The role of KOL attractiveness in shaping green purchase intention through trust and green advertising skepticism

Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) on social media are playing an increasingly vital role in shaping green purchase intention. However, the moderating effect of green advertising skepticism on the relationship between trust and behavioral intention remains unclear in digital media. This study builds a model based on the integration of Social Cognitive Theory and Behavioral Reasoning Theory to examine the mechanism by which KOL characteristics influence green product purchase intentions through trustworthiness and green trust, and to assess the role of green advertising skepticism in these relationships. This study uses convenience sampling to reach 300 Vietnamese consumers who have experience purchasing green products and regularly follow KOLs. The results show that the attractiveness of KOLs has a positive impact on trustworthiness (β = 0.360, p < 0.001) and green trust (β = 0.196, p = 0.021), thereby promoting green purchase intention. Specifically, both trustworthiness (β = 0.220, p = 0.002) and green trust (β = 0.240, p = 0.002) have a positive impact on intention. Notably, skepticism about green advertising did not alter the impact of trustworthiness (β = −0.037, p = 0.640), but significantly diminished the influence of green trust (β = −0.186, p = 0.032) as skepticism increased. This finding suggests that source trust and green trust may be influenced by different cognitive processes. This study extends the application of behavioral reasoning theory to the context of digital media while acknowledging that the proposed model exhibits only modest overall explanatory power. It also offers practical implications for businesses in selecting KOLs, developing transparent green messages, and effectively managing consumer skepticism.