<![CDATA[This study aims to examine the effect of social media marketing on purchase decisions, both directly and indirectly through brand awareness, among Generation Z consumers in Pasuruan, East Java. A quantitative explanatory approach with a cross-sectional design was employed. Data were collected through questionnaires from 150 respondents selected using purposive sampling and analyzed using Partial Least Squares–Structural Equation Modeling with SmartPLS. The results demonstrate that social media marketing has a positive and significant effect on brand awareness and purchase decisions. Brand awareness also positively and significantly influences purchase decisions and acts as a complementary partial mediator in the relationship between social media marketing and purchase decisions. The indirect effect of social media marketing through brand awareness was greater than its direct effect, indicating that social media marketing is more effective in encouraging purchases when it first strengthens consumers’ recognition and recall of the brand. These findings imply that companies targeting Generation Z should develop informative, entertaining, interactive, relevant, and shareable content while consistently integrating clear brand identities. Social media performance should also be evaluated through brand awareness, conversion rates, sales, and repeat purchases rather than engagement indicators alone.]]>
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