The Impact of Gen Z Led TikTok Live Streaming on MSMEs' Sales Performance

Crossmark

Click to verify publication status

Authors

  • Nona Carollina Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Semarang, Indonesia (50196). image/svg+xml
  • Daryono Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Semarang, Indonesia (50196) image/svg+xml

Keywords:

Live Streaming Commerce, Customer Engagement, Gen Z, MSMEs, Purchase Intention

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanism through which TikTok live streaming conducted by Gen Z always enhances purchase intention toward MSME products, in which customer engagement serves as a significant mediator.
Method: The quantitative data were obtained through online questionnaires from Gen Z Type TikTok MSME loggers, and processed with SPSS 28 with regression and mediation test results.
Findings: An analysis of the results reveals that interactivity, authenticity, and entertainment enhance customer engagement in live streaming. Even more importantly, customer engagement completely mediates the relationship between these live streaming characteristics and purchase intention. The results showcase that the interaction features are not directly related to the intention to purchase but instead through the motivation they generate for psychological interaction, which then drives consumers to make a purchase; thereby providing a critical account of the adoption of live streaming commerce.
Novelty: One full mediator customer engagement that this research recognizes in the TikTok live streaming context, without which our results are not possible (for Gen Z and MSMEs). It builds upon the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework by identifying the psychological process that bridges the gap between live streaming attributes and commercial outcomes with modes beyond direct-effect relationships.
Implications: Thanks to this study, we offer important implications for both MSMEs and marketers because through live streaming commerce, firms should not sell directly to customers but build genuine customer engagement via interactivity, authenticity, and entertainment so that it plays the role of an enabler to better digital marketing strategies.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Nona Carollina, Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Semarang, Indonesia (50196).

    Nona Carollina is a lecturer and researcher at the Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Semarang, Indonesia (50196). Her research interests include accounting education, business ethics, and the integration of moral and professional values in higher education. She is actively involved in academic development and teaching activities aimed at fostering ethical awareness and critical thinking among accounting students.

  • Daryono, Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Semarang, Indonesia (50196)

    Dr. Drs. Daryono, M.S.I. is a senior lecturer and researcher at the Department of Accounting, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Semarang, Indonesia (50196). His research expertise spans accounting ethics, Islamic economics, and education management. He has actively contributed to academic publications and holds a strong record of scholarly work indexed in national and international databases.

References

Amilia, R. A., Aprianingsih, A., Purwanegara, M. S., Setiawan, M., & Debby, T. (2025). Engaging customer in live-streaming commerce: the impact of interactivity and perceived value on trust. International Journal of Electronic Customer Relationship Management, 15(1–2), 73–92. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJECRM.2025.145718 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJECRM.2025.145718

Bahaddad, A. A. (2025). Increasing the degree of acceptability for chatbots in technical support systems for educational sector by using ML and semantic web. Alexandria Engineering Journal, 116, 296–305. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2024.12.028 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aej.2024.12.028

Bryce, D., Curran, R., O’Gorman, K., & Taheri, B. (2015). Visitors’ engagement and authenticity: Japanese heritage consumption. Tourism Management, 46, 571–581. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2014.08.012 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2014.08.012

Buckley, Oliver, Ashman, Rachel, & Haenlein, Michael. (2024). Leveraging Livestreaming to Enrich Influencer Marketing. California Management Review, 67(2), 111–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256241300730 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00081256241300730

Chen, X., Hyun, S. S., & Lee, T. J. (2022). The effects of parasocial interaction, authenticity, and self-congruity on the formation of consumer trust in online travel agencies. International Journal of Tourism Research, 24(4), 563–576. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2522 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2522

Dwivedi, A. (2015). A higher-order model of consumer brand engagement and its impact on loyalty intentions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 24, 100–109. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2015.02.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2015.02.007

Eom, S., Park, J., Choi, E., Park, J., & Kim, S. (2025). How do users contribute to YouTube channels’ revenue? An empirical analysis of Korean beauty channels. Computers in Human Behavior, 172, 108741. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2025.108741 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2025.108741

Fritz, M. S., Kenny, D. A., & MacKinnon, D. P. (2016). The Combined Effects of Measurement Error and Omitting Confounders in the Single-Mediator Model. Multivariate Behaviour Research, 51(5), 681–697. https://doi.org/10.1080/00273171.2016.1224154 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00273171.2016.1224154

Hilvert-Bruce, Z., Neill, J. T., Sjöblom, M., & Hamari, J. (2018). Social motivations of live-streaming viewer engagement on Twitch. Computers in Human Behavior, 84, 58–67. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.02.013 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.02.013

Huang, Z., Zhu, Y., Hao, A., & Deng, J. (2022). How social presence influences consumer purchase intention in live video commerce: the mediating role of immersive experience and the moderating role of positive emotions. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 17(4), 493–509. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-01-2022-0009 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-01-2022-0009

Jacobson, J., Gruzd, A., & Hernández-García, Á. (2020). Social media marketing: Who is watching the watchers? Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101774. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.03.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.03.001

Jiang, H.-B., Fan, Z.-Y., Wang, J.-L., Liu, S.-H., & Lin, W.-J. (2024). The determinants of product trust in live streaming E-commerce: a hybrid method integrating SEM and fsQCA. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 37(2), 273–293. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-01-2024-0048 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-01-2024-0048

