In the face of an increasingly competitive landscape, culinary MSMEs in Indonesia are required to not only offer quality products, but also create interactive and emotional consumer experiences. This study aims to investigate the mediating role of loyalty programs in influencing the relationship between gamification and relationship marketing on Gen Z consumer loyalty. Using a quantitative approach through online questionnaire distribution to 385 Gen Z respondents on social media, the results show that both gamification and relationship marketing have a significant direct influence on consumer loyalty, as well as an indirect influence through the mediation of loyalty programs. The findings confirm that the integration of gamification elements-such as challenges, point systems, and leaderboards-in loyalty programs can generate intrinsic motivation that strengthens consumers' emotional engagement. Meanwhile, a relationship marketing approach based on trust and personalization encourages long-term commitment. This research extends the application of the Commitment-Trust and Self-Determination theories in the digital-native context, and makes a conceptual contribution to the strategic design of experiential loyalty programs for culinary MSMEs targeting Gen Z consumers. The practical implication is that business owners need to build a loyalty ecosystem that is not only functional, but also fun and emotionally meaningful.

Digital transformation has reconstructed the marketing landscape, presenting TikTok as a narrative and affective space in shaping consumption decisions. This study investigates the interaction between Storytelling Marketing (STM), Electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM), and Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) in mediating One Piece comic purchase intention. With a PLS-SEM approach to 385 respondents, it was found that STM and e-WOM not only have a direct impact on purchasing decisions, but also form a psychological resonance in the form of FOMO which strengthens consumptive urges. TikTok in this case is not just a medium, but an affective field where perceptions, emotions, and social impulses intertwine, blurring the line between narrative and economic decisions. This finding confirms the role of content strategy as a construction of meaning that activates symbolic ownership through collective emotional urgency.