JBPD

Article Details

Vol. 5 No. 2 (2026): January

Articles

Brand Trust as a Mediator of Digital Marketing Effects on Travel Service Purchase Decisions in Batam

M Maryanti Maryanti B Bambang Satriawan N Nolla Puspita Dewi
22 January 2026 Vol. 5 No. 2 (2026): January https://doi.org/10.35912/jbpd.v5i2.7268
Abstract
22 Jan 2026

Purpose: This study examines the effects of social media advertising, influencer marketing, website quality, and Electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM) on travel-service purchase decisions, with brand trust as a mediator.
Methodology: An explanatory survey was conducted among 150 users of 18 travel agencies in Batam, Indonesia, selected through proportional allocation and purposive screening based on prior service use and digital-channel exposure. Data were collected using Likert scales and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.1.1.
Results: All four digital marketing dimensions positively and significantly affected brand trust. Advertising and influencer marketing also had significant direct effects on purchase decisions, while website quality and e-WOM did not. Brand trust was the strongest direct predictor of purchase decisions (? = 0.539) and mediated all four relationships, complementarily for advertising and influencer marketing and indirectly for website quality and e-WOM. The model explained 72.3% of the variance in brand trust and 72.9% in purchase decisions.
Conclusions: Digital touchpoints operate through different conversion mechanisms. Paid and endorsed channels influence purchases directly, whereas owned and earned channels primarily build trust before purchase.
Limitations: The cross-sectional design, self-reported data, single-city setting, and exclusion of situational or behavioral data limit generalizability.
Contributions: This study integrates four heterogeneous digital touchpoints, namely paid, endorsed, owned, and earned media, within one mediation framework, demonstrating differences in both effect size and mediation type.

