Customer engagement and intention

to purchase attitudes of generation

Z consumers toward emojis in digital
marketing communications
Rodney Graeme Duffett and Mihlali Maraule

Abstract Rodney Graeme Duffett,

Purpose – Emojis are quickly becoming a popular new language in social media and marketing. The and Mihlali Maraule are
capability to express emotions and make message understanding easier is one of the primary reasons for both based at the
using emojis. The aim of this research was to determine the influence of perceived usefulness, perceived Department of Marketing,
ease of use, trust, and involvement on customer engagement due to emojis used in digital marketing Faculty of Business,
communications among Generation Z (Gen Z) in South Africa.
Cape Peninsula University
Design/methodology/approach – Following the descriptive research approach, quantitative of Technology,
research was used in this study. A questionnaire (self-administered) was utilized to test the Cape Town, South Africa.
effectiveness of using emojis among 1,000 young consumers. Structural equation modeling was used
to test the hypotheses.
Findings – The findings of the study yielded positive relationships between the variables, namely
between trust and involvement; involvement and the perceived ease of use; involvement and perceived
usefulness; perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness; trust and customer engagement;
perceived usefulness and customer engagement; involvement and customer engagement; customer
engagement and intention to purchase; trust and intention to purchase; and perceived usefulness and
intention to purchase.
Practical implications – This study can help organizations in emerging markets use emojis in their
digital marketing communications to engage customers and stimulate intention to purchase among
young people, especially the Gen Z cohort, who seek organizations and brands that understand and
connect with them.
Originality/value – By investigating the effects of emojis in digital marketing communications, this
study contributes to the customer-centric process and the literature on emoji usage while also
Received 3 August 2023
involving a credible digital language when communicating with members of Gen Z. By extending Revised 7 December 2023
TAM, the findings of this study contribute to the TAM literature by demonstrating that emoji usage in 15 January 2024
digital marketing communications positively influences various attitudinal associations among Gen Z Accepted 1 February 2024
consumers.
© Rodney Graeme Duffett and
Keywords Emojis, Digital marketing communications, Generation Z (gen Z) consumers, Mihlali Maraule. Published by
Technology acceptance model (TAM), Customer engagement, Intention to purchase, Emerging market Emerald Publishing Limited.
This article is published under
Paper type Research paper the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence.
Anyone may reproduce,
distribute, translate and create
1. Introduction derivative works of this article
(for both commercial and
Technology has made it easy for an organization to communicate with its customers and non-commercial purposes),
clients by using digital channels and language. Ko et al. (2022) show that marketers are subject to full attribution to the
original publication and
connecting with customers via digital language and are beginning to understand how to reach authors. The full terms of this
licence may be seen at http://
the younger generation. Emojis are digital pictures that symbolize a word or a feeling in a creativecommons.org/licences/
message and can be combined to create a phrase with a complete interpretation. The vastly by/4.0/legalcode

DOI 10.1108/YC-08-2023-1817 VOL. 25 NO. 5 2024, pp. 607-624, Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1747-3616 j YOUNG CONSUMERS j PAGE 607
 increased use of emojis leads to the question of whether they can create a new language
among technologically knowledgeable young people or devalue existing languages (Hand
et al., 2022; Wang et al., 2023). Emojis (the younger generation of emoticons) are popularly
used in digital platforms to illustrate concepts and ideas. Mobile phones enable young
consumers to engage in digital platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, email,
and many other digital media, which facilitate the sharing and transfer of information via
emojis. Therefore, this current study seeks to expand research regarding young consumers’
attitudes toward emojis across digital platforms. The rapid increase in use of these graphic
symbols is often explained by emotions or expressions that are difficult to convey via words
when writing without tone of voice and body language (Ptaszynski et al., 2020; Robus et al.,
2020; Orazi et al., 2023). Organizations make use of emojis to interact with their intended
audience, reach their mobile devices, and also carry messages in stylishly modest ways
(Wang, 2021). As a result, marketing campaigns that include emojis have rapidly grown, and
organizations have received constructive results from marketing campaigns that involve
emojis. Placing emojis in digital communications tends to increase engagement, simplify
marketing messages, humanize brand voices, and increase purchase intentions (Li et al.,
2019; Lee et al., 2021; Sawmong, 2022; Mladenovic  et al., 2023; Orazi et al., 2023; Wang
et al., 2023). Accordingly, the research opined that it is important to further investigate the
influence of emojis when used in marketing communications by brands, which are aimed at
gaining customer engagement and the intention to purchase from their targeted market
among young consumers, such as the Generation Z (Gen Z) cohort.
Castren (2022), Duffett (2022), and Chetioui and El Bouzidi (2023), respectively, mention
that members of Gen Z are people born between 1995 and 2012. Gen Z displays distinctive
and similar values, traits, lifestyles, characteristics, and behaviors around the globe due to
the constantly changing environment, which distinguishes this cohort from previous
generations. The Gen Z cohort is maturing into adults, making purchasing decisions, and
caring for themselves. This generation, including almost 27.5 million South Africans,
overlaps with the born free audience, the generation born in South Africa after apartheid
ended in 1994 (Lerm, 2022), so current marketers need to develop persuasive tactics to
engage with the local members of Gen Z. This study further explores the influence the
emojis have on digital marketing communication among Gen Z, which will provide
organizations and their brands with additional insight on how to effectively reach this elusive
young cohort with their advertising. Lerm (2022) states that members of Gen Z
are dependent on innovation because they have grown up with digital technology, expect to
be constantly connected, and expect seamless digital experiences. To post and engage on
digital marketing platforms, Gen Z has adopted the digital language that they understand
well, which includes emojis. Hence, emojis serve as a means of engaging with younger
cohorts, and in this study, digital marketing communications are examined together with the
features used to enhance the effectiveness of messages aimed at the Gen Z cohort.
Despite the years of emoji research, there are still gaps to fill in order to add to the emoji
knowledge discourse. In a global perspective, several studies were conducted on the use
of emoticons and emojis to convey meaning (Ptaszynski et al., 2020; Smith and Rose,
2020), which provided a basis for the study of the origins of emoji communications. So,
more research is needed on emoji interpretation to provide a greater understanding of this
new form of communication. Some research was conducted on the nature and usage of
emojis (Rodrigues et al., 2018; Brito et al., 2020). There is a gap in understanding the use of
emojis and how this new visual language influences attitudes in relation to organizations,
brands, and products, which will be examined and narrowed by this study. So, it is
important for organizations to use emojis effectively for customer engagement and intention
to purchase, since if not effectively utilized, these icons may negatively affect the quality of
online response due to divergent message interpretations. A number of studies investigated
emojis in terms of customer engagement (Zhou, 2019; Smits, 2021; Baek et al., 2022; Ko
et al., 2022; Sawmong, 2022; Wang et al., 2023), while other research explored emojis in

