BEYOND CLICKS: ANALYSIS OF DIGITAL INFLUENCE ON GENERATION Z'S PURCHASE DECISIONS

Social media have come to occupy an important place in people’s daily lives, creating opportunities for individuals to work by sharing their lifestyles and, consequently, consumption trends. These individuals have professionalized the activity and are now known as influencers. The objective is to understand how digital influencers affect the purchase intentions of Generation Z consumers. Methodologically, this is an applied, descriptive, quantitative field study employing a survey whose study population consists of Generation Z youth residing in the municipality of Piripiri-PI. For data collection, we used Bento’s (2021) questionnaire, which comprises 29 items covering respondents’ profiles and the following dimensions: physical attractiveness, similarity, knowledge, perceived credibility of the digital influencer, and purchase intention. The empirical research is related to the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The results indicate that “physical attractiveness” is the factor motivating consumers to follow local digital influencers. The constructs of knowledge and perceived credibility are identified as the main factors that can influence purchase decisions. The findings show that there is a positive effect on consumers’ purchase decisions via digital influencers, although this influence is not absolute. Furthermore, it is concluded that elements of physical attractiveness are essential for attracting and captivating followers, fostering feelings of empathy, identification, and reciprocity. However, it is the perception of knowledge and credibility that holds the power to affect the final purchase decision.