EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF THE COLLABORATIVE KOL-KOC DUAL-PATH MECHANISM ON BEAUTY CONSUMPTION DECISIONS AMONG GENERATION Z WOMEN ON REDNOTE: USING DUAL AISAS MODEL

In the context of the rapid growth of digital marketing, the "grass-planting" marketing model on social e-commerce platforms has a significant influence on consumer purchasing behavior. Rednote, as a popular social e-commerce platform combining social networking, shopping, and content sharing, has become a major hub for "grass-planting" marketing, especially in the beauty industry, due to its rich content ecosystem and vast young user base. KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) and KOCs (Key Opinion Consumers) are central to the "grass-planting" mechanism. This study investigates whether and how KOLs and KOCs influence consumer purchasing decisions through the publication of beauty-related "grass-planting" notes, and explores the relationship between these two types of influencers. Focusing on beauty-related "grass-planting" notes on Rednote and Generation Z women as the core consumer group, the study conducts empirical research based on the Double AISAS model. The findings reveal that KOLs drive the traditional AISAS path through professional content creation, enhancing brand exposure and increasing purchase conversion rates. In contrast, KOCs activate the A+ISAS path by sharing authentic experiences, promoting secondary dissemination, and converting private domain traffic. Both mechanisms work synergistically, driving the full conversion process from awareness to purchase. This study enriches consumer decision-making theory and provides theoretical and practical guidance for developing targeted marketing strategies for beauty brands, as well as for optimizing Rednote’s platform algorithms and functionalities.