PAGE 608 j YOUNG CONSUMERS j VOL. 25 NO. 5 2024

terms of purchase intention (Das et al., 2019; Lee et al., 2021; Distel et al., 2022; Sawmong,
2022; Mladenovic et al., 2023; Sindhu and Bharti, 2023). Accordingly, this study establishes
if various antecedents positively influence customers’ engagement and intention to
purchase owing to the utilization of these emojis in digital marketing communications
among young consumers.
Technology dominates almost every corner of the social system. The Technology
Acceptance Model (TAM) helps describe the acknowledged effectiveness and purpose
regarding the social impact and behavioral instrumental procedures of technology usage
and acceptance (Davis, 1989). Venkatesh and Davis (2000) extended the model to
incorporate variables such as intention to use. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)
has been used to describe the acceptance and persistent intention of using new
technologies, products, or services in their initial stages (Scherer et al., 2019; Zhang et al.,
2021). The TAM has been adapted to fit a wide variety of technology acceptance studies;
additional variables were introduced to help enhance its predictive power (Purwanto et al.,
2020; Ngubelanga and Duffett, 2021; Al-Gasawneh et al., 2022; Leso and Cortimiglia, 2022).
However, few studies consider the influence of emojis in digital marketing communications
on customer engagement and intention to purchase among Gen Z from a TAM perspective
(Al-Maroof et al., 2019; Jung et al., 2021; Kang et al., 2022; Sawmong, 2022).
Naidu (2022) investigated how emojis used on social media platforms and in other kinds of
electronic communication may involve actionable false and misleading content, and
together with Hao (2020), they suggest more research on whether the usage of emojis in
digital marketing communications yields favorable outcomes. Cavalheiro et al. (2022) and
Prada et al. (2022) also found that future research should expand the contexts in which
emojis can be used, particularly for brands and organizations. Emojis are typically
successful when employed by a brand to connect with a younger audience, like the Gen Z
cohort. Brands must understand the contexts that work well for their target market to create
bonds and be relatable for increased customer engagement and intention to purchase.
Cavalheiro et al. (2022) found that there is a need for investigation to comprehend how
various brand communications may influence actual consumers’ attitudes and behaviors
toward a brand. Therefore, this study endeavors to fulfill this mandate for further research
by assessing the Gen Z cohort’s attitudes owing to the use of emojis in digital marketing
communications. Moreover, as indicated by Malysheva and Vander Elst (2022), despite the
impact of emoji on brands’ perceived warmth, while using emoji in advertising has no
adverse influence on the perception of organizations’ capabilities, there is no benefit from
them in terms of customers’ buying intentions. However, a better understanding of the
circumstances in which emoji have a negative impact and how they can change customer
behavior is still required. In contrast, it is also believed that people exposed to emoji
advertisements have greater buying intentions than those exposed to non-emoji
advertisements, and emoji advertisements also assist organizations in achieving their
marketing objectives more efficiently (Das et al., 2019; Li et al., 2019; Ko et al., 2022; Wang
et al., 2023). Hence, based on the need for additional inquiry both from a theoretical and
practical or managerial viewpoint, the current study examines the influence of emojis in
digital marketing communications on Gen Z’s attitudes, namely trust, involvement,
perceived ease of use, usefulness, customer engagement, and intention to purchase, from
a TAM perspective.
The rest of this inquiry is structured in the following way: The second section elaborates
on the literature and development of the hypotheses; the third section provides a
detailed overview of methodology; the fourth and fifth sections illustrate the main
findings and corresponding discussion and conclusions; and the sixth section shows
the main theoretical and managerial implications, and limitations and future research of
the study.

VOL. 25 NO. 5 2024 j YOUNG CONSUMERS j PAGE 609

 2. Literature review and hypothesis development
2.1 Technology acceptance model (TAM)
The model that was used to test the hypotheses in this study is referred to as TAM, which
mainly identifies the influences on the consumer behavior and attitudes. Davis (1989)
created TAM with the goal of explaining the basic predictors of accepting innovation, which
leads to an explanation of the behavior of users through a wide range of end-user
computing technologies. Venkatesh and Davis (2000) note that TAM characterizes
perceived usefulness and ease of use in the context of public influence, conceptual
instrumental procedures, and users’ intent. TAM claims that the special effects of external
factors on the purpose of use are promoted by perceived usefulness and ease of use, since
these are posited to influence an individual’s attitude and behavior (Suki and Suki, 2011). A
number of studies have examined various aspects of emojis and intention to purchase
using different theories and models, for example, textual paralanguage and text-based
nonverbal communication theory (Das et al., 2019), advertising value model and text-based
nonverbal communication theory (Dmitrieva, 2019), customer satisfaction theory (Ma and
Wang, 2021), psychological reactance and social information theory (Lee et al., 2021),
affect information, elaboration likelihood and Foote, Cone, and Belding Grid models (Starr,
2021), construal level theory (Huang et al., 2022), emotional contagion concept and dual
coding theory (Mladenovic  et al., 2023), and commitment-trust and social presence theory
(Sindhu and Bharti, 2023) but there remains a dearth of TAM research that investigates
emojis, especially in terms of intention to purchase (Jung et al., 2021; Sawmong, 2022). As
a result, this study sought to extend TAM and introduced involvement, trust, customer
engagement, and intention to purchase as part of the TAM variables (perceived usefulness
and ease of use) to examine the adoption of emoji use in the context of digital marketing
communications.

