Unlocking Youth Customer Loyalty Through Digital Experience: The Interplay of Online Flow State and Value Co-Creation

Zulfahmi Zulfahmi; Ginta Ginting; Andryansah Andryansah; Hubertina Karolina Ngarbingan

doi:10.32535/ijabim.v11i2.5061

Unlocking Youth Customer Loyalty Through Digital Experience: The Interplay of Online Flow State and Value Co-Creation

Zulfahmi Zulfahmi, Ginta Ginting, Andryansah Andryansah, Hubertina Karolina Ngarbingan

Abstract

This study examines how Online Flow State and Value Co-Creation enhance Digital Customer Experience and Customer Loyalty among young consumers, drawing on the S–O–R Model, Flow Theory, and Service-Dominant Logic. A quantitative approach using purposive sampling involved 186 young e-commerce consumers across regions outside Java, Indonesia. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results show that Online Flow State significantly improves Digital Customer Experience and Customer Loyalty, while Digital Customer Experience and Value Co-Creation significantly enhance Customer Loyalty. However, Value Co-Creation does not significantly moderate the relationship between Online Flow State and Digital Customer Experience, indicating that this relationship remains stable across different co-creation levels. These findings highlight Online Flow State as a key driver of digital experiences and loyalty while revealing limitations of Value Co-Creation as a moderating mechanism among young consumers

Keywords

Digital Customer Experience; On Line Flow State; Value Co Cretion; Loyalty; Youth Generation; E-Commerce

Full Text:

PDF

References

Albarrak, A. M. (2024). Enhancing Customer Loyalty: The Mediating Effect of Experience on Usability, Security, and Content Quality with Digital Literacy Moderation. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(6), 897-902.

Anand, S., & Kaur, H. (2023). "Digital experience and youth consumer behavior: A generational analysis." International Journal of Consumer Studies.

Ananda, R. F., Suhari, Y., & Kusuma, A. (2026). Unlocking digital loyalty: The role of flow state and platform stickiness in social commerce. International Journal of Electronic Commerce Studies, 17(1), 45–68.

Arifin, Z., Siregar, N., & Wijaya, T. (2026). The role of immersive experience in driving youth customer retention: A digital customer experience perspective. Jurnal Manajemen dan Pemasaran Digital, 5(1), 12–29. https://doi.org/10.3126/jmpd.v5i1.8891

BPS/Badan Pusat Statistik. (2025). Hasil Survei Penduduk Antar Sensus (SUPAS): Indikator Demografi Indonesia. Jakarta: BPS.

Chen, Y., & Zhang, L. (2026). The power of co-creation in social commerce: How user-generated content shapes digital customer experience. Computers in Human Behavior, 174, Article 108120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2025.108120

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper & Row.

Databoks Katadata. (2024,2025). Indonesia Masuk Era Bonus Demografi Puncaknya 2025-2030. Jakarta: Katadata.

Edition. Cengage.

Garuda / Jurnal Manajemen (2026). Antecedents and Impacts of Digital Customer Experience in Youth E-Commerce Engagement. International Journal of Application on Economics and Business, 9(1), February 2026.

Hair, J. F., Howard, M. C., & Nitzl, C. (2020). Assessing measurement model quality in PLSSEM using confirmatory composite analysis. Journal of Business Research, 109, 101– 110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.11.069.

Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019b). When to use and how to report least squares. European Journal of Marketing, 53(4), 566– 584.https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-10-2018-0665.

Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019c). Rethinking some of the rethinking of partial

Hair, J.F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J., & Anderson, R.E. (2019a). Multivariate Data Analysis. 8th

Hasan, M., Utama, S., & Putri, K. A. (2026). Rethinking digital loyalty frameworks for Gen Z consumers: Digital customer experience as a pivotal mediator. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 25(3), 312–329. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.2451

Herman, A., & Amelinda, R. (2025). Flow Experience as a Primary Driver of Gen-Z Purchase Intention on TikTok Live Shopping: A Mediator with Limited Effect. Proceedings of the International Conference on Business and Technology (ICONBIT 2025).

Huang, L., & Suo, j. (2021). From immersion to retention: The psychological path of digital consumers. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.

Huo, C., et al. (2023). Immersed to buy: The mediating effect of flow experience on impulsive buying in live streaming commerce. Priviet Social Sciences Journal, 4(2), 115-128.

