How Digital Authenticity Shapes Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Consumer Trust and the Moderating Role of Consumer Skepticism among Generation Z
Abstract
The increasing use of digital marketing requires brands to build authentic relationships with consumers, especially Generation Z, who are highly active on digital platforms. This study examines the effect of digital authenticity on purchase intention among Generation Z consumers in Indonesia, with consumer trust as a mediating variable and consumer skepticism as a moderating variable. Using a quantitative cross-sectional survey, data were collected from 255 respondents through a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed using SEM-PLS 3. The results show that digital authenticity has a positive and significant effect on consumer trust and purchase intention, while consumer trust also significantly increases purchase intention. Consumer trust partially mediates the relationship between digital authenticity and purchase intention, indicating that authentic digital communication strengthens purchase intention by building trust. In addition, consumer skepticism significantly moderates the relationship between digital authenticity and consumer trust, showing that highly skeptical consumers are less likely to trust digital communication even when it appears authentic. The model explains 56.3% of consumer trust and 68.1% of purchase intention. This study contributes to digital consumer behavior literature and offers practical insights for marketers in developing authentic communication strategies that build trust and reduce skepticism among Generation Z consumers.
Keywords
Digital Authenticity
Consumer Trust
Consumer Skepticism
Purchase Intention
Generation Z
References
- Aaker, D. A., & Moorman, C. (2023). Strategic market management. books.google.com. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=_TDaEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=IA2&dq=digitalization+on+strategic+management&ots=uEgyvpRd7J&sig=ApyQ7OvfYw9SJ6b-JHSfDXP9gwk
- Akter, S., Ali, S., Fekete-Farkas, M., Fogarassy, C., & Lakner, Z. (2023). Why Organic Food? Factors Influence the Organic Food Purchase Intension in an Emerging Country (Study from Northern Part of Bangladesh). Resources, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/resources12010005
- Alfianti, S., Hertati, L., Syafitri, L., & ... (2022). Sosialisasi Pengembangan Strategi Pemasaran Dan Pengelolaan Umkm Potensi Desa Petanang Melalui Peningkatan Kemampuan Sumber Daya Manusia Program …. PORTAL RISET …. http://ojs.transpublika.com/index.php/PRIMA/article/view/337
- Amalia, F. A., Sosianika, A., & Suhartanto, D. (2020). Indonesian Millennials’ Halal food purchasing: merely a habit? British Food Journal, 122(4), 1185–1198. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-10-2019-0748
- Ancillai, C., Terho, H., Cardinali, S., & Pascucci, F. (2019). Advancing social media driven sales research: Establishing conceptual foundations for B-to-B social selling. Industrial Marketing Management, 82(February), 293–308. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.01.002
- Andriyanty, R., & Wahab, D. (2022). Indonesian generation Z consumer ethnocentrism on food and beverage product. Technium Soc. Sci. J., 28, 522.
- Anwar, R. N., & Afifah, A. (2018). Pengaruh Kepercayaan dan Keamanan Konsumen terhadap Minat Beli di situs Online (Studi Kasus pengunjung situs Lazada di Jakarta Timur). Jurnal Manajemen, 9(1), 46. https://doi.org/10.32832/jm-uika.v9i1.1316
- Apostolov, M., & Coco, N. (2021). Digitalization-based innovation—A case study framework. … of Innovation and Technology Management. https://doi.org/10.1142/S021987702050025X
- Auliani, L. N. (2023). Implementasi Enterprise Resource Planning Odoo dalam Optimalisasi Proses Bisnis PT XYZ. Qualilatitive Research of Business and Social Sciences, 1(1), 50–61.
- Berki-Kiss, D., & Menrad, K. (2022). Ethical consumption: Influencing factors of consumer´ s intention to purchase Fairtrade roses. Cleaner and Circular Bioeconomy, 2, 100008.
- Chavadi, C. A., Sirothiya, M., Menon, S. R., & MR, V. (2023). Modelling the Effects of Social Media–based Brand Communities on Brand Trust, Brand Equity and Consumer Response. Vikalpa, 02560909231172010.