2.2 Development of hypotheses

2.2.1 Trust ! involvement. When a consumer makes a purchase in electronic commerce,

trust is important because the decision must be made in the face of ambiguity (Hong,
2015), and involvement is revealed to play an important role in clarifying both trust formation
and retaining customers (Teichert and Rost, 2003). Zhang et al. (2021) state that emojis are
likely to influence trust levels in social interactions and reduce the psychological distance
between users. Furthermore, when combined with apology strategies, emojis play an
important role in restoring trust (Yang, 2023). Research has conceptually acknowledged the
relationship between trust and involvement in online platforms and purchasing (Sharma and
Klein, 2020). Hence, the hypothesis is as follows:
H1. Trust has a positive influence on involvement due to emojis used in digital marketing
communications.
2.2.2 Involvement ! perceived ease of use. Kim and Hahn (2015) consider involvement in
digital platforms as the amount of exhibited client enthusiasm and/or personal significance.
Amoako-Gyampah (2007) indicates that the relationship between involvement and perceived
ease of use is associated with perceived usefulness, level of intrinsic involvement, and
intention to use the technology by the users. In contrast, perceived usefulness impacts
behavioral intention for low involvement information systems (Leso and Cortimiglia, 2022).
However, this study seeks to reveal the effect that involvement has on perceived ease of use
with regards to the use of emojis in digital advertising:
H2. Involvement has a positive effect on perceived ease of use due to emojis used in
digital marketing communications.
2.2.3 Involvement ! perceived usefulness. Involvement is an entity’s supposed significance
to an individual based on fundamental needs, norms, and advantages (Zhang et al., 2022).

PAGE 610 j YOUNG CONSUMERS j VOL. 25 NO. 5 2024

In an emoticon study, Jung et al. (2021) show that while using emoticons, perceived
acceptance or inclusion was found to have a positive influence on the perceived usefulness
of others. This is relevant to the current study because it considers nonverbal cues for
purchase intention among young adults and students. Furthermore, emoji are frequently
used by brands in marketing activities aimed at increasing customer involvement
(Cavalheiro et al., 2022). This study surmises that digital platform advertising that includes
emojis affects the level of involvement, which has an influence on perceived usefulness
among the members of Gen Z since they are involved and enjoy emojis:
H3. Involvement has a positive effect on perceived usefulness due to emojis used in
digital marketing communications.
2.2.4 Perceived ease of use ! perceived usefulness. Davis (1989) suggests that the
greater the ease of use of a technology, the greater the expected benefits in terms of
system performance enhancement. Al-Gasawneh et al. (2022) found that, in accordance
with TAM, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are important factors that can
predict consumer service usage. Kato et al. (2018) suggest that the ease of transmitting
emotions is the most frequently stated reason for the usefulness of emojis. Because the use
of emojis in digital advertisements is still in its early stages in this country, it is important to
investigate whether perceived ease of use influences perceived usefulness because of
emojis in digital advertisements:
H4. Perceived ease of use has a positive influence on perceived usefulness due to emojis
used in digital marketing communications.
2.2.5 Perceived ease of use ! customer engagement. Graphic emoticons are intended to
be more easily adopted in a mobile communication environment than text-based
emoticons. As a result, using an emoticon in a near-synchronous mode in mobile instant
messaging is likely to increase the emoticon’s perceived ease of use (Tseng and Hsieh,
2019). Emotional emojis boost consumer engagement by evoking more emotional
responses for aesthetic experience content, whereas semantic emojis boost consumer
engagement by generating more credibility for advertisement content (Wang et al., 2023).
Kang et al. (2020) proposed that perceived ease of use is related to customer engagement
and discovered that the effects of perceived ease of use and offline social contact on
consumer engagement on digital platforms are comparable. So, it is hypothesized:
H5. Perceived ease of use has a positive influence on customer engagement owing to
emojis used in digital marketing communications.
2.2.6 Trust ! customer engagement. Yang (2023) states that emojis can help to rebuild
customer trust, but more research on the various types of emojis and their varying levels of
effectiveness in rebuilding trust is needed. Similarly, emojis encourage customers to like
and share more tweets that contain one emoji (engagement), and the effect grows stronger
as the number of emojis increases (McShane et al., 2021). Islam and Rahman (2016)
propose that immersive engagement-centered marketing stimuli beyond simply exposing
consumers to advertisements increase engagement in marketing and may instill trust in
consumers. These findings are consistent with the current study because they demonstrate
the impact digital stimuli have when used correctly in digital marketing communications.
Accordingly, it is hypothesized:
H6. Trust has a positive influence on customer engagement owing to emojis used in
digital marketing communications.
2.2.7 Perceived usefulness ! customer engagement. The arguments advanced for
changing a technology from the previous one is likely to influence perceptions of the
technology’s usefulness (Amoako-Gyampah, 2007). While using graphic-based emoticons,
perceived acceptance and inclusion were found to have a positive influence on the
perceived usefulness of others (Jung et al., 2021). In addition, Pavalanathan and Eisenstein

