The Impact of Short Video Content on TikTok on Gen Z's Purchasing Behavior

Abstract

The explosion of short video platforms (e.g. TikTok) has greatly changed consumer behavior, especially among Generation Z, which in turn has greatly affected the way businesses market their products. This study aims to explore and measure the influence of several factors on Generation Z's purchasing behavior in the context of short video marketing by addressing three main research questions: (1) What factors and their influence on Generation Z's purchase intention? (2) What strategic solutions can enhance the positive impact of these factors? Quantitative research methods were conducted with a sample size of 300 people aged 15-30. AMOS 20 was employed to calculate the parameters and evaluate the fit of the proposed model. The results were as expected with the strong influence of short video content, entertainment and social interaction on user attitudes, which in turn lead to their actual purchasing behavior. Interestingly, user trust has no relationship with their attitudes. This highlights the uniqueness of digital marketing, where entertainment, emotional appeal, and short video content and community interaction are providing a more authentic experience, and may overshadow the role of user trust in shaping attitudes. The study boldly reinforces the trend of leveraging user-generated contributions and "Mood broad" short video strategies from marketers to enhance user purchase behavior and engagement. A unique result, integrating emotion, entertainment, and social into platform models, has contributed to expanding the TAM and TPB theories, thereby explaining the nature and decision-making process of Gen Z in the digital environment. Cross-platform and cross-cultural comparative studies to further examine the role of trust in this model are encouraged to conduct a more comprehensive view.