The Role of Digital Marketing, Brand Awareness, and E-WOM in Jakarta Garden City Purchase Intention: The Mediating Effect of Consumer Engagement and Moderating Role of Consumer Trust

Abstract

Background: The rapid growth of the Indonesian property industry has increased competitive pressure among developers, requiring effective digital strategies to strengthen consumer purchase intention. However, digital marketing exposure alone is insufficient to drive property purchase decisions because consumer trust, brand awareness, and engagement influence the decision-making process. Objective: This study aims to examine the effects of Digital Marketing, Brand Awareness, and Electronic Word of Mouth (E-WOM) on Purchase Intention at Jakarta Garden City, with Consumer Engagement as a mediating variable and Consumer Trust as a moderating variable. Methods: This study employed a quantitative cross-sectional survey design involving 375 respondents selected through purposive sampling from Jakarta Garden City’s digital consumer database. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) with SmartPLS 4. Results: The findings indicate that Digital Marketing and Brand Awareness significantly and positively affect Purchase Intention, with Brand Awareness showing the strongest direct influence. E-WOM has a significant negative effect, indicating consumer skepticism toward online reviews in high-value property decisions. Consumer Engagement mediates the relationship between Digital Marketing and Purchase Intention, while Consumer Trust significantly strengthens the effect of Digital Marketing on Consumer Engagement. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of integrating digital marketing strategies with brand strengthening, consumer trust development, and meaningful engagement to increase property purchase intention. The findings are limited to a single property developer context, which may affect generalizability.