VOL. 25 NO. 5 2024 j YOUNG CONSUMERS j PAGE 611

 (2016) proposed that graphic-based emoticons allow for more precise and faster
communication while requiring less effort than text-based emoticons. The use of emoticons
in digital and mobile communications improves their perceived usefulness (Lim et al.,
2011), so the use of emojis leads to engagement (McShane et al., 2021), which leads to the
following hypothesis:
H7. Perceived usefulness has a positive influence on customer engagement owing to
emojis used in digital marketing communications.
2.2.8 Involvement ! customer engagement. Sharma and Klein (2020) demonstrate that the
intention of consumers to engage in online shopping can be explained by their involvement.
Leso and Cortimiglia (2022) reveal that consumer involvement has a favorable impact on
behavioral intentions due to engagement with online information systems. Wang et al.
(2023) discovered that while semantic emoticons used in marketing communication
promotional content influence customer engagement through being credible, emotional
emojis utilized in marketing communication content enhance consumer engagement.
Cavalheiro et al. (2022) reveal that emojis are commonly used in marketing communications
that aim to improve consumer engagement and increase consumer involvement. Therefore,
it is hypothesized:
H8. Involvement has a positive influence on customer engagement owing to emojis used
in digital marketing communications.
2.2.9 Customer engagement ! intention to purchase. Casado-Molina et al. (2022)
discovered that customer service and care emoji communications, as well as those used in
positive contexts and for emphasis, were associated with higher user engagement.
Dmitrieva (2019) found that the presence of emojis has a positive effect on emotion and
purchase intention. As a result, emojis have been linked to increased user engagement
(Casado-Molina et al., 2022; Wang et al., 2023). The studies above show that emojis help
explain how organizations can convey messages to their targeted markets by using digital
media marketing as a tool to increase customer engagement and purchasing intention,
which is consistent with the current study’s hypothesis:
H9. Customer engagement has a positive effect on intention to purchase due to emojis in
digital marketing communications.
2.2.10 Trust ! intention to purchase. Yang (2023) investigated the various types and
frequencies of emojis and their effectiveness in rebuilding trust based on commercial
discourse; it was discovered that emojis would help rebuild customers’ trust. Distel et al.
(2022) reveal that the positive effect created by face emojis is associated with higher
purchase intentions. Several other studies show that trust is also important in determining
consumer purchasing intentions (Alkan et al., 2021; Bhattacharya et al., 2023). This study
hypothesizes that digital platform advertising (including emojis) affects trust, which has an
impact on engagement among the Gen Z cohort because they use and enjoy emojis:
H10. Trust has a positive influence on intention to purchase due to emojis used in digital
marketing communications.
2.2.11 Perceived ease of use ! intention to purchase. Kang et al. (2022) and Sawmong
(2022) indicate that stickers, which consist of emojis and emoticons, can be used as
effective marketing communication tools. Both of these studies confirm that purchase or
behavioral intentions were positively influenced by perceived ease of use due to the use of
emojis and emoticons (in the form of stickers). Some researchers found positive direct or
indirect relationships between perceived ease of use and behavioral and/or purchase
intentions in e-commerce and technology usage (Purwanto et al., 2020; Al-Gasawneh et al.,
2022). Since emoji use in digital marketing communication is still relatively new in this
developing nation, it is critical to examine whether young consumers’ intention to purchase
is influenced by the perceived ease of use of emojis in this form of digital advertising:

PAGE 612 j YOUNG CONSUMERS j VOL. 25 NO. 5 2024

 H11. Perceived ease of use has a positive influence on intention to purchase owing to
emojis used in digital marketing communications.
2.2.12 Perceived usefulness ! intention to purchase. Jung et al. (2021) ascertain that
emoticons do not have a significant influence on the perceived usefulness and purchase
intention relationship among young consumers. Sawmong (2022) also did not find a
significant relationship between perceived usefulness and behavioral intentions due to the
use of emojis and emoticons (in the form of paid stickers). However, Al-Maroof et al. (2019)
and Kang et al. (2022) verify that perceived usefulness favorably impacted behavioral or
purchase intentions due to stickers (emojis and emoticons). Other studies relating to online
purchases and digital usage also suggested positive direct or indirect associations
between perceived usefulness and purchase and/or behavioral intentions (Bravo et al.,
2021; Al-Gasawneh et al., 2022; Leso and Cortimiglia, 2022), which leads to the following
hypothesis:
H12. Perceived usefulness has a positive influence on intention to purchase owing to
emojis used in digital marketing communications.

3. Methodology
This study employs quantitative research because it entails gathering and generalizing
numerical data from a group of people, and the study’s goal is to assess the perceptions
and behaviors of the Gen Z cohort. Saunders et al. (2007) explain that descriptive analysis
is a methodology used only to describe (as closely as possible) the actual hypotheses, so
this design was applied to this study. The study’s population includes all members of the
Gen Z cohort in South Africa. Purposive sampling (also known as judgmental sampling)
allows the researcher to use his or her discretion in selecting respondents who will best be
able to answer the study’s research questions. Hence, members of the Gen Z cohort and
only those who use digital platforms that include emojis were purposively selected at the
first stage of sampling. The snowball sampling technique is aimed at testing groups that are
difficult to access or reach (Saunders et al., 2007), for example, members of Gen Z. Hence,
the Gen Z respondents, who were purposively selected at the Cape Peninsula University of
Technology, were requested to pass on the electronic questionnaire link (Google Forms) to
their contacts in South Africa who could serve as other possible respondents as the second
stage of sampling. Consequently, the sample included high school learners, young working
professionals, unemployed young adults, and young people from varying socio-economic
status communities to ensure a diverse sample that was not only limited to students.
The self-administered electronic questionnaire format was largely adopted from Bliss-
Carroll (2016) and Zareen et al. (2017), which consisted of the screening question, digital
platform usage, and demographic factors (in the form of closed-ended multiple-choice
questions). The Likert scale questions measured consumer attitudes and level of
engagement with the emoji-integrated communications, which comprised a five-point Likert
scale. The various consumer attitude constructs were adapted from several studies, namely
trust (Mallat et al., 2008; Islam and Rahman, 2016); involvement (Zaichkowsky, 1985; Kim
and Hahn, 2015); perceived ease of use (Venkatesh and Davis, 2000; Mallat et al., 2008);
perceived usefulness (Venkatesh and Davis, 2000; Mallat et al., 2008); customer
engagement (Islam and Rahman, 2016; Sahoo and Pillai, 2017); and intention to purchase
(Duffett, 2015; Starr, 2021). The Google Form was sent out in the form of a link, which was
forwarded on various digital platforms that included WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, SMS
(Short Message Service), and email (snowball sampling). The survey achieved a usable
sample of 1,000 respondent questionnaires from the South African Gen Z cohort. SPSS was
used to conduct confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) as well as to assess the reliability and
validity measures, which are outlined in the subsequent section. Gaskin’s (2022) procedure
was followed to develop the casual model using AMOS, and structural equation modeling

