Social Media Influence on Generation Z’s Buying Behaviour: The Role of Trends, Peer Influence, and Digital Trust in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar City

• Shivani Shah

  St. Xavier's College (Autonomous), Gujarat University, Ahmedabad

  Author

• Muskan Chaurasiya

  Author

The rapid growth of social media has transformed the way Generation Z discovers, evaluates and responds to products and brands. This study examines the influence of social media on the purchasing behaviour of Generation Z, with particular focus on social media trends, peer and online community influence, and trust in reviews, influencers and celebrities. The study is based on a descriptive research design, with primary data collected through a structured questionnaire from 270 respondents from Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, selected using the purposive sampling technique. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis and Spearman’s rank correlation. The findings indicate that social media trends exert a low to moderate influence on purchasing choices. Factor analysis identified four major dimensions: influence of public figures, trend-based activities, short-form content, and engaging image-based content. Family and friends were found to be more influential than direct peer pressure and online communities. Further, family and friends emerged as the most trusted source of recommendations, while online reviews demonstrated a relatively stronger influence on purchase decisions than influencer and celebrity recommendations. Spearman’s correlation revealed significant positive relationships among social media trends, buying decisions and recommendation-based purchasing, as well as among influencer recommendations, online reviews and social proof. Overall, the study highlights that Generation Z engages with social media extensively but tends to rely more on credible, relatable and trustworthy sources when making purchase decisions.

1. Muskan Chaurasiya

   Student Researcher, School of Management Studies, National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.

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