Investigating determinants of Gen-Y consumers’ purchase intention on short-form video app TikTok from ELM and S-O-R perspectives

This study explores how Generation Y consumers’ purchase intentions on TikTok are influenced by interactive, visually rich content, using the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) and stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) models. By incorporating trust as a mediator and need for touch (NFT) as a moderator, the study investigates how central and peripheral cues affect flow experience and purchase intention. Surveying 443 Gen-Y TikTok users in Mainland China, the data were analyzed using partial least squares-structural equation modeling. Results indicate that both central (content diagnosticity, vicarious expression) and peripheral cues (social and physical attractiveness) enhance flow, which in turn increases trust and purchase intention. Additionally, trust mediates the flow-intention relationship, and NFT moderates this process. The findings extend ELM and S-O-R models in the context of short-form video commerce, offering practical insights for marketers to optimize TikTok strategies by focusing on engagement, trust, and sensory appeal.

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