Korshunova, S. A. (2019). Human Capital in the Digital Economy Format. International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology, 9(1), 7517–7523.

Kurniawan, A., & Wardhana, A. (2025). Keterlibatan konsumen dalam value co-creation sebagai katalis peningkatan digital customer experience pada e-commerce. Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen Nusantara, 13(2), 204–218.

Kurniawati, R. S. (2026). Immersed to buy: The mediating effect of flow experience on impulsive buying in TikTok live streaming. Journal of Research in Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, 4(1), 56–73.

MDPI (2025). The Consumer Decision Journey of Gen Z in Cross-Platform Commerce: From Social Commerce Stimuli to E-Marketplace Purchase Completion. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 21(5), 132-148.

Mehrabian, A., & Russell, J. A. (1974). An approach to environmental psychology. MIT Press.

Mimanda, A. P. (2026). Live streaming commerce as a digital marketing innovation: Integrating S-O-R framework and online flow theory. Journal of Digital Marketing Innovation and Trends, 3(1), 89–104.

Nugroho, A., & Wardani, K. (2026). Impulse buying among Generation Z on Shopee: The role of FoMO, PayLater, and scarcity marketing. Proceedings of the Kilisuci International Conference on Economic & Business, 4, 202–215.

Oertzen, A. S., et al. (2018). "Co-creation in services: a systematic mapping review." Journal of Service Management.

Oliver, R. L. (1999). Whence consumer loyalty? Journal of Marketing, 63(4_suppl1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429990634s105

PMC / NLM (2025). Analyzing the role of customers' experiences and emotional responses in shaping Generation Z's impulse buying behavior on video platforms. PubMed Central / Scientific Reports, Article PMC12052140.

Prahalad, C. K., & Ramaswamy, V. (2004). Co-creation experiences: The next practice in value creation. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(3), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/dir.20015

Pratama, R. A., & Lestari, S. (2025). Efek autotelic dari online flow state terhadap user experience generasi Z pada aplikasi marketplace. Jurnal Teoretis Pemasaran Digital, 6(2), 115–130. https://doi.org/10.24123/jtpd.v6i2.642

Putra, D. E., & Santoso, M. (2025). Mengunci loyalitas merek pada mobile commerce: Analisis flow experience dan kelekatan emosional konsumen muda. Jurnal Manajemen Pemasaran, 19(1), 34–48. https://doi.org/10.9744/pemasaran.19.1.34

Sari, W. P., & Hidayat, R. (2025). Pengaruh flow experience terhadap online brand loyalty konsumen milenial: Digital customer experience sebagai variabel mediasi. Jurnal Manajemen Keperilakuan Konsumen, 11(2), 88–101.

Sekaran, U. (2006), Research Methods for Business: A Skill Building Approach, JohnWiley and Sons, Hoboken, NJ.

Silalahi, S & Rufaidah , P. (2018 a). Measuring digital customer experience. Pertanika Journal Social Science and Humanities. 26, 199-221.

Silalahi, S & Rufaidah, P. (2018b ). The role of digital customer experience on customer loyalty. Proceedings of the first international conference on Islamic, Economics, Business and Philantrophy (ICEBP 2017).

Silvana K. (2020). The Role and Specificity of Human Capital in the Formation of a Digital Economy. In A. V. Bogoviz & Y. V. Ragulina (Eds.), Industry Competitiveness: Digitalization, Management, and Integration (Vol. 1, pp. 174–181). Springer, Cham.

the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203.

Thompson, D. V., et al. (2005). "The feature-fatigue effect: When product capabilities become too much of a good thing." Journal of Marketing Research.

Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2004). Evolving to a new dominant logic for marketing. Journal of Marketing, 68(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.68.1.1.24036

Vargo, S. L., & Lusch, R. F. (2017). Institutions and axioms: an extension and update of service-dominant logic. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 44(1), 5-23. (Artikel fundamental untuk S-D Logic).

Wang, Y., et al. (2024). How flow drives engagement and loyalty in digital platforms. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management.

Woodworth, R. S. (1929). Psychology (Rev. ed.). Henry Holt & Co.

Zheng, R., et al. (2023). From immersion to loyalty: The role of value co-creation in modern e-commerce user experiences. Journal of Business Research, 158, 113-125

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32535/ijabim.v11i2.5061