Do Millennials Believe in Food Vlogger Reviews? A Study of Food Vlogs as a Source of Information

Abstract

Objective – Developments in communication technology and social media have enabled business to enter the digital world. This can come in the form of ‘vlogs’ or ‘video blogs’ designed by ‘vloggers’ or ‘video bloggers’ to present interesting content and concepts. Food vlogs provide detailed information or explanations about the food vloggers have tried and evaluated, in an interesting video format that shows how the seller prepares the food and serves it up, and how it is consumed. The completed video is uploaded to an online channel. Many Indonesian vloggers make use of YouTube to feature their culinary activities. Their vlogs have attracted a huge audience of people looking to enjoy the latest trends in cuisine. To research the determinants of intention to use food vlogger reviews in purchase decisions, the technology acceptance model (TAM) was used to investigate the post-adoption behaviour of Indonesian Millennials in relation to online food vlogger reviews. The existence of links among the perceived benefit of online food vlogger reviews, the usefulness of mobile apps and perceived enjoyment has not been a topic of research to date. Methodology/Technique – This research uses a purposive sampling technique to select 330 Millennials who have a YouTube application, subscribers to food vlogger channels, and had bought local street food at least once after seeing a food vlogger review. The data of this study employs a path analysis with SPSS 25.0 and Smart-PLS 3. Findings – The results indicate strong positive effects of the perceived benefit of online food vlogger reviews towards purchase intentions, mobile app usefulness and perceived enjoyment in descending order of effect. Novelty - Our study has several contributions, including adding insight into the process from before consumers make a purchase; when they find all the information about street food from YouTube; then their interest in buying is generated; and finally, they purchase the food and drinks they have chosen. They can also be reassured that, despite this all happening amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, they need not worry because the seller is adhering to the procedures established by the Government. Type of Paper: Empirical. JEL Classification: M31, M37, M9. Keywords: Perceived Benefit; Mobile App Usefulness; Perceived Enjoyment; Attitude; Intention to Use Food Vlogger Reviews; YouTube; Millennial. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Briliana, V; Ruswidiono, W; Deitiana, T. 2020. Do Millennials believe in food vlogger reviews? A study of food vlogs as a source of information, J. Mgt. Mkt. Review 5(3) 170 – 178. https://doi.org/10.35609/jmmr.2020.5.3(5)

How Social Media are Successfully Transforming the Marketing of Local Street Food to Better Serve the Constantly-Connected Digital Consumer

“…The results of research by [4] revealed that attitude is a reaction or response from Millennials to food vlogger reviews on YouTube platform, which then prompt the individual behavior to buy. Attitudes are formed when a person evaluates an object or idea as favorable or unfavorable, and then develops emotional feelings and tendencies to take action regarding it [9].…”

“…Furthermore, the attitudes towards online reviews are the result of evaluating product or service attributes that are identified and felt, and the result is in consumers ultimately making a purchase decision. The results of previous research found that active consumers on social media, who have the same interests, often discuss and share experiences when considering purchasing decisions in relation to traveling solo [10] [11] [12], food vloggers [4], beauty vloggers [3], and information sources in the hospitality industry [13].…”

“…The use of mobile applications greatly impacts the tourists traveling alone and requires as much information as possible, such as location, restaurant operating hours, prices, delivery services and so on [11] [15]. Recent research by [4] revealed that Millennials are looking for information about street food on YouTube, searching for and finding street food locations with the mobile application as a tool that is easy to use. Nowadays, more and more people understand how to use the required application so that it satisfies their needs, which in turn leads to a positive attitude towards doing this [4] [14] [16].…”

“…Recent research by [4] revealed that Millennials are looking for information about street food on YouTube, searching for and finding street food locations with the mobile application as a tool that is easy to use. Nowadays, more and more people understand how to use the required application so that it satisfies their needs, which in turn leads to a positive attitude towards doing this [4] [14] [16]. According to [17], historical nostalgia relates to the memory structures shared, inherited, and even built by a group or society.…”

“…Although there is an increasing number of studies about the effects of vlogging on consumers, previous research has focused on the driving factors that influence consumer behavior. The focus has been on the results of reviews, using social media such as online communities and travel reviews [2], YouTube platforms including beauty vloggers [3] and food vloggers [4], tourism destination choices made using Instagram platforms [5], and perceptions of the credibility of the vloggers involved [6]. However, according to the author's knowledge, there is limited research that analyzes the effect on Millennial attitudes towards online food vlogger reviews, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”