This concept paper proposes a study on the mediating role of consumer trust in the relationship between online reviews and impulse buying among Generation Z (Gen Z) users on Shopee, a leading e-commerce platform in Malaysia. Using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theoretical framework, the study will explore how online reviews affect consumer trust and impulse buying behaviours within this demographic. The focus will be on how consumer trust mediates the impact of online reviews on impulse buying. The rapid growth of e-commerce has made online reviews a key factor in shaping consumer behaviour. For Gen Z—tech-savvy individuals who heavily rely on digital platforms—these reviews significantly influence their purchasing decisions. Shopee is a major player in Malaysia's e-commerce market, making it an ideal context for this study. The research aims to develop a deeper understanding of the interaction between online reviews, consumer trust, and impulse buying. By examining how consumer trust mediates this relationship, the study will offer both theoretical and practical insights. Theoretically, it will enhance understanding of the dynamics between online reviews and consumer trust. Practically, it will provide actionable recommendations for Shopee and similar platforms to optimize strategies for leveraging online reviews to build trust and drive impulse purchases among Gen Z consumers. The findings are expected to contribute valuable insights into trust dynamics in online environments and improve e-commerce strategies.
Abdelsalam, S., Salim, N., Alias, R. A., & Husain, O. (2020). Understanding online impulse buying behavior in social commerce: a systematic literature review. Ieee Access, 8, 89041-89058.
Bao, Z., & Yang, J. (2022). Why online consumers have the urge to buy impulsively: roles of serendipity, trust and flow experience. Management Decision, 60(12), 3350-3365.
Chan, R., Troshani, I., Rao Hill, S., & Hoffmann, A. (2022). Towards an understanding of consumers’ FinTech adoption: The case of Open Banking. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 40(4), 886-917.
Chavas, J. P., & Nauges, C. (2020). Uncertainty, learning, and technology adoption in agriculture. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 42(1), 42-53.
Chen, J. K., & Sriphon, T. (2022). Authentic leadership, trust, and social exchange relationships under the influence of leader behavior. Sustainability, 14(10), 5883.
Chen, N., & Yang, Y. (2023). The role of influencers in live streaming e-commerce: influencer trust, attachment, and consumer purchase intention. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 18(3), 1601-1618.
Chen, N., & Yang, Y. (2023). The role of influencers in live streaming e-commerce: influencer trust, attachment, and consumer purchase intention. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 18(3), 1601-1618.
Chen, T., Samaranayake, P., Cen, X., Qi, M., & Lan, Y. C. (2022). The impact of online reviews on consumers’ purchasing decisions: Evidence from an eye-tracking study. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 865702.
Christin, G. (2023). The impact of online review and price on consumer’s hotel booking intention at online travel agency: trust as a mediating variable. International Journal of Electronic Commerce Studies, 13(4), 159.
Dong, B., Mei, L., & Sivakumar, K. (2018). Online review characteristics and trust: a cross?country examination. Decision Sciences, 50(3), 537-566.
Featherman, M., Jia, S. J., Califf, C. B., & Hajli, N. (2021). The impact of new technologies on consumers beliefs: Reducing the perceived risks of electric vehicle adoption. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 169, 120847.
Frank, D. A., & Peschel, A. O. (2020). Sweetening the Deal: The Ingredients that Drive Consumer Adoption of Online Grocery Shopping. Journal of Food Products Marketing, 26(8), 535–544.
Gulfraz, M. B., Sufyan, M., Mustak, M., Salminen, J., & Srivastava, D. K. (2022). Understanding the impact of online customers’ shopping experience on online impulsive buying: A study on two leading E-commerce platforms. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 68, 103000.
Guo, J., Wang, X., & Wu, Y. (2020). Positive emotion bias: Role of emotional content from online customer reviews in purchase decisions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 52, 101891.
Han, M. C. (2023). Checkout button and online consumer impulse-buying behavior in social commerce: A trust transfer perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 74, 103431.
Handayani, N., Harmadi, A., Purnamasari, W., & Patriya, E. (2022). A study on the role of internal and external factors in consumer buying behaviour through e-marketplace. International Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 10(1), 1.
Hilal, A. (2022). The role of online customer reviews in increasing impulsive purchase of fashion products online with customer trust as a mediator. Journal of Management and Islamic Finance, 2(2), 310-323.
Jan, A. A., Hanif, M. W., & Hafeez, S. (2022). Factors affecting the acceptance of mobile marketing: role of ethics and permission-based marketing. City University Research Journal, 12(1).
L?z?roiu, G., Neguri??, O., Grecu, I., Grecu, G., & Mitran, P. C. (2020). Consumers’ decision-making process on social commerce platforms: Online trust, perceived risk, and purchase intentions. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 890.
Lin-Hi, N., Reimer, M., Schäfer, K., & Böttcher, J. (2023). Consumer acceptance of cultured meat: an empirical analysis of the role of organizational factors. Journal of Business Economics, 93(4), 707-746.
Mandolfo, M., & Lamberti, L. (2021). Past, present, and future of impulse buying research methods: A systematic literature review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 687404.
Mahliza, F. (2020). Consumer trust in online purchase decision. Epra International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (Ijmr), 142-149.
Moghavvemi, S., Mei, T. X., Phoong, S. W., & Phoong, S. Y. (2021). Drivers and barriers of mobile payment adoption: Malaysian merchants' perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 59, 102364.
Mumu, J. R., Saona, P., Mamun, M. A. A., & Azad, M. A. K. (2022). Is trust gender biased? A bibliometric review of trust in E-commerce. Journal of Internet Commerce, 21(2), 217-245.
Mutimukwe, C., Kolkowska, E., & Grönlund, Å. (2020) . Information privacy in e-service: Effect of organizational privacy assurances on individual privacy concerns, perceptions, trust and self-disclosure behavior. Government Information Quarterly, 37(1), 101413.
Ntarlas, G., & Karayanni, D. A. (2020). Exploring the Mediating Role of Interactivity Between Content Engagement and Business Performance in a Mobile-Marketing Strategy: A Quantitative Research in a Business-to-Business Context. In Strategic Innovative Marketing and Tourism: 8th ICSIMAT, Northern Aegean, Greece, 2019 (pp. 815-823). Springer International Publishing
Rachmat, R. C. E. (2021). The Impact of Online Product Reviews in Virtual Community Towards Purchase Decisions in Indonesian Denim Industry. ADVANCED INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BUSINESS, ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SME'S (AIJBES), 3(9), 47-66.
Rafieian, O., & Yoganarasimhan, H. (2021). Targeting and privacy in mobile advertising. Marketing Science, 40(2), 193-218.
Rosania, A. (2023). How online customer reviews affect purchase intention mediate by trust., 243-253.
Sanapang, G. M., & Ardyan, E. (2024). Understanding of The Important Role of Online Customer Reviews in Social Commerce on Customer Trust and Impulse Buying. Review of Management and Entrepreneurship, 8(1).
Statista Research Department Malaysia: smartphone users | Statista
Wang, H., & Xie, J. (2020). A review of social commerce research. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 10(4), 793-803.
Xiang, H., Chau, K. Y., Iqbal, W., Irfan, M., & Dagar, V. (2022). Determinants of social commerce usage and online impulse purchase: implications for business and digital revolution. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 837042.
Rali, N. A. B. (2024). The Mediating Effect of Trust on the Relationship between Online Reviews and Impulse Buying Among Gen Z on Shopee Platform: Conceptual Paper. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14(9), 1536–1544.
Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
