Integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior and social media marketing strategies: A study on green cosmetics consumption among young women
-
Received October 16, 2025;Accepted April 10, 2026;Published May 14, 2026
-
Author(s)Bui Thi HienLink to ORCID Index: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2512-1453
,
Nguyen Hong PhucLink to ORCID Index: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1714-1879
-
DOIhttp://dx.doi.org/10.21511/im.22(2).2026.14
-
Article InfoVolume 22 2026, Issue #2, pp. 196-209
- TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯ
- 8 Views
-
1 Downloads
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Type of the article: Research Article
Abstract
Amid escalating environmental concerns and the growing role of social media as a dominant platform for firm consumer interaction, understanding the determinants of green cosmetic purchase intention has become increasingly critical. This study integrates social media marketing dimensions with the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to investigate young women’s intentions to purchase green cosmetics in Vietnam. Using a non-probability quota sampling technique, data were collected from 200 valid questionnaires completed by women aged 18-35 who actively use social media during their cosmetic purchasing process in Ho Chi Minh City. Data were collected over an eight-week period from early February to late March 2024. Multivariate regression analysis was employed using SPSS to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings reveal that Brand Content (β = 0.398), Subjective Norms (β = 0.273), Influencer Marketing (β = 0.179), and Electronic Word-of-Mouth (e-WOM) (β = 0.130) exert statistically significant positive effects on green cosmetic purchase intention (p < 0.05). Conversely, attitude does not show a statistically significant influence on purchase intention (β = 0.078, p > 0.05). The proposed model explains 50.9% of the variance in green cosmetic purchase intention (adjusted R² = 0.509). Overall, the results underscore the pivotal role of integrated social media communication in fostering sustainable consumption, as marketing-related factors and subjective norms demonstrate stronger effects than attitudinal evaluations. These findings contribute to a clearer understanding of the combined influence of marketing and psychosocial mechanisms on sustainable consumer behavior and offer practical implications for firms in emerging markets by emphasizing the importance of transparent brand content, social norms, influencer engagement, and electronic word-of-mouth in communication strategies.
- Keywords
-
JEL Classification (Paper profile tab)M30, M31, M37, M39
-
References52
-
Tables7
-
Figures1
-
- Figure 1. Proposed research model
-
- Table 1. Research scale
- Table 2. Cronbach’s Alpha reliability results for the scales
- Table 3. Sample demographic characteristics (N = 200)
- Table 4. EFA results for independent variables
- Table 5. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) results for dependent variables
- Table 6. Test results of the model’s explanatory power and the autocorrelation phenomenon
- Table 7. Results of multivariate linear regression analysis
-
- Ajzen, I. (1985). From Intentions to Actions: A Theory of Planned Behavior. In J. Kuhl & J. Beckmann (Eds.), Action Control: From Cognition to Behavior (pp. 11-39). Springer.
- Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211.
- Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1980). Understanding attitudes and predicting social behavior. Prentice-Hall.
- Al-Gasawneh, J. A., & Al-Adamat, A. (2020). The mediating role of e-word of mouth on the relationship between content marketing and green purchase intention. Management Science Letters, 10(8), 1701-1708.
- Chicca, J., & Shellenbarger, T. (2018). Connecting with Generation Z: Approaches in nursing education. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 13(3), 180-184.
- Chin, J., Jiang, B. C., Mufidah, I., Persada, S. F., & Noer, B. A. (2018). The investigation of consumers’ behavior intention in using green skincare products: a pro-environmental behavior model approach. Sustainability, 10(11), 3922.
- Concari, A., Kok, G., & Martens, P. (2020). A systematic literature review of concepts and factors related to pro-environmental consumer behaviour in relation to waste management through an interdisciplinary approach. Sustainability, 12(11), 4452.
- Conlin, R. P., & Santana, S. (2022). Using gamification techniques to enable generation Z’s propensity to do good. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 34(5), 553-571.
- Csorba, L. M., & Boglea, V. A. (2011). Sustainable Cosmetics: A Major Instrument Inprotecting The Consumer’s Interest. Regional and Business Studies.
- Dabbous, A., & Barakat, K. A. (2020). Bridging the online offline gap: Assessing the impact of brands’ social network content quality on brand awareness and purchase intention. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101966.