VOL. 25 NO. 5 2024 j YOUNG CONSUMERS j PAGE 613

 (SEM) was employed to evaluate the hypothesized emoji digital marketing communication
associations among the Gen Z cohort.

4. Findings
The main results of Gen Z’s online and emoji usage factors were: an overwhelming majority
always or often used emojis (87.4%), a slight majority always or often engaged with emoji
brand messages (50.6%), a vast majority spent more than 3 hours per day (67.8%), and a
vast majority’s digital spending was ZAR 251–ZAR 1,000 per month. The main demographic
factors of the sample were: gender was relatively evenly distributed (male 50.8% and female
49.2%), a vast majority were aged 21–25 years (73.1%), and 26.9% were 16–20 years, and
population group (Black 56.8%, Mixed Ancestry 29.0%, and White 10.5%).
The CFA resulted in six factors (components) with eigenvalues greater than one and an
explained variance of 14.838%, 1.996%, 1.453%, 1.238%, 1.108%, and 1.010%, respectively.
The total sum of the factors explained 83.246% of the variance, which indicates a very high
and satisfactory level of correlation in the factor analysis. The factor loadings and AVE values
derived from the CFA were above 0.7, thereby exceeding the threshold of 0.5, and so reflect
convergent reliability (see Table 1). This research study’s Cronbach’s a and CR values ranged
from 0.928 to 0.957 and 0.925 to 0.954, respectively, indicating strong internal consistency
since the values exceeded the threshold of 0.7 (see Table 1). The construct mean values were
all above 3.80, which indicated a general positive sentiment toward emoji marketing
communications across the Generation Z attitude responses.
Table 2 shows the square root value of each attitudinal AVE and the standard value of
correlations between the scales. Discriminant validity was evident since the square root
AVE values for each construct were found to be greater than the correlations of the
constructs.
The heterotrait-monotrait ratio values were less than 0.85 (see Table 3), which reflects
discriminant validity (Henseler et al., 2015).
The constrained-unconstrained common method factor (CMF) models were evaluated
using a common method bias (CMB) measure. A chi-square difference of p < 0.001 was
found, indicating a considerable shared variance between the constrained and
unconstrained CMF models. As a result, the unconstrained CMF model was inferred and
employed for statistical analysis. The goodness-of-fit measures revealed a satisfactory SEM
model fit, which was verified by Khan et al.’s (2019) acceptable threshold measures: x2/df ¼
1.943; RMSEA ¼ 0.031; NFI ¼ 0.988; TLI/NNFI ¼ 0.991; CFI ¼ 0.994; GFI ¼ 0.974; and
SRMR ¼ 0.014. The constrained-unconstrained common method factor (CMF) models were
evaluated using a common method bias (CMB) measure.
Table 4 and Figure 1 show that standardized path b coefficients exhibited a positive
relationship in terms of trust ! involvement (b ¼ 0.755, p < 0.001), involvement !
perceived ease of use (b ¼ 0.644, p < 0.001), and involvement ! perceived usefulness
(b ¼ 0.408, p < 0.001), so H1–H3 were supported. A positive relationship was shown by
perceived ease of use ! perceived usefulness (b ¼ 0.468, p < 0.001), so H4 was
supported. The standardized path b coefficients exhibited positive relationships in terms of
perceived ease of use ! customer engagement (b ¼ 0.570, p < 0.001), trust ! customer
engagement (b ¼ 0.269, p < 0.001), perceived usefulness ! customer engagement
(b ¼ 0.067, p < 0.05), so H5–H7 were supported and confirmed. Positive relationships were
also displayed by involvement ! customer engagement (b ¼ 0.172, p < 0.001), customer
engagement ! intention to purchase (b ¼ 0.225, p < 0.001), and trust ! intention to
purchase (b ¼ 0.515, p < 0.001), so H8–H10 were supported. A negative relationship was
shown by perceived ease of use ! intention to purchase (b ¼ 0.468, p < 0.001), so H11
was rejected. Lastly, a positive relationship was shown by perceived usefulness ! intention
to purchase (b ¼ 0.219, p < 0.001), so H12 was supported.

