The role of social media marketing and environmental knowledge on green skincare purchase intention

Abstract

This study examined the effect of social media marketing (SMM), attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, product knowledge, perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE), and price consciousness on the intention to purchase green skincare products and the effect of environmental knowledge as a moderating variable. The study outcomes revealed that SMM and perceived behavioral control displayed a significant direct effect on the intention to purchase green skincare products. Furthermore, SMM showed a significant relationship towards PCE, product knowledge, and subjective norm, and showed no significant effect towards price consciousness. Product knowledge positively affected purchase intention, while PCE and price consciousness showed no significant effect. PCE positively affected attitude towards purchase intention, while product knowledge showed no significant effect. Moreover, attitude showed a significant effect towards intention to purchase green skincare products, while subjective norm showed no significant effect. More importantly, environmental knowledge positively moderates the relationship between latent variables and purchase intention. The findings are relevant for marketers to implement better communication strategies on social media to increase consumers’ purchase intention toward green skincare products.