Digital Marketing Strategies And Customer Satisfaction Among Generation Z In The Malaysian Food and Beverage Industry: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The food and beverage (F&B) industry has transformed consumer engagement through the rapid growth of digital marketing, especially among Generation Z (Gen Z) consumers who rely heavily on digital platforms for brand interaction, information search, and purchase decisions. Despite the growing body of research, evidence remains dispersed across digital marketing tactics, customer satisfaction (CS) metrics, and behavioural outcomes, hindering a thorough understanding of the variables influencing digital marketing effectiveness (DME). To identify research gaps and suggest future research directions, this systematic literature review attempts to synthesise current empirical evidence on the relationships between digital marketing strategies, CS, and DME, with a focus on Gen Z consumers in the F&B sector. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines were adhered to in this review. Peer-reviewed research published between 2015 and 2025 was found through a thorough search of the Scopus database. After duplicate removal, screening, eligibility evaluation, and quality assessment, 79 studies were retained for descriptive analysis, thematic synthesis, geographic analysis, and evidence gap identification. The synthesis revealed five main themes: digital platform quality and technology adoption; social media, electronic word-of-mouth, and consumer engagement; customer satisfaction, loyalty, and behavioural outcomes; digital marketing strategy and personalisation; and F&B and online food delivery behaviour. The results consistently show that CS, personalisation (PER), digital platform quality, and consumer engagement all affect DME. However, many questions remain about Gen Z, integrated theoretical frameworks, longitudinal empirical studies, and Malaysian F&B consumers. According to the review's findings, CS is the primary factor linking digital marketing tactics to DME. The study contributes by synthesising disparate evidence into a cohesive conceptual understanding, providing a solid basis for further empirical research, and offering F&B managers practical guidance on improving digital marketing performance through user-friendly platforms, responsive customer service, responsible PER, engaging digital content, and ongoing satisfaction monitoring.