Peran Komunikasi Visual Produk Shopee dalam Meningkatkan Kepercayaan Konsumen di Kecamatan Medan Baru

Abstract

This research is titled "The Role of Shopee Product Visual Communication in Increasing Consumer Trust in Medan Baru District" which aims to assess the extent to which visual communication elements, product photos, colors, typography, "verified seller" icons, image reviews, and live streaming build trust and trigger consumer purchasing decisions in Medan Baru. The theory in this research is based on Kroeger's Visual Communication Theory, which emphasizes informative, persuasive, memorable aspects, as well as the concept of consumer trust. The research method is a qualitative descriptive design with a constructivist paradigm that uses purposive and accidental techniques to select 7 active Shopee users (≥ 3 transactions/year, aged 17-30 years) as primary informants. Data were collected through application interface observation, in-depth interviews, and screenshot documentation from August to October 2024. Informants who regularly transact are deemed most capable of reflecting the real experience of interpreting Shopee's visuals, making them valid for testing the validity of the findings. The research results show that high image quality, consistency in orange and white colors, and the "verified seller" badge enhance the perception of credibility, visual reviews strengthen social proof, and live streaming triggers a sense of presence and urgency. Discount and cashback factors moderate the visual effects. Thus, the emerging issues are the mismatch in final prices and promotional overload, which lower the trust of some users. Overall, Shopee's visual communication has proven to play a central role in building consumer trust in Medan Baru and encouraging purchase intentions, but it needs to improve price transparency to maintain loyalty.