Keywords: Brand Trust Digital Marketing E-WOM Influencer Marketing Purchase Decision
How to Cite
“
Maryanti, M., Satriawan, B. ., & Dewi, N. P. . (2026). Brand Trust as a Mediator of Digital Marketing Effects on Travel Service Purchase Decisions in Batam. Jurnal Bisnis Dan Pemasaran Digital, 5(2), 53–66. https://doi.org/10.35912/jbpd.v5i2.7268
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX
References
  1. Abubakar, A. (2016). Does eWOM influence destination trust and travel intention: A medical tourism perspective. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 29(1), 598-611. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2016.1189841
  2. Akhi, M. T. J., Sarker, M. A. H., & Fakir, M. K. J. (2023). Factors' influence of e-WOM on travel intentions of tourists: A study on tourist places located in Bangladesh. Journal of Sustainable Tourism and Entrepreneurship, 4(3), 223-239. https://doi.org/10.35912/joste.v4i3.2183
  3. Alalwan, A. A. (2018). Investigating the impact of social media advertising features on customer purchase intention. International Journal of Information Management, 42, 65-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.06.001
  4. Ali, F. (2016). Hotel website quality, perceived flow, customer satisfaction and purchase intention. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 7(2), 213-228. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-02-2016-0010
  5. Azhar, M., Husain, R., Hamid, S., & Rahman, M. N. (2023). Effect of social media marketing on online travel purchase behavior post-COVID-19: Mediating role of brand trust and brand loyalty. Future Business Journal, 9(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-023-00192-6
  6. Badan Pusat Statistik Kota Batam. (2026, February 3). Ekspor dan pariwisata Batam melonjak signifikan di akhir. (2025). Badan Pusat Statistik Kota Batam.
  7. Barnes, S. J., & Vidgen, R. T. (2002). An integrative approach to the assessment of e-commerce quality. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, 3(3), 114-127.
  8. Belanche, D., Casaló, L. V., Flavián, M., & Ibáñez-Sánchez, S. (2021). Understanding influencer marketing: The role of congruence between influencers, products and consumers. Journal of Business Research, 132, 186-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.03.067
  9. Buhalis, D., & Sinarta, Y. (2019). Real-time co-creation and nowness service: Lessons from tourism and hospitality. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 36(5), 563-582. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2019.1592059
  10. Chaffey, D., & Ellis-Chadwick, F. (2019). Digital marketing: Strategy, implementation and practice (7th ed.).
  11. Cheung, C. M. K., & Thadani, D. R. (2012). The impact of electronic word-of-mouth communication: A literature analysis and integrative model. Decision Support Systems, 54(1), 461-470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2012.06.008
  12. Dao, W. V.-T., Le, A. N. H., Cheng, J. M.-S., & Chen, D. C. (2014). Social media advertising value: The case of transitional economies in Southeast Asia. International Journal of Advertising, 33(2), 271-294. https://doi.org/10.2501/IJA-33-2-271-294
  13. De Veirman, M., Cauberghe, V., & Hudders, L. (2017). Marketing through Instagram influencers: The impact of number of followers and product divergence on brand attitude. International Journal of Advertising, 36(5), 798-828. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2017.1348035
  14. Delgado-Ballester, E., & Munuera-Alemán, J. L. (2001). Brand trust in the context of consumer loyalty. European Journal of Marketing, 35(11/12), 1238-1258. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000006475
  15. DeLone, W. H., & McLean, E. R. (2003). The DeLone and McLean model of information systems success: A ten-year update. Journal of Management Information Systems, 19(4), 9-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2003.11045748
  16. Djafarova, E., & Rushworth, C. (2017). Exploring the credibility of online celebrities' Instagram profiles in influencing the purchase decisions of young female users. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.009
  17. Dwivedi, Y. K., Ismagilova, E., Hughes, D. L., Carlson, J., Filieri, R., Jacobson, J., Jain, V., Karjaluoto, H., Kefi, H., Krishen, A. S., Kumar, V., Rahman, M. M., Raman, R., Rauschnabel, P. A., Rowley, J., Salo, J., Tran, G. A., & Wang, Y. (2021). Setting the future of digital and social media marketing research: Perspectives and research propositions. International Journal of Information Management, 59, 102168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102168
  18. Ebrahim, R. S. (2020). The role of trust in understanding the impact of social media marketing on brand equity and brand loyalty. Journal of Relationship Marketing, 19(4), 287-308. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332667.2019.1705742
  19. Erkan, I., & Evans, C. (2016). The influence of eWOM in social media on consumers' purchase intentions: An extended approach to information adoption. Computers in Human Behavior, 61, 47-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.003
  20. Etikan, I., Musa, S. A., & Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20160501.11
  21. Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention and behavior: An introduction to theory and research. Addison-Wesley.
  22. Flavián, C., Guinalíu, M., & Gurrea, R. (2006). The role played by perceived usability, satisfaction
  23. and consumer trust on website loyalty. Information & Management, 43(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2005.01.002
  24. Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
  25. Huete-Alcocer, N. (2017). A literature review of word of mouth and electronic word of mouth: Implications for consumer behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1256. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01256
  26. Husain, R., Ahmad, A., & Khan, B. M. (2022). The impact of brand equity, status consumption, and brand trust on purchase intention of luxury brands. Cogent Business & Management, 9(1). https:// doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2022.2034234
  27. Ismagilova, E., Slade, E. L., Rana, N. P., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2020). The effect of electronic word of mouth communications on intention to buy: A meta-analysis. Information Systems Frontiers, 22, 1203-1226. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-019-09924-y
  28. Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (2018). Principles of marketing (17th ed.).
  29. Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1994). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 20-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299405800302
  30. Pop, R.-A., S?pl?can, Z., Dabija, D.-C., & Alt, M.-A. (2022). The impact of social media influencers on travel decisions: The role of trust in consumer decision journey. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(5), 823-843. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1895729
  31. Sigalingging, G. P., & Tj, H. W. (2026). The effect of product quality and brand awareness on consumers' purchase intention: The mediating role of social media marketing. Journal of Digital Business and Marketing, 2(1), 21-37. https://doi.org/10.35912/jdbm.v2i1.3844
  32. Yunanto, W., Sugiat, M. A., & Ariyanti, M. (2025). Impact of social media marketing activity on brand loyalty. Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Business Studies, 2(3), 473-485. https://doi.org/10.35912/jomabs.v2i3.2899
  33. Zhao, X., Lynch, J. G., Jr., & Chen, Q. (2010). Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and truths about mediation analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 37(2), 197-206. https://doi.org/10.1086/651257
License & Copyright
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.