PAGE 614 j YOUNG CONSUMERS j VOL. 25 NO. 5 2024

 Table 1 Reliability and validity constructs
Constructs Items FL M SD AVE CR Cronbach’s a

Trust (TR) Marketing communications with emojis are credible 0.815 3.88 1.023 0.823 0.949 0.951
Mallat et al. (2008), Islam Marketing communications with emojis are trustworthy and secure 0.950
and Rahman (2016) I can trust brands that use emojis 0.922
Emojis are reliable when used by brands and products 0.894
Involvement (INV) Marketing communications with emojis are interesting to me 0.921 3.86 1.037 0.837 0.939 0.938
Zaichkowsky (1985), Kim My level of interest with brands and products is high, which include 0.906
and Hahn (2015) emojis
I am very involved with the use of emojis to convey meaning by 0.895
brands
Perceived ease of use Emojis in digital platforms are easy to use 0.805 4.05 0.914 0.756 0.925 0.928
(PEOU) Venkatesh and The use of emojis in brand digital platforms are easy to interpret 0.809
Davis (2000), Mallat et al. Brands can easily use/include emojis every time they text and/or 0.813
(2008) post
Viewing emojis that are used by brands requires minimal effort 0.801
Perceived usefulness (PU) Emojis improve the meaning of the message from brands and 0.864 3.99 0.944 0.769 0.930 0.933
Venkatesh and Davis products
(2000), Mallat et al. (2008) Emojis in marketing communications are convenient 0.849
Emojis in marketing communications improve efficiency 0.817
Marketing communications with emojis provide relevant information 0.736
Customer engagement (CE) I can engage with brands that use emojis anytime 0.773 3.95 1.014 0.781 0.935 0.938
engagement Islam and I always respond to the marketing communications, which include 0.809
Rahman (2016), Sahoo and emojis
Pillai (2017) Emojis effectively influence my level of online engagement with 0.796
brands
Emojis are engaging when used by brands and products 0.803
Intention to purchase (ITP) Marketing communications with emojis increase purchase intent of 0.874 3.81 1.040 0.838 0.954 0.957
Duffett (2015), Starr (2021) featured products
Emojis usage by brands and products have a positive impact on my 0.953
purchase decisions

VOL. 25 NO. 5 2024

I will use marketing communications with emojis to purchase a 0.971
featured product
I will use marketing communications with emojis to buy online 0.967
Source: Authors own work

j YOUNG CONSUMERS j PAGE 615

 Table 2 Component correlation matrix
Constructs CE PEOU PU TR INV ITB

Customer engagement 0.884

Perceived ease of use 0.411 0.869
Perceived usefulness 0.545 0.538 0.877
Trust 0.584 0.523 0.627 0.907
Involvement 0.478 0.533 0.601 0.593 0.915
Intention to purchase 0.646 0.433 0.635 0.643 0.556 0.915
Note: The diagonals show square root of AVE and the other data signify the correlations
Source: Authors own work

Table 3 Heterotrait-monotrait ratio

Constructs CE PEOU PU TR INV ITB

Customer engagement
Perceived ease of use 0.630
Perceived usefulness 0.627 0.735
Trust 0.685 0.628 0.709
Involvement 0.692 0.660 0.673 0.711
Intention to purchase 0.641 0.562 0.510 0.587 0.624
Note: Discriminant validity is affirmed when the heterotrait-monotrait ratio is < 0.85 (Henseler et al., 2015)
Source: Authors own work

Table 4 Hypotheses results

Hypotheses Relationships b p-values T-statistics Results

H1 Trust ! involvement 0.755 < 0.001  36.413 Supported

H2 Involvement ! perceived ease of use 0.644 < 0.001  26.604 Supported
H3 Involvement ! perceived usefulness 0.408 < 0.001  16.287 Supported
H4 Perceived ease of use ! perceived usefulness 0.468 < 0.001  18.683 Supported
H5 Perceived ease of use ! customer engagement 0.570 < 0.001  19.822 Supported
H6 Trust ! customer engagement 0.269 < 0.001  11.596 Supported
H7 Perceived usefulness ! customer engagement 0.067 < 0.05 2.264 Supported
H8 Involvement ! customer engagement 0.172 < 0.001  4.936 Supported
H9 Customer engagement ! intention to purchase 0.225 < 0.001  7.807 Supported
H10 Trust ! intention to purchase 0.515 < 0.001  17.841 Supported
H11 Perceived ease of use ! intention to purchase 0.194 < 0.001  –4.756 Rejected
H12 Perceived usefulness ! intention to purchase 0.219 < 0.001  6.155 Supported

Notes:  p-values are significant at confidence level of 1% level;  p-value is significant at confidence level of 5%
Source: Authors own work

SEM was utilized to consider the hypothesized emoji digital marketing communication
attitudinal relationships. Trust explained 57.0% of the involvement variance; involvement
explained 41.5% of the perceived ease of use variance; involvement and perceived ease of
use explained 63.2% of the perceived usefulness variance; perceived usefulness,
perceived ease of use, and trust explained 65.1% of the customer engagement variance;
trust and customer engagement explained 46.7% of the perceived intention to purchase
variance. The significance, standardized path beta (b) coefficients, and total explained
variance are exhibited in Figure 1.

5. Discussion and conclusions

There was a significant difference between the respondents in that emojis in digital
marketing communications resulted in a positive trust and involvement relationship.

