Abstract

Over the past few years, TikTok marketing has experienced a significant surge in popularity, becoming a powerful tool for promoting personal and business brands, products, and services to consumers.Particularly, the trend of influencer marketing on this platform in Vietnam has witnessed a remarkable explosion.This study aimed to examine the impact of TikTok influencer characteristics on purchase intention among Generation Z users in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.An online survey was conducted with 209 TikTok users aged 18-27.Using source credibility and attractiveness constructs, the results showed influencer trustworthiness, expertise, likability, similarity, and familiarity positively affected purchase intention.Trustworthiness exerted the strongest influence.The findings imply developing targeted social media marketing campaigns leveraging credible and relatable TikTok influencers can effectively motivate purchase behavior among Vietnamese youth.