THE FACTORS AFFECTING GEN Z’S LOYALTY TOWARD ONLINE MARKETPLACES

Generation Z is the generation coming after Millennials and before Generation Alpha. Although there is not a clear-cut consensus on the time span covering the birth dates of Gen-Zers, it is generally assumed that Gen-Z comprises of consumers who are born from mid-1990s to early 2010s (i.e. 1997-2012). They are also known as ‘digital natives’ since they have grown up with Internet and other information and communication technologies. It is obvious that their preferences and behaviors are shaped by how they grew up. There are several unique characteristics of Gen Z, which differentiate them particularly from the Generations X and Y. The way they live, communicate, shop and consume are all completely different from previous generations. Members belonging to Gen Z are known as tech-savvy, cautious about climate change and sustainability issues, focus on innovation, look for convenience, and more careful about how they spend their budget. All these divergent attributes of Gen Z consumers bring them under the spotlight of both academicians and practitioners. It is widely accepted that Gen Z has an inclination for online shopping, however, it is crucial to understand what they really look for or how marketers can get their attention. Hence, in this study, it is aimed to figure out the determinants that might influence their repeated purchase decision from online marketplaces. In other words, the main purpose is to discover what attributes really affect Gen Z for re-patronage or being a loyal customer of an online marketplace. Since there is a great competition among both local and international marketplace brands, the study will bring important insights about the little-known customer cohort; namely-Gen Z, regarding their loyalty in the online market. It has been found that perceived value, visual appeal, responsiveness, efficiency, and fulfillment dimensions are the main determinants of Generation Z’s loyalty towards online marketplaces, whereas, design appeal, system availability, privacy, trust, compensation, contact and interactivity have no significant impact on the loyalty of those consumers.