PAGE 616 j YOUNG CONSUMERS j VOL. 25 NO. 5 2024

 Figure 1 Emojis in digital marketing communications estimated model

Research has established parallel interactions between trust and involvement among the
Gen Z cohort (Zhang et al., 2021). Customers who trust a brand are more likely to be
involved with the brand’s emoji-based digital marketing communications. Emojis make a
message easier to interpret and can be useful as an effective marketing technique to
develop a strong young customer base. The above-mentioned findings found a positive
relationship between involvement and perceived ease of use and therefore substantiate that
emoji usage in digital marketing communications led to positive attitudes. Research
confirms the findings of the current study, in other words, that involvement is related to
perceived ease of use in digital marketing communications (Liebeskind et al., 2021).
Hence, it can be concluded that emoji digital marketing communications are understood
and favorably perceived by Gen Z consumers. The study found a positive relationship that
was significant between involvement and perceived usefulness due to emoji digital
marketing communications. The Gen Z cohort is accustomed to the use of emojis, and they
prefer emojis to words since emojis express content variety in a straightforward way, which
enhances their involvement and perceived usefulness among the cohort. Jung et al. (2021)
reveal that involvement has an association with perceived usefulness. Emojis in digital
marketing communications resulted in a positive relationship between perceived ease of
use and perceived usefulness. Cavalheiro et al. (2022) found that participants who reported
that they used emoji frequently also thought emojis were useful and easy to use.
There was a positive relationship that was significant in terms of perceived ease of use and
customer engagement among the Gen Z cohort when emojis were used in digital marketing
communications. Other research agreed that perceived usefulness was related to customer
engagement (Kang et al., 2020; McShane et al., 2021). Emojis in digital marketing
communications are useful because they evoke consumer emotions and encourage consumers
to express themselves; further, it has been found that emojis convey that the transmitted
messages of campaigns are informative and effective, making them attractive, creative, and
innovative (Ko et al., 2022), which was corroborated by this study. The use of emojis in digital

VOL. 25 NO. 5 2024 j YOUNG CONSUMERS j PAGE 617

 marketing communications resulted in a positive relationship that was significant in terms of trust
and customer engagement. Research corroborates the findings of the current study (Casado-
Molina et al., 2022). Emojis are recognized as a vital, easy-to-implement tool that managers can
strategically use in this ever-changing technology. Hence, it is critical that brands pay close
attention to how they can use emojis to attract customers and engage them while building trust.
The use of emojis in digital marketing communications resulted in a positive perceived
usefulness and customer engagement association. Research showed that perceived usefulness
is related to customer engagement (McShane et al., 2021). Emojis can be misinterpreted
sometimes, but with the correct usage and in the right context, they may lead to customer
engagement due to the perceived usefulness of the marketing communications, which was
confirmed by this study.
The research showed a positive relationship that was significant between involvement and
customer engagement due to emoji digital marketing communications. Cavalheiro et al. (2022)
confirm that emojis are frequently utilized in marketing communications with the goal of
enhancing consumer involvement and boosting customer engagement. Hence, the
incorporation of emojis in various digital promotional contexts stimulates more positive emotions
and creates positive attitudes towards digital marketing communications in terms of increased
customer engagement and intention to purchase, which is substantiated by this study’s results
and Sawmong’s (2022) research. Emojis in digital marketing communications resulted in a
positive relationship in terms of trust and intention to purchase. Young consumers are more
likely to buy a product if the advertisement contains emoji, since the more positive the
perception of the advertisement, the greater its influence on consumers (Dmitrieva, 2019).
Several investigations found comparable relationships between trust and intention to purchase
in emoji digital marketing communications (Ma and Wang, 2021; Starr, 2021). This study
concluded that the use of emojis in brand communication on digital media can increase
customer trust and intention to purchase among young customers.
A significant negative association was shown between perceived ease of use and intention
to purchase among the Gen Z cohort when emojis were used in digital marketing
communications, which is divergent from the results of other studies. Emojis and emoticons
found in stickers can be used as powerful marketing communication tools and were to
positively influence the perceived ease of use and behavioral intentions or purchase
intentions relationships (Kang et al., 2022; Sawmong, 2022). The divergent result could
possibly be explained by the fact that the aforementioned studies considered multiple
cohorts (and did not specifically target Gen Z); eastern countries (South Korea and
Thailand, respectively) versus an African nation viewpoint; and mainly focused on
personality traits (as opposed to explicitly digital marketing communications). The study
yielded a significant positive relationship between perceived usefulness and intention to
purchase due to emoji digital marketing communications, which is confirmed by several
other studies that investigated the relationship in terms of emoji and emoticon stickers
(Al-Maroof et al., 2019; Kang et al., 2022). This study provides significant theoretical and
practical implications, which contribute to the knowledge of the extended TAM, digital
marketing, and the usage of emojis in digital marketing communications in South Africa,
which will be detailed in the ensuing section.

6. Theoretical and managerial implications

6.1 Theoretical implications
From a scientific point of view, this study contributes to the developing field of emoji and
digital marketing research by providing new insights and a better understanding of the
attitudes towards and usage of emojis in the context of digital marketing among young
consumers. First, in parallel with prior research, the findings of this study show that the use
of emojis in digital marketing communications led to customer engagement and intention to
purchase (Dmitrieva, 2019; Baek et al., 2022; Cavalheiro et al., 2022). This means that the

PAGE 618 j YOUNG CONSUMERS j VOL. 25 NO. 5 2024

use of emojis in digital media platforms by brands positively influences customer
engagement and intention to purchase.
Second, this study also extends prior research on the TAM, which was developed as an
instrument to determine information technology acceptance, to explain young consumers’
voluntary usage of emojis in digital marketing platforms (Purwanto et al., 2020; Kang et al.,
2022; Sawmong, 2022). Unlike the traditional TAM, this study considered emoji usage in digital
marketing communications by integrating involvement, trust, perceived usefulness, perceived
ease of use, customer engagement, and intention to purchase, thus extending the TAM. The
study results produced various positive associations between the above-mentioned variables,
viz. trust and involvement; involvement and the perceived ease of use; involvement and
perceived usefulness; perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness; trust and customer
engagement; perceived usefulness and customer engagement; involvement and customer
engagement; customer engagement and intention to purchase; trust and intention to purchase;
and perceived usefulness and intention to purchase, respectively, to form a new TAM in relation
to emojis used in digital marketing communications. The one exception was a negative
relationship between perceived ease of use and intention to purchase. These results highlight
the fact that involving emojis in digital marketing communications is useful as they can be
interesting and involve young consumers, as well as changing their perceptions and attitudes
towards digital marketing communications. The findings add to our knowledge of the customer
buying process; emojis are safe to use, and they stimulate interest in marketing
communications. These findings contribute to the growing literature on the usage of emojis in
digital marketing communications and their ability to increase efficiency. Emojis play an
important role in attracting attention, stimulating interactions, and improving the consumer
experience as well as intent to purchase (Das et al., 2019; Cavalheiro et al., 2022). It is possible
to increase customer engagement and intention to purchase by including emoji in brand
communications on digital media because doing so makes organizations appear more playful,
which leads to increased customer engagement and intention to purchase (Dmitrieva, 2019;
Smits, 2021). Hence, the current study provided a significant addition to the TAM theory in the
field of advertising and Gen Z cohort research that emoji usage in digital marketing
communications positively influences various associations between trust, involvement,
perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness, which ultimately has a favorable influence on
customer engagement and intention to purchase among Gen Z consumers.

