaviors. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 28(3), 567-589. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-03-2023-0078

Huwaida, L. A., Yusuf, A., Satria, A. N., Darmawan, M. A., Ammar, M. F., Yanuar, M. W., Iqbal, M., & Priyono, A. (2024). Generation Z and Indonesian social commerce: Unraveling key drivers of their shopping decisions. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 10(2), 100258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joitmc.2024.100258

Izogo, E. E., & Mpinganjira, M. (2024). Digital content marketing consumption motives in the age of social media: an investigation of relational and monetary outcomes. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 76(2), 353–378, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-07-2022-0347

Jin, S. V., & Ryu, E. (2020). "I'll buy what she's #wearing": The roles of envy toward and parasocial interaction with influencers in Instagram celebrity-based brand endorsement and social commerce. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102121

Kang, M., Shin, D.-H., & Gong, T. (2016). The role of personalization, engagement, and trust in online communities. Information Technology & People, 29(3), 580–596. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-01-2015-0023

Kim, H. J., & Chan-Olmsted, S. (2022). Influencer marketing and social commerce: Exploring the role of influencer communities in predicting usage intent. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 22(3), 297-315. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2022.2111243

Lee, C. H., Chen, C. W., Chen, W. K., & Lin, K. H. (2021). Analyzing the effect of social support and customer engagement on stickiness and repurchase intention in social commerce: A trust transfer perspective. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, 22(4), 363–381.

Li, C. H., Chan, O. L. K., Chow, Y. T., Ho, K. K. W., & Keung, K. L. (2022). Evaluating the effectiveness of digital content marketing under mixed reality training platform on the online purchase intention. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 789456. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.789456

Li, J., Qi, J., Wu, L., Shi, N., Li, X., Zhang, Y., & Zheng, Y. (2021). The continued use of social commerce platforms and psychological anxiety: The roles of influencers, informational incentives and FoMO. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(22), 12254. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212254

Liang, T.-P., Ho, Y.-T., Li, Y.-W., & Turban, E. (2011). What drives social commerce: the role of social support and relationship quality. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 16(2), 69–90. https://doi.org/10.2753/JEC1086-4415160204

Lina, L. F., Hartini, S., Mardhiyah, D., Saifuddin, M., Mutiarsari, N. A. G., & Novita, D. (2024). Understanding opinion leadership in social media: The role of perceived fit with personal interests in purchase behavior and social media engagement. International Journal of Economics and Management, 18(3), 343–357. http://doi.org/10.47836/ijeam.18.3.04

Liu, Y., Li, Q., Edu, T., Fam, K.S., Zaharia, R., & Negricea, C. (2023). Mobile social commerce content, consumer emotions and behaviour. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 47(4), 1475–1491. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12908

Lou, C., & Xie, Q. (2021). Something social, something entertaining? How digital content marketing augments consumer experience and brand loyalty. International Journal of Advertising, 40(3), 376–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2020.1788311

Lou, C., & Yuan, S. (2019). Influencer marketing: How message value and credibility affect consumer trust of branded content on social media. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 19(1), 58–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2018.1533501

Malik, I.A., Raza, M.A., Hadi, N.U., Khan, M. & Hameed, F. (2023). Social commerce constructs and purchase intention on social commerce sites: investigating the role of affective and cognitive attitudes in managing digital marketing challenges. Management & Marketing, 18(1), 474-495. https://doi.org/10.2478/mmcks-2023-0026

Malebrán, S. J., & Gaitán, A. J. (2021). When does personalization work on social media? A posteriori segmentation of consumers. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 80(28–29), 36509–36528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-021-11303-2

Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709-734. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1995.9508080335

McKnight, D. H., Choudhury, V., & Kacmar, C. (2002). Developing and validating trust measures for e-commerce: An integrative typology. Information Systems Research, 13(3), 334-359. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.13.3.334.81

Moghddam, H. A., Ahmadi, H., & Barari, M. (2025). Decoding online brand-related activities: Unveiling motivations, experiences, and personality factors in social commerce. Electronic Commerce Research, 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-024-09946-y

Muhammad, A. S., Adeshola, I., & Isiaku, L. (2024). A mixed study on the "wow" of impulse purchase on Instagram: Insights from Gen-Z in a collectivistic environment. Young Consumers, 25(1), 128-148. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-02-2023-1234

Nicolaou, A. I., & McKnight, D. H. (2006). Perceived information quality in data exchanges: Effects on risk, trust, and intention to use. Information Systems Research, 17(4), 332–351. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23015810

Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203

Pavlou, P. A. (2003). Consumer acceptance of electronic commerce: Integrating trust and risk with the technology acceptance model. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 7(3), 101-134. https://doi.org/10.1080/10864415.2003.11044275

Pavlou, P. A., & Fygenson, M. (2006). Understanding and predicting electronic commerce adoption: An extension of the theory of planned behavior. MIS Quarterly, 30(1), 115-143. https://doi.org/10.2307/25148720

