Influence of emojis in digital marketing communications on customer engagement and intention to purchase among Generation Z in Cape Town

Abstract

Over 3 500 emojis are available to consumers and social media marketers, but despite the popularity of emojis on digital media, marketing research on emojis is still limited. As digital technologies have advanced, digital communications have become an essential part of our daily lives, resulting in the development of new language forms such as emojis. The Generation Z cohort is known as mobile prodigies for a reason: they are attuned to the digital world and use it to express their values. Generation Z (members of Gen Z) cannot be targeted solely through traditional marketing communication appeals because they communicate about their ethnicity and culture in a variety of ways, including the visual language. Emojis are used by marketers to humanise brand voice and elicit emotional responses from intended audiences. However, little is known about how people perceive emojis and the reactions they elicit. The aim of this research was to determine the influence of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, trust, and involvement on customer engagement due to emojis used in digital marketing communications among Generation Z in Cape Town, South Africa. A primary objective of the study explored the effect that emojis have on Generation Z’s engagement and intention to purchase. Secondary objectives sought to ascertain what influence demographic factors have on customer engagement and intention to purchase due to emojis. Furthermore, other secondary objectives established what influence usage factors have on customer engagement and intention to purchase due to the use of emojis. Following the descriptive research approach, quantitative research was used in this study. This study employed a non-probability sampling strategy that combined purposive and snowballing sampling techniques. A questionnaire (self-administered) was utilised to test the effectiveness of using emojis to increase consumer engagement and intention to purchase. The questionnaire was distributed to respondents via a combination of online and hardcopy surveys. The former was done by sending out a Google Forms link via various digital platforms including email, and the latter by circulating the questionnaires at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) District Six campus and surrounding residences). Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software was used to capture and analyse data for this study. The CPUT Business and Management Sciences Faculty Ethics Committee granted permission to conduct the study and fieldwork, and prior to participating in the study, a total sample size of 1 000 respondents provided consent. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to measure and analyse the relationships between the abovementioned variables. The primary research objective of this study was met when it was demonstrated that emojis in digital marketing communications have a positive influence on Generation Z's customer engagement and intention to purchase. The findings yielded positive relationships between the variables, namely between involvement and the perceived ease of use; perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness; and perceived usefulness and customer engagement. Positive relationships ere also found between trust and involvement; trust and customer engagement; trust and intention to purchase; and customer engagement and intention to purchase to form a new TAM model in relation to emojis used in digital marketing communications. This enquiry revealed that the respondents who always and often used emojis, often and always engaged in brand messages that included emojis, spent a greater number of hours of online engagement, and had higher average online monthly digital spending, exhibited the most positive customer engagement and/or intention to purchase attitudes in terms of digital marketing communications among the members of Gen Z. The majority of survey respondents were from the Black, followed by Coloured, populations which also demonstrated the highest levels of customer engagement and intention to purchase thanks to emoji digital marketing communications. This study also demonstrates that the Coloured population group are quite likely to engage with emoji brand messages on digital platforms, and that using emojis in digital marketing communications also influences this population group's desire to make purchases. This study adds to the growing field of emoji and digital marketing research by providing new insights and a better understanding of attitudes toward and usage of emojis, as well as the frequency with which these emojis are used in the context of digital marketing to the Generation Z consumers. The research further adds to the body of knowledge that young consumers are willing to spend more money on digital purchases as a result of marketing communications that use emojis. So, the current study significantly contributed to TAM theory in the field of advertising and Generation Z attitudes research.