- Chawla, N., & Kumar, B. (2022). E-Commerce and Consumer Protection in India: The Emerging Trend. Journal of Business Ethics, 180(2), 581–604. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04884-3
- Chen, T. C., Liang, Y. S., Ko, P. S., Ho, P. T., & ... (2022). Wireless communication using embedded microprocessor-5G embedded e-commerce system oriented to fruit ordering, sales, and logistics. In … and Mobile Computing. hindawi.com. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/wcmc/2022/1544447/
- Cheng, Q. (2024). Corporate Social Responsibility’s Impact on Purchase Intention: The Role of Involvement. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science, 1(3), 23–30.
- Diao, X., Hazell, P., & Thurlow, J. (2010). The Role of Agriculture in African Development. World Development, 38(10), 1375–1383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2009.06.011
- Fadhilah, I., & Aruan, D. T. H. (2023). Understanding consumer adoption and actual usage of digital payment instruments: comparison between Generation Y and Generation Z. International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 14(1), 39–60.
- Gebauer, H., Paiola, M., Saccani, N., & ... (2021). Digital servitization: Crossing the perspectives of digitization and servitization. … Marketing Management. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019850120304855
- Huaicun, Z., Yuna, K., & Kada, Y. (2023). Mechanisms and challenges of renewable energy cooperation in Northeast Asia. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Approach Research and Science, 1(01), 31–48. https://doi.org/10.59653/ijmars.v1i01.25
- Icen Fragolia. (2025). Exploring Purchase Intention Toward Sustainable Fashion: The Role of Attitude, Norms, and Control. International Journal of Management Studies and Social Science Research, 07(04), 255–261. https://doi.org/10.56293/ijmsssr.2025.5731
- Jayanti, A., Wahyuni, E. S., & Stiawan, E. (2023). Pengaruh E–Wom Terhadap Consumer Decision Memilih PT. Permodalan Nasional Madani (PERSERO) Syariah Cabang Kota Bengkulu Dengan Brand Trust Sebagai Variabel Intervening. EKOMBIS REVIEW: Jurnal Ilmiah Ekonomi Dan Bisnis, 11(1), 1–10.
- Kim, Y. K., & Sullivan, P. (2019). Emotional branding speaks to consumers’ heart: the case of fashion brands. Fashion and Textiles, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-018-0164-y
- Kraus, S., Durst, S., Ferreira, J. J., Veiga, P., Kailer, N., & ... (2022). Digital transformation in business and management research: An overview of the current status quo. In … Management. Elsevier. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268401221001596
- Krishnamoorthy, G., Wright, A., & ... (2023). The impact of audit committee skepticism and reward power on auditor communications with the audit committee. Behavioral Research in …. https://publications.aaahq.org/bria/article/35/2/93/11375
- Lenka, S., Parida, V., & Wincent, J. (2017). Digitalization capabilities as enablers of value co‐creation in servitizing firms. Psychology &marketing. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20975
- Mohamed, A. H. A., Menezes, B. C., & AL-Ansari, T. (2021). Interplaying of food supply chain resilience, industry 4.0 and sustainability in the poultry market. In Computer Aided Chemical Engineering (Vol. 50, pp. 1815–1820). Elsevier B.V. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-88506-5.50281-3
- Nguyen-Viet, B. (2023). The impact of green marketing mix elements on green customer based brand equity in an emerging market. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 15(1), 96–116. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-08-2021-0398
- Nica, E. (2019). … production networks and advanced digitalization in Industry 4.0 manufacturing systems: Sustainable supply chain management, organizational resilience, and data …. Journal of Self-Governance and Management …. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=795595
- Parluhutan, C. A., Ermawati, & Widyastuti, S. (2022). The Influence of Auditor Ethics, Auditor Motivation, Locus of Control on Audit Quality: Role of Professional Skepticism. Universal Journal of Accounting and Finance, 10(1), 267–275. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujaf.2022.100127
- Raihani, R., Iskandar, M., Prihatin, L., & Hendra, R. (2024). Determinant Factor Analysis of Financial Performance of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises with Social Capital as a Moderating Variable during COVID-19 in Aceh, Indonesia. Studies in Business and Economics, 19(2), 176–198. https://doi.org/10.2478/sbe-2024-0032
- Rebollo, H. P. M., & Hinlayagan, K. R. (2023). Understanding the Influence of Hedonic and Convenience Motivation and E-Service Quality towards Customer Satisfaction in Online Food Delivery Services Among Generation Z Consumers. Journal of Production, Operations Management and Economics (JPOME) ISSN 2799-1008, 3(04), 26–39.