Khubchandani, S., & Raman, R. (2025). Insights into Gen Z online food ordering behavior: leveraging eye-tracking and AI for cognitive analysis. Benchmarking: An International Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-12-2024-1133 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-12-2024-1133

Ladeira, W. J., de Oliveira Santini, F., Lim, W. M., Rasul, T., Akter, S., Rather, R. A., & Azhar, M. (2025). Antecedents and consequences of social media use in sales: a meta-analysis. Electronic Commerce Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-024-09935-1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-024-09935-1

Liu, Z., Li, J., Wang, X., & Guo, Y. (2023). How search and evaluation cues influence consumers’ continuous watching and purchase intentions: An investigation of live-stream shopping from an information foraging perspective. Journal of Business Research, 168, 114233. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.114233 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.114233

Ma, X. (2023). Introduction to Digital Content BT - Social Influence on Digital Content Contribution and Consumption: Theories, Empirical Analyses, and Practices (X. Ma (ed.); pp. 3–14). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6737-7_1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-6737-7_1

Martins, J., Costa, C., Oliveira, T., Gonçalves, R., & Branco, F. (2019). How smartphone advertising influences consumers’ purchase intention. Journal of Business Research, 94, 378–387. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.12.047 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.12.047

Rehman, A. U., Švecová, L., Shoaib, M., Veber, J., Maryam, Z., & Ferraris, A. (2025). Understanding consumer impulse buying in live streaming commerce: a streamer communication style and consumer’s language literacy perspectives. International Marketing Review, 1–36. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-09-2024-0321 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-09-2024-0321

Roy Bhattacharjee, D., Kuanr, A., Pradhan, D., & Moharana, T. R. (2025). Fun or warm: How conversational style boosts customer engagement. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 85, 104293. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104293 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2025.104293

Shao, Z. (2023). How the characteristics of social media influencers and live content influence consumers’ impulsive buying in live streaming commerce? The role of congruence and attachment. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 18(3), 506–527. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-08-2023-0277 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-08-2023-0277

Sharma, C., & Kushwah, S. (2025). Mapping the Theory of Consumption Values: A Systematic Review Using the TCCM Approach. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 24(2), 562–610. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2434 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2434

Sharma, I., Sharma, S., Aggarwal, A., & Gupta, S. (2024). Exploring the link between creative tourist experiences and intentions among Gen Z: a sequential mediation modeling approach in creative tourism. Young Consumers: Insight and Ideas for Responsible Marketers, 25(6), 928–952. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-01-2024-1950 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-01-2024-1950

Sokolova, K., & Kefi, H. (2020). Instagram and YouTube bloggers promote it, why should I buy? How credibility and parasocial interaction influence purchase intentions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101742. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.01.011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.01.011

Tam, C. M., Lai, I. K. W., & Yang, T. (2025). Neighborhood Commercial Circle Environmental Factors for Generation Z Visitors: Scale Development and Validation. Leisure Sciences, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2025.2456090 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2025.2456090

Teo, P., & Cui, R. (2025). A comparative critical analysis of official and personal social media videos on being and becoming old in China. Social Semiotics, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2025.2451927 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2025.2451927

Udohaya, N. (2025). Impact Capital for Inclusive Finance BT - Impact Investing and Financial Inclusion: Examining the Innovations that Empower the Underserved (N. Udohaya (ed.); pp. 447–487). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-87841-1_7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-87841-1_7

Vafaei-Zadeh, A., Nikbin, D., Seong Zhen, K., & Hanifah, H. (2024). Exploring the determinants of green electronics purchase intention through the stimulus-organism-response model. Social Responsibility Journal, 21(3), 473–497. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-02-2024-0109 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-02-2024-0109

Yang, C. (2025). Influencers (Human vs Virtual) BT - Gen Z’s Fashion Revolution: Understanding the influence of Gen Z on Fashion Brands (E. Cattaneo & Y. Sun (eds.); pp. 99–121). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-72916-4_5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-72916-4_5

Yu, T., Teoh, A. P., Bian, Q., Liao, J., & Wang, C. (2024). Can virtual influencers affect purchase intentions in tourism and hospitality e-commerce live streaming? An empirical study in China. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 37(1), 216–238. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2024-0358 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2024-0358

Zhang, H., Lu, Y., Gupta, S., & Zhao, L. (2014). What motivates customers to participate in social commerce? The impact of technological environments and virtual customer experiences. Information & Management, 51(8), 1017–1030. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2014.07.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2014.07.005

Zhao, H., Ru, P., & Jia, H. (2025). TikTok Users Migration to Xiaohongshu (Rednote): Emotional Dynamics, Platform Governance, and an NCA-SEM Analysis in Cross-Cultural Adaptation. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2025.2530088 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2025.2530088

Zhao, Q., Chen, C.-D., Cheng, H.-W., & Wang, J.-L. (2018). Determinants of live streamers’ continuance broadcasting intentions on Twitch: A self-determination theory perspective. Telematics and Informatics, 35(2), 406–420. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.12.018 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.12.018

Published

2025-10-10

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Carollina, N., & Daryono. (2025). The Impact of Gen Z Led TikTok Live Streaming on MSMEs’ Sales Performance. Journal Economic Business Innovation, 2(3), 327-341. https://doi.org/10.69725/jebi.v2i3.278

Share

Similar Articles

1-10 of 34

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.