- Dimitrova, V., Kaneva, M., & Gallucci, T. (2009). Customer knowledge management in the natural cosmetics industry. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 109(9), 1155-1165.
- Emarker. (2022). half of younger consumers buy products on social media.
- Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, Attitude, Intention, and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
- Gajanova, L., Majerova, J., & Nadanyiova, M. (2020). The impact of influencers on the decision-making process regarding the purchase of the brand product. Business, Management and Economics Engineering, 18(2), 282-293.
- Gupta, M., & Syed, A. A. (2022). Impact of online social media activities on marketing of green products. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 30(3), 679-698.
- Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. (2006). Multivariate Data Analysis (6th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall.
- Hameed, F., Malik, I. A., Hadi, N. U., & Raza, M. A. (2023). Brand awareness and purchase intention in the age of digital communication: A moderated mediation model of celebrity endorsement and consumer attitude. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 13(2), e202309.
- Hennig-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K. P., Walsh, G., & Gremler, D. D. (2004). Electronic word-of-mouth via consumer-opinion platforms: what motivates consumers to articulate themselves on the internet? Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(1), 38-52.
- Huete-Alcocer, N. (2017). A literature review of word of mouth and electronic word of mouth: Implications for consumer behavior. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1256.
- Jalali, S. S., & Khalid, H. B. (2021). The influence of Instagram influencers’ activity on green consumption behavior. Business Management and Strategy, 12(1), 78-90.
- Kim, H. Y., & Chung, J.-E. (2011). Consumer purchase intention for organic personal care products. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 28(1), 40-47.
- Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2006). Marketing Management (12th ed.). Prentice Hall.
- Kumar, N., Garg, P., & Singh, S. (2022). Pro-environmental purchase intention towards eco-friendly apparel: Augmenting the theory of planned behavior with perceived consumer effectiveness and environmental concern. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 13(2), 134-150.
- Le, T.-M. H., & Ngoc, B. M. (2024). Consumption-related social media peer communication and online shopping intention among Gen Z consumers: A moderated-serial mediation model. Computers in Human Behavior, 153, 108100.
- Legris, P., Ingham, J., & Collerette, P. (2003). Why do people use information technology? A critical review of the technology acceptance model. Information & Management, 40(3), 191-204.
- Limbu, Y., Pham, L., & Nguyen, T. (2022). Predictors of Green Cosmetics Purchase Intentions among Young Female Consumers in Vietnam. Sustainability, 14(19), 12599.
- Limbu, Y. B., & Ahamed, A. F. M. J. (2023). What Influences Green Cosmetics Purchase Intention and Behavior? A Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda. Sustainability, 15(15).
- Liobikienė, G., & Bernatonienė, J. (2017). Why determinants of green purchase cannot be treated equally? The case of green cosmetics: Literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 162, 109-120.
- Ma, K., Liu, B., & Zhang, J. (2024). Factors Influencing Consumer Upcycling Behavior—A Study Based on an Integrated Model of the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Technology Acceptance Model. Sustainability, 16(21), 9179.
- Musa, H. G., Fatmawati, I., Nuryakin, N., & Suyanto, M. (2024). Marketing research trends using technology acceptance model (TAM): A comprehensive review of researches (2002–2022). Cogent Business & Management, 11(1), 2329375.
- Phua, J., Lin, J.-S. E., & Lim, D. J. (2018). Understanding consumer engagement with celebrity-endorsed E-Cigarette advertising on instagram. Computers in Human Behavior, 84, 93-102.
- Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879.
- Pop, R.-A., Săplăcan, Z., & Alt, M.-A. (2020). Social media goes green – The impact of social media on green cosmetics purchase motivation and intention. Information, 11(9), 447.
- Rahim, R. A., Sulaiman, Z., Chin, T. A., Baharun, R., & Muharam, F. M. (2016). Measuring electronic word of mouth review adoption on green purchase intention using source credibility theory. Advanced Science Letters, 22(12), 4283-4287.
