The Role of Digital Marketing in Shaping Purchase Intention: A Study of Gen Z Consumers in Makassar

Abstract

Aims: This study seeks to examine and validate the impact of the digital advertising strategies utilized by Shopee on the purchasing interest of Generation Z, focusing on students from the Faculty of Economics and Business, Makassar State University. Study Design:  Quantitative descriptive. Place and Duration of Study:  Faculty of Economics and Business, Makassar State University, between July and September 2025. Methodology: Data was gathered by the distribution of questionnaires to a sample of 100 active students. The methods used for data analysis approaches encompass validity testing, reliability testing, classical assumption testing, simple linear regression analysis, t-test (hypothesis), and the coefficient of determination (R²), facilitated by SPSS. Results: The research findings demonstrate that digital marketing methods exert a favorable and significant impact on purchase intention. The calculated t-value (7.730), exceeding the t-table value (1.660), along with the significance value (0.000), which is below 0.05, confirms the research hypothesis. The coefficient of determination reveals that the digital marketing strategy accounts for 37.9% of purchase interest, with the remaining percentage attributable to other factors. Conclusion: The findings of this study clearly demonstrate that the digital marketing methods implemented by Shopee exert a substantial and considerable influence on cultivating purchase interest among Generation Z students. This discovery holds significant implications for Shopee to further refine its marketing strategy to engage Generation Z more effectively.