The Mediating Influence of Customer Trust on Social Media Marketing and Consumer Purchase Intentions in the Online Cosmetics Market

Abstract

As visual products such as beauty and cosmetics are being discovered and assessed in a digital-first way, the marketplace has radically changed. Given the increased risks involved in buying cosmetics online before actually seeing them physically, this study focuses on the influence of social media marketing activities (SMMA) that affect the purchase intention (PI), namely entertainment (ET), interaction, trendiness, and customization, with the mediating role of customer trust (CT). A structured questionnaire gathered primary insights from 350 online cosmetic buyers in Kerala's Ernakulam district via snowball sampling. Furthermore, this methodological approach allowed for capturing a diverse demographic spectrum of digital shoppers within the region, providing granular insights into evolving e-commerce adoption patterns. The quantitative evaluation was conducted through the use of multiple linear regression, internal reliability checks, and mediation analysis. The results suggest that all four promotional dimensions are significant factors in CT (R2 = 0.618), with content trendiness being the top predictor (β = 0.488). In addition, CT has a direct positive relationship with PI (R2 = 0.577) and indirectly affects the PI through marketing activities (Effect = 0.5338). The study proves that, although creative marketing can spark initial consumer interest, brand trust can be built by making it contemporary, relevant to the trend and interactive, while the online sales conversion can be achieved through their strategy.