- Sheng, Y., Ni, A., Liu, L., Gao, L., Zhang, Y., & Zhu, Y. (2025). Identifying Influence Mechanisms of Low-Carbon Travel Intention Through the Integration of Built Environment and Policy Perceptions: A Case Study in Shanghai, China. Sustainability, 17(17), 7647.
- Statista. (2024a). Cosmetics – Vietnam.
- Statista. (2024b). Leading social media platforms for shopping worldwide in 2023, by generational cohort.
- Statista. (2024c). Willingness to pay extra for sustainable products among people in Vietnam in 2023.
- Steils, N., Martin, A., & Toti, J.-F. (2022). Managing the transparency paradox of social-media influencer disclosures: How to improve authenticity and engagement when disclosing influencer–sponsor relationships. Journal of Advertising Research, 62(2), 148-166.
- Strutton, D., Taylor, D. G., & Thompson, K. (2011). Investigating generational differences in e-WOM behaviours: for advertising purposes, does X= Y? International Journal of Advertising, 30(4), 559-586.
- Tarkiainen, A., & Sundqvist, S. (2005). Subjective norms, attitudes and intentions of Finnish consumers in buying organic food. British Food Journal, 107(11), 808-822.
- Teixeira, S., Oliveira, Z., Teixeira, S., & Teixeira, S. (2023). Understanding the impact of online communication strategies on consumer purchase intention for green cosmetics. Sustainability, 15(20), 14784.
- Tewari, A., Mathur, S., Srivastava, S., & Gangwar, D. (2022). Examining the role of receptivity to green communication, altruism and openness to change on young consumers’ intention to purchase green apparel: A multi-analytical approach. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 66, 102938.
- Tuan, N. T., Hegedűs, G., & Phuong, N. T. T. (2025). Urbanization and forecast possibilities of land use changes by 2050: New evidence in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam. Open Agriculture, 10(1), 20250421.
- Wei, Y. (2025). The impact of content marketing on consumer purchase intention on TikTok. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics.
- Winarno, K. O., & Indrawati, I. (2022). Impact of social media marketing and electronic word of mouth (E-wom) on purchase intention. Jurnal Aplikasi Manajemen [Journal of Management Applications], 20(3).
- Worldbank. (2022). Taking Stock: Vietnam Economic Growth Update, January 2022.
- Wu, S., Xiao, Y., Pacala, A., Badulescu, A., & Khan, S. (2024). Understanding Chinese Farmers’ Behavioral Intentions to Use Alternative Fuel Machinery: Insights from the Technology Acceptance Model and Theory of Planned Behavior. Sustainability, 16(24), 11059.
- Xiang, L., Zheng, X., Lee, M. K., & Zhao, D. (2016). Exploring consumers’ impulse buying behavior on social commerce platform: The role of parasocial interaction. International Journal of Information Management, 36(3), 333-347.
- Yazdanpanah, M., & Forouzani, M. (2015). Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to predict Iranian students’ intention to purchase organic food. Journal of Cleaner Production, 107, 342-352.
- Yusiana, R., Hurriyati, R., Dirgantari, P. D., & Disman, D. (2023). Influencer marketing and online advertising as a digital marketing: A case study green beauty products. Jurnal Manajemen Indonesia [Indonesian Journal of Management], 23(3), 364-374.
- Zahid, M. M., Ali, B., Ahmad, M. S., Thurasamy, R., & Amin, N. (2018). Factors affecting purchase intention and social media publicity of green products: The mediating role of concern for consequences. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 25(3), 225-236.
