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ABSTRACT
The development of social media, especially TikTok, has facilitated the emergence of a new role - Key Opinion Consumer (KOC). This research aims to determine the impact of various Key Opinion Consumer's attributes, including expertise, trustworthiness, and likability, on source credibility and, eventually, the purchase intention of Generation Z consumers in Vietnam. The study was conducted quantitatively with data collection from 361 respondents in Vietnam, and Smart-PLS was used for data analysis. The results show that trustworthiness and expertise have strong direct effects on source credibility and indirect effects on purchase intention through the mediating role of source credibility. Purchase intention is also significantly influenced by Key Opinion Consumer's expertise, trustworthiness, and source credibility. This research explores TikTok as a case, and the findings can be generalized to other social media platforms because of their similarities in use and sharing purpose.
Keywords: Key Opinion Consumer, TikTok, Generation Z, Influencer Marketing.
1. INTRODUCTION
Since its launching in 2017 by Bytedance Technology, TikTok - a social media with shortvideo content, has risen to the top spot among Chinese-developed apps regarding worldwide distribution (Xiong & Yi, 2019). During the Covid-19 pandemic, TikTok's download rate has substantially increased, making it the second-most downloaded Android App and the most downloaded iOS Appstore (Statista, 2020). TikTok stands out from other social media apps due to its hyper-personalized algorithm and the increased use of influencers (Feldkamp, 2021). The platform attracts many young users (Bucknell Bossen & Kottasz, 2020), especially generation Z (Gen Z), since TikTok is regarded as a popular platform that has a significant impact on their mindset and behavior (Francis & Hoefel, 2018). Undoubtedly, this social media reveals its potential to benefit marketers and businesses to attract more young consumers, especially Gen Z, those bom between 1997 and 2012 who are becoming influential in the retail industry with enormous purchasing power (Vietnam Briefing, 2019). It is estimated that Gen Z will make up 25% of Vietnam's future labor force, or roughly 15 million potential customers (Nielsen, 2015). If retailers and brands want to set foot in this rising segment, they must start creating relationships with them immediately.
Influencer marketing is crucial for many businesses, particularly those engaged in business-to-consumer marketing (Haenlein et al., 2020). Traditional influencers such as...