6.2 Managerial implications

Organizations and brands should take this digital language seriously because the use of
emojis in digital media marketing communications has numerous advantages for
advertisers. First, emojis appeal to the emotional side and trust of the consumer, creating a
safe space for a consumer to engage with what they relate to. Thus, brands should focus on
using more emojis in their digital marketing communications to create emotional
connections with younger consumers, as this is important for a brand message to reflect
their brand image. Emojis may influence this brand image in a positive way in the long run,
and they are beneficial for building trust, involvement, and forging lasting relationships with
younger consumers. Second, emojis allow brands to personalize the message they want to
convey to their target audience. According to the findings of this study, Gen Z uses emojis
every time they go online because they are used to them. With their short attention span,
emojis help hold that attention while communicating a message before their next scroll. By
adding emojis to digital marketing communications, brands could create appealing and
involving content, which could result in an increase in customer engagement and intention
to purchase. Third, emojis are useful, easy to use, involving, and considered trustworthy
(Das et al., 2019; McShane et al., 2021), as corroborated by the findings of this study. Given
the ability of emojis to attract attention, stimulate interest, and intensify a brand’s emotional

VOL. 25 NO. 5 2024 j YOUNG CONSUMERS j PAGE 619

 expression, organizations should use them, but keep in mind that emoji effects can vary
depending on their fit (Wang et al., 2023).
The current study found some significant results that brands should take note of when targeting
younger consumers (members of Gen Z) on digital platforms to enhance customer
engagement and intention to purchase. When utilizing emojis in digital marketing
communications, brands should ensure that they are easy to use and interpret and can be
used at any time with minimal effort (perceived ease of use). These can be used by brands in
emails to add a bit of color or personality; emojis can intensify a message, improve efficiency,
and provide relevant information; and they are perceived as credible, trustworthy, and secure
(trust). Emojis humanize a brand, which may make younger customers feel more connected to
the brand and as if they are interacting with a person their own age. Emojis are interesting to a
younger customer regarding the message and products offered on digital platforms
(involvement), especially when brands share content using emojis that invite younger
customers to share their thoughts, which will facilitate favorable customer engagement and
intention to purchase. Brands should also ensure that emojis lead young customers to react,
share, and respond to the brand message (customer engagement). Brands could increase
engagement by inviting younger customers to interact with a brand’s posts in creative and
entertaining ways by using emojis, which could have a positive impact on younger customers’
purchase decisions. Brands could create customized emojis that can be used to purchase
products by the younger generation, which could facilitate sustainable relationships, customer
satisfaction, customer engagement, and increased purchase intentions and sales.

6.3 Limitations and future research

This research includes several limitations. First, this study specifically measured engagement
and intention to purchase attitudes. However, it is possible that customer reactions may differ,
and there are differences in what respondents report when completing a survey, which limits
their responses. A qualitative study could be conducted to allow respondents to respond
more extensively, and researchers could investigate a broader range of variables that can
influence young consumers’ perceptions of the use of emojis in digital media marketing.
Second, the research sample included the Gen Z cohort but only focused on those aged
16–25 years, whereas future research should focus on the younger Gen Z (10–15 years) cohort
members and different cohorts. This may aid in determining the impact of emoji marketing on
the group that is not yet legally permitted to handle their own digital purchases. Third, this
study is an initial attempt at conducting an empirical study of consumer engagement and
intention to purchase in response to marketing communications that used emojis on various
digital platforms. Future research directions could include testing emoji use in various
advertising contexts, such as electronic word-of-mouth and influencer marketing, to determine
whether customers engage because of the person who shared the content or because of the
emoji usage. Lastly, the study sampled South African Gen Z respondents whose attitudes and
behaviors may differ from those of global Gen Z members, particularly those from developed
countries and also from other developing countries (Axcell and Ellis, 2023). These main
distinctions could include inequities in education, unemployment, size of population,
disposable income, and social class divides (Duffett, 2017). Therefore, future research might
focus on other parts of the world to gain a broader geographical and cultural perspective on
emoji usage and adoption from an international perspective.

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About the authors

Rodney Graeme Duffett is an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Cape Peninsula
University of Technology in Cape Town. He holds a DTech in marketing and has been
teaching marketing communication-related courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate
levels for 25 years. His main research interests relate to any form of digital interactive, social
media, and marketing communications. A selection of his academic work can be found at
www.researchgate.net/profile/Rodney_Duffett. Rodney Graeme Duffett is the corresponding
author and can be contacted at: duffetr@cput.ac.za

Ms Mihlali Maraule holds a Master of Marketing degree in Marketing from the Faculty of
Business and Management Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape
Town, South Africa. She is employed in the Omni Marketing Department and works in the
Sports Department. Mihlali is passionate about digital content, marketing, and advertising,
as well as studying consumer behavior and attitudes, which also form the basis of her
research.

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