Cognitive-affective dichotomy in social media commerce: The moderating role of trust in TikTok platform

This study aims to explore the influence of cognitive and affective components of short-form videos on consumers’ online purchase intention on TikTok. It also examines the mediating and moderating effects of trust on the TikTok platform. The proposed research framework includes subjective norms, video characteristics, and attitude as cognitive constructs; likewise, perceived behavioral control and trust in the TikTok platform as affective constructs. The study used a survey design, and data were collected from 353 Malaysians via an online questionnaire. The data analysis involved structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 4. The results indicate direct and mediating effects of attitude, video characteristics, and subjective norms on purchase intention, with perceived behavioral control and trust in the TikTok platform as mediators. The study also provides novel findings on the moderating impact of trust in the TikTok platform on purchase intention. The current study addresses a pertinent gap by identifying the influence of cognitive and affective factors on online purchase intention. It also provides new knowledge on the TikTok platform’s trust and its intervening impact on purchase intention. The conjoint research model draws on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the stimulus–organism–response (SOR) framework, a novel approach to studying the TikTok platform.