- Sah, D. K., Kumar, D. P., Shivalingagowda, C., & ... (2019). 5G applications and architectures. 5G Enabled Secure …. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03508-2_2
- Sakinah, A., & Adinugraha, H. H. (2022). LITERATURE REVIEW ON GENERATION Z’S PERCEPTION OF PRODUCT PURCHASING DECISIONS THROUGH E-COMMERCE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ISLAM BUSINESS ETHICS. Journal of Management and Islamic Finance, 2(2), 171–183.
- Salih, A. A., Zeebaree, S. R., Abdulraheem, A. S., & ... (2020). Evolution of mobile wireless communication to 5G revolution. In Technology Reports …. researchgate.net. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mohammed-Msadeeq/publication/342549960_Evolution_of_Mobile_Wireless_Communication_to_5G_Revolution/links/5efb403c299bf18816f39184/Evolution-of-Mobile-Wireless-Communication-to-5G-Revolution.pdf
- Salsabila, A. Y., & Nugroho, R. H. (2022). Pengaruh Daya Tarik Iklan, Kemasan Produk, dan Kesadaran Merek terhadap Minat Beli Produk Tolak Angin pada Masyarakat Desa Kesamben Kabupaten Tuban. Al-Kharaj : Jurnal Ekonomi, Keuangan & Bisnis Syariah, 4(6), 1881–1894. https://doi.org/10.47467/alkharaj.v4i6.1463
- Sanny, A., & Daulay, M. (2022). ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF SATISFACTION, EMOTIONAL BONDING AND BRAND TRUST ON CONSUMER LOYALTY OF LIP SERUM ESENSES PRODUCTS IN BEAUTY STORE PETISAH MARKET. Journal of Community Research and Service, 6, 114. https://doi.org/10.24114/jcrs.v6i2.33395
- Shale, S. J., Nthebe, S. S., & Swart, M. P. (2022). Authenticity as an Antecedent of the Tourist Experience in Measuring the Gap Between Tourist Experiences at an Accommodation Establishment and a Tourist Attraction in Lesotho. International Conference of the International Association of Cultural and Digital Tourism, 403–418.
- Siagian, I., Ruslan, D., & Yuliaty, T. (2023). Analysis of Factors Affecting the Income of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Culinary Sector in Tebing Tinggi City. International Journal of Research and Review, 10(7), 549–571. https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20230767
- Sriram, P. P., Wang, H. C., Jami, H. G., & Srinivasan, K. (2019). 5G security: Concepts and challenges. 5G Enabled Secure …. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03508-2_1
- Tressoldi, C., Espartel, L. B., & Rohden, S. F. (2023). Authentic brand positioning or woke washing? LGBTQI+ consumer perceptions of brand activism. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.
- Wandri, R., Andhini, G. K., & Ramadhan, A. S. (2023). Impact of Marketing Orientation, Learning Orientation and Entrepreneurial Orientation on Business Performance of Culinary SME in Jakarta. Proceedings of the 2023 7th International Conference on E-Commerce, E-Business and E-Government, 139–147.
- Woo, E., & Kim, Y. G. (2019). Consumer attitudes and buying behavior for green food products. British Food Journal, 121(2), 320–332. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-01-2018-0027
- Zhou, Z., Mehmood, S., Khan, A. A., Ahmad, Z., & Khan, S. (2022). Revival of sun-and-beach tourism through the lens of regulatory and risk dimensions of environmental sustainability. Heliyon, 8(10), e10893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10893
How to Cite
Lasmiatun, K., Fikri, M., Tahapary , G., Putra, R., & Ali, S. (2026). How Digital Authenticity Shapes Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Consumer Trust and the Moderating Role of Consumer Skepticism among Generation Z. Journal of Consumer Culture and Emerging Markets, 1(1), 20–34. Retrieved from https://badrionpress.com/index.php/jccem/article/view/10
Copyright & License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
© 2026 KMT Lasmiatun, Maiza Fikri, Grace Tahapary , Riskia Putra, Sabir Ali
