Pengaruh Daya Tarik dan Interaksi Parasosial Virtual Influencer Arbie Seo terhadap Minat Beli Produk Richeese Factory di Kalangan Gen Z Kota Semarang

The growth of social media has encouraged the use of virtual influencers as part of digital marketing communication strategies. One such virtual influencer, Arbie SEO, serves as a brand ambassador for Richeese Factory. This study aims to examine the influence of the attractiveness and parasocial interaction of the virtual influencer Arbie SEO on the purchase intention for Richeese Factory products among Generation Z in Semarang City, both partially and simultaneously. The study employs a quantitative, explanatory approach. The sample consists of 100 Generation Z respondents in Semarang City, selected using a purposive sampling technique. Data were collected via a questionnaire using a Likert scale and analyzed through multiple linear regression. The results indicate that the attractiveness of the virtual influencer Arbie SEO has a positive and significant effect on purchase intention, with a t-value of 4.308 and a significance level of 0.000. Conversely, parasocial interaction does not have a significant effect on purchase intention, with a t-value of 1.277 and a significance level of 0.205. Simultaneously, both attractiveness and parasocial interaction have a significant effect on purchase intention, with an F-value of 73.265 and a significance level of 0.000. An R-squared value of 0.602 indicates that these two variables account for 60.2% of the variation in purchase intention, while the remaining 39.8% is explained by factors outside the scope of this study. The Theory of Planned Behavior remains relevant as a grand theory for providing the conceptual framework for this research.