THE INFLUENCE OF INFLUENCER CREDIBILITY, ONLINE REVIEWS AND PROMOTIONAL ATTRACTIVENESS ON CUSTOMER TRUST IN THE TOKOPEDIA PLATFORM
A STUDY ON GENERATION Z STUDENTS IN CIREBON CITY
Abstract
This study aims to analyze the influence of influencer credibility, online reviews, and promotional appeal on customer trust in the Tokopedia e-commerce platform, with a focus on Generation Z college students in Cirebon. The study employs a quantitative approach with a causal research design to test the relationships among the variables. The study sample consisted of 250 respondents selected using purposive sampling based on the criteria of being active college students, Tokopedia users, and having been exposed to influencer content, online reviews, or Tokopedia promotional programs. Research data were collected through a questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS). The analysis stages included testing the measurement model through an evaluation of construct validity and reliability, which encompassed outer loading, Average Variance Extracted (AVE), Composite Reliability (CR), and Cronbach’s alpha, as well as testing the structural model through path coefficient analysis using the bootstrapping technique with 5,000 subsamples. The results indicate that influencer credibility (β = 0.332; p < 0.01), online reviews (β = 0.436; p < 0.001), and promotional appeal (β = 0.229; p < 0.01) have a positive and significant effect on customer trust. Among the three independent variables, online reviews made the most significant contribution to increasing customer trust. Furthermore, the research model explains 95.6% of the variation in customer trust (R² = 0.956), indicating that the model’s explanatory power falls into the “very strong” category. The findings suggest that effective management of online reviews, selection of highly credible influencers, and the development of compelling promotional strategies are key factors in strengthening user trust in Tokopedia. However, this study has limitations regarding its sample scope, which focuses only on the city of Cirebon; therefore, future research is recommended to expand the study area, respondent characteristics, and analyzed variables to improve the generalizability of the research results.
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