HOW VISUAL AND SOUND AFFECT GEN Z'S TIKTOK ONLINE IMPULSE BUYING THROUGH AROUSAL AND PLEASURE IN HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

TikTok’s live stream shopping has experienced rapid growth in Vietnam, particularly among Generation Z consumers. This study investigates how visual and sound affect Gen Z’s TikTok online impulse buying through arousal and pleasure in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, grounded in the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework. Data were collected through an online survey, yielding 292 valid responses, and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the proposed hypotheses. The results reveal that arousal plays a significant mediating role in the effects of both visual and sound on online impulse buying, whereas pleasure does not exert a mediating effect. These findings underscore the critical role of arousal in shaping unplanned purchasing behavior within TikTok’s on live stream shopping, offering theoretical insights into the application of the S-O-R framework in social e-commerce and practical implications for marketers aiming to engage Gen Z consumers more effectively.