Effectiveness of digital rhetoric persuasion on GenZ consumer purchasing decisions
Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication
ISSN: 2514-9342
Article publication date: 31 January 2024
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to analyze the effectiveness of digital rhetoric persuasion on GenZ purchase decision. Digital rhetoric (DR) is an art of persuasion used in social media communication to shape and influence the course of an individual. It has been used in social media advertisements (SMAs) to increase its perceived effectiveness. GenZ consumers are more vibrant than previous generations’ consumers because of high levels of literacy and capacity to adapt to new technology. Therefore, understanding the effects of rhetorical support decisions to act on and mold consumers’ reasoning and judgment is particularly significant in relation to GenZ purchasing decisions and the rhetorical persuasive methods. Concurrently, the moderating effect of generation cohort theory also needs to be examined.
Design/methodology/approach
The threshold model for consumers’ purchase decisions in the form of logistic regression has been applied to examine the impact of DR through SMAs on the purchase intention (PI) of GenZ consumers. Simultaneously, the moderating effect of generation cohort theory is being examined by comparative analysis of different generations’ PI moderation by DR effect.
Findings
The results of the current study reveal that DR via SMAs has a positive and significant influence on GenZ consumers’ PI, whereas other older generation consumers do not get similarly affected by the same.
Originality/value
In an emerging economy like India, where 30% of the population belongs to the GenZ category and the digital advertising industry is growing by double digits, the present study takes a novel approach to examine the impact of DR via SMAs on GenZ consumers’ PI. Concurrently, it also provides an understanding of the moderation effect of generation cohort theory on perceived effectiveness of DR.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors appreciate all of the responses’ necessary assistance. The authorities of the participating universities are also thanked by the authors for their ongoing assistance during the survey for the present study.
Conflict of interest: There is no stated conflict of interest by the authors.
Since submission of this article, the following author has updated their affiliation: Bhaveshkumar J. Parmar is at the School of Management Studies, National Forensic Science University, Gandhinagar, India.
Citation
Gupta, H. and Parmar, B.J. (2024), "Effectiveness of digital rhetoric persuasion on GenZ consumer purchasing decisions", Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-05-2023-0172
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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