-
-
Conceptualization
Bui Thi Hien
-
Methodology
Bui Thi Hien
-
Project administration
Bui Thi Hien
-
Supervision
Bui Thi Hien
-
Validation
Bui Thi Hien
-
Visualization
Bui Thi Hien
-
Writing – review & editing
Bui Thi Hien
-
Data curation
Nguyen Hong Phuc
-
Formal Analysis
Nguyen Hong Phuc
-
Investigation
Nguyen Hong Phuc
-
Software
Nguyen Hong Phuc
-
Writing – original draft
Nguyen Hong Phuc
-
Conceptualization
-
Impact of meme marketing on consumer purchase intention: Examining the mediating role of consumer engagement
This paper analyzes an emerging form of social media marketing, meme marketing, which has gained attention for its ability to entertain and engage users. Marketers and companies are recognizing the value of using memes as a tool to connect with consumers. To understand the effects of meme marketing activities, this paper aims to examine the impact of meme marketing activities on consumer purchase intentions and concurrently assess the mediating role of consumer engagement. The study encompassed 452 Indian social media users with active social media accounts and familiarity with memes and meme marketing concepts. It employed a quantitative methodology backed by robust statistical techniques. The method used for analysis was Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) through Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) software. The results found that meme marketing activities have a direct and significant positive impact (β = 0.257, p < 0.05) on consumer purchase intentions. It further shows that meme marketing has a direct and significant positive impact (β = 0.745, p < 0.05) on consumer engagement. It shows that consumer engagement has a direct and significant positive effect (β = 0.651, p < 0.05) on consumer purchase intention. However, the indirect impact of meme marketing activities on consumer purchase intentions is also significant, resulting in partial mediation. The study findings hold value for marketing managers, agencies, and companies that interact and engage consumers with memes and undertake meme marketing activities.
-
Short video marketing factors influencing the purchase intention of Generation Z in Vietnam
Thi Thuy An Ngo
,
Phu Quach
,
Thanh Vinh Nguyen
,
Anh Duy Nguyen
,
Thi Minh Nguyet Nguyen
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.21511/im.19(3).2023.04
Innovative Marketing Volume 19, 2023 Issue #3 pp. 34-50 Views: 8760 Downloads: 2477 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯIn the digital age and technological advancements, short video platforms have become essential tools for online sales and marketing. In addition, shopping through short video marketing has gained significant attention, especially among Generation Z, as it brings unique and novel shopping experiences. The primary goal of this study is to explore the factors of short video marketing that influence the purchase intentions of Generation Z consumers in Vietnam. To conduct this study, a quantitative approach was employed, utilizing a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire administered online through a non-probability sampling method. The sample comprised 350 respondents aged between 16 and 26 from Vietnam, representing Generation Z, who made purchases through short video marketing. The relationships among various variables were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The study’s results demonstrated a positive, significant, and direct relationship between all factors of short video marketing, including interesting content, perceived usefulness, scenario-based experience, user interaction, perceived enjoyment, and involvement of celebrities and consumer brand attitude. Among these factors, perceived usefulness is the most influential factor on customer brand attitude. In addition, the study revealed that consumer brand attitude, acting as a mediating variable, had a positive and significant impact on consumers’ purchase intentions. Based on the findings, the study suggested strategies for businesses to enhance the quality and content on short video platforms, thereby improving the effectiveness of their marketing strategies.
Acknowledgment
The authors express a sincere gratitude to all the participants who generously took part in this research study. -
Factors affecting users’ brand awareness through social media marketing on TikTok
Innovative Marketing Volume 20, 2024 Issue #1 pp. 122-131 Views: 7056 Downloads: 1830 TO CITE АНОТАЦІЯTikTok is increasingly influential in promoting brand awareness and boosting purchase intention. From a social media marketing perspective, brand awareness significantly influences consumers’ purchasing decisions. The primary objective of this study is to investigate and measure the factors influencing the brand awareness of TikTok users through social media marketing communications. The paper employs exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach’s Alpha test, and regression analysis to test the hypotheses. 24 observed variables were divided into six groups. Each variable was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale. The sample size includes 240 valid responses from TikTok users collected via convenience sampling. The questionnaire was distributed to TikTok users from Vietnam via the link on Google Forms. The collected data were processed by SPSS 20 software. The results suggest that six independent variables positively affect brand recognition via social media marketing on TikTok, with a 95% confidence interval at Sig. = 0.000 (0.05). Each of the six variables positively impacts initial expectations and is statistically significant at 1%. The results show that trends (Beta = 0.299) are the most decisive factors impacting brand awareness of TikTok users. Besides, electronic word of mouth (Beta = 0.242), influencer (Beta = 0.220), entertainment (Beta = 0.206), interaction (Beta = 0.200), and storytelling (Beta = 0.179) also positively affect the brand awareness of TikTok users. Limitations and further research suggest that marketers should investigate the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the consumer’s brand awareness-constructing process.

