THE MEDIATING ROLE OF BRAND TRUST BