Effect of Influencer Opinion Leadership on Cosmetic Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Trust, Brand Awareness, and Price Expectation

Background: In recent years, due to the expansion of social media platforms, influencers have emerged as a new category of opinion leaders. Objective: The study develops a new conceptual framework to explain the impact of influencer opinion leadership on cosmetic purchase intention, mediated by trust, brand awareness, and price expectation. Methodology: The study focuses on 327 Vietnamese millennials and generation Z demographics. The data was analysed using the quantitative technique and the PLS-SEM model. Results: The results show a full mediation effect in the relationship between influencer opinion leadership and purchase intention. In addition, this study also shows the trend of young Vietnamese using social media and examines differences between consumer groups. Conclusion: Overall, this study highlights the mediating roles of trust, brand awareness, and price expectation in enriching the academic background of influencer opinion leadership and influencer marketing. Furthermore, the findings provide businesses with a better understanding of how these factors influence customers’ intentions to purchase and offer concrete suggestions for optimising the implementation of this marketing strategy. Key Recommendation: The findings also highlight the need for influencers to actively collaborate with businesses to enhance their ability to fulfil customers' price expectations, thereby helping influencers themselves optimise benefits through content.