Unlocking impulsive travel decisions through short video platforms: The empirical study from Generation Z

Short video platforms are growing rapidly, and users often use them to get an overview before deciding. Short videos are a unique tool for tourist marketing because of the growing amount of content on tourism, which is believed to significantly impact information dissemination and travel decision-making (Li & Hayes, 2024). Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to examine the factors that influence Generation Z’s impulsive travel decisions by watching short videos. 280 individuals with prior experience with brief videos were recruited using judgmental sampling for data collection. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data. The results emphasize the importance of social factors and the quality of brief videos in influencing impulsive travel behaviors through affective reactions. On the one hand, the study results are expected to assist tourism businesses in developing strategies for improving the quality of their short videos to capture the attention of travelers. On the other hand, this discovery augments the comprehension of travelers’ behavior by examining the roles of social factors, affective reactions, impulsive travel, and the quality of brief videos.