Identification of Factors that Influence Buying Interest Caused by Youtube Reviewer: A Case Study of Smartphone Products in Indonesia

Abstract

Smartphone users in Indonesia reached 89 percent which means as many as 167 million people in Indonesia are users of communication and information technology which continues to grow rapidly. Unfortunately, the development of smartphones is not in line with consumers' understanding of the latest innovations made by smartphones in each of its newest models. Specifically, many variants of smartphone types with various price ranges make it greatly difficult for consumers to choose which smartphone product to buy. Youtube reviewer as an opinion leader who reviews smartphones is believed to be able to generate consumer buying interest in smartphone products. This research is expected to solve social problems by knowing what factors might influence consumer interest caused by the content uploaded by Youtube reviewers. Data were collected using a questionnaire and processed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results showed that Advertising Value, Flow Experience and Brand Awareness have a significant positive effect on buying interest in smartphone products due to content from Youtube reviewers.