CONSUMER REVIEW PERCEPTION AND ITS IMPACT ON GENERATION Z ONLINE SPENDING BEHAVIOUR IN MODERN DIGITAL COMMERCE

The rise of digital commerce has transformed decision making among Generation Z, shifting product evaluation from physical inspection toward online review interpretation. This article examines how consumer review perception influences spending behaviour within platforms such as Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop and Shein. Through a structured analysis of previous research and thematic expansion, five dominant behavioural determinants were identified, namely authenticity validity, information density, emotional resonance, multimedia representation and algorithm driven visibility. The literature review demonstrated that Generation Z relies heavily on peer generated testimonies and visual proof to reduce uncertainty and assess purchase risk. The Issues and Discussion sections revealed that while reviews enhance trust and guide purchase selection, they also introduce cognitive overload, emotional distortion, credibility manipulation and algorithmic inequality that may mislead decision outcomes. Recommendations for platform operators and scholars emphasize the need for authentication infrastructure, review clustering, emotional neutrality frameworks, visual verification systems and equitable ranking governance. Findings contribute to academic understanding of digital trust formation and provide strategic insight for strengthening review environments to protect future consumer welfare. This study concludes that review perception acts not only as an informational reference but as a psychological mechanism that directly molds Generation Z purchasing confidence, trust durability and market participation.