Piarna, R., Fathurohman, F., & Purnawan, N. N. (2020). Understanding online shopping adoption: The unified theory of acceptance and the use of technology with perceived risk in millennial consumers context. JEMA: Jurnal Ilmiah Bidang Akuntansi dan Manajemen, 17(1), 51–66. https://doi.org/10.31106/jema.v17i1.5050

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879-903. https://doi.org/ 10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879

Poureisa, A., Aziz, Y. A., & Ng, S.-I. (2024). Swipe to sustain: Exploring consumer behaviors in organic food purchasing via Instagram social commerce. Sustainability, 16(6), 2338. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062338

Putri, N., Prasetya, Y., Handayani, P. W., & Fitriani, H. (2024). TikTok shop: How trust and privacy influence generation Z’s purchasing behaviors. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2292759

Qiao, L., & Sun, P. J. (2024). The dynamics of social media marketing: Unraveling the impact on customer purchase intentions through engagement and trust. Journal of Distribution Science, 22(3), 89-106. https://doi.org/10.15722/jds.22.3.202403.89

Rahayu, F. S., Nastiti, P., & Arthajanvian, T. (2025). The role of hedonic motivation in influencing TikTok use and how it relates to Generation Z characteristics. Advances in Human-Computer Interaction, 2025(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1155/2025/1234567

Revilla, M. A., Saris, W. E., & Krosnick, J. A. (2014). Choosing the number of categories in agree–disagree scales. Sociological Methods & Research, 43(1), 73-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124113509605

Riaz, M. U., Guang, L. X., Zafar, M., Shahzad, F., Shahbaz, M., & Lateef, M. (2020). Consumers’ purchase intention and decision-making process through social networking sites: A social commerce construct. Behaviour & Information Technology, 40(1), 99–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2020.1846790

Shamim, K., Azam, M., & Islam, T. (2024). How do social media influencers induce the urge to buy impulsively? Social commerce context. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 77, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103621

Shanmugam, M., Sun, S., Amidi, A., Khani, F., & Khani, F. (2016). The applications of social commerce constructs. International Journal of Information Management, 36(3), 425–432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2016.01.007

Sheikh, Z., Islam, T., Rana, S., Hameed, Z., & Saeed, U. (2017). Acceptance of social commerce framework in Saudi Arabia. Telematics and Informatics, 34(8), 1693-1708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.08.003

Sheikh, Z., Islam, T., Hameed, Z., & Saeed, U. (2019). Impact of social commerce constructs and social support on social commerce intentions. Information Technology & People, 32(1), 68–93. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-04-2017-0135

Shin, D. (2020). Investigating the effects of influencers on purchase intentions: The interaction effect of para-social interaction (PSI) and trust. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 56, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102164

Shen, X., & Wang, J. (2024). How short video marketing influences purchase intention in social commerce: the role of users’ persona perception, shared values, and individual-level factors. Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-02808-w

Shin, N., Park, S., & Kim, H. (2020). Consumer satisfaction–based social commerce service quality management. BRQ Business Research Quarterly, 24(1), 34-52. https://doi.org/10.1177/2340944420916098

Shoheib, Z., & Abu-Shanab, E. A. (2022). Adapting the UTAUT2 model for social commerce context. International Journal of e-Business Research, 18(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJEBR.289548

Seyyedamiri, N., & Tajrobehkar, L. (2021). Social content marketing, social media and product development process effectiveness in high-tech companies. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 16(1), 75–91. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOEM-06-2018-0323

Tran, T. P., van Solt, M., & Zemanek Jr, J. E. (2020). How does personalization affect brand relationship in social commerce? A mediation perspective. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 37(5), 473-486.. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-12-2017-2499

Tseng, H. T., Jia, S., Nisar, T. M., Hajli, N., & Shabbir, H. (2024). The study of social commerce in Generation Z context: The role of social support and privacy risk. Information Technology & People, 37(5), 1789-1812. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-03-2023-0234

Wang, J., Shahzad, F., Ahmad, Z., Abdullah, M., & Hassan, N. M. (2022). Trust and consumers' purchase intention in a social commerce platform: A meta-analytic approach. SAGE Open, 12(2), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221086755

Wang, P., & Huang, Q. (2023). Digital influencers, social power and consumer engagement in social commerce. Internet Research, 33(2), 567-589. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-04-2022-0234

Wu, Y., Nambisan, S., Xiao, J., & Xie, K. (2022). Consumer resource integration and service innovation in social commerce: The role of social media influencers. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 50(3), 429–459. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-022-00837-y

Ying, L. J., Te Chuan, L., Rashid, U. K., & Abu Seman, N. A. (2025). Social media marketing in Industry 4.0: The role of TikTok in shaping Generation Z's purchase intentions. Procedia Computer Science, 230, 456-467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2025.01.045

Zhou, T. (2019). The effect of flow experience on users’ social commerce intention. Kybernetes, 48(10), 2355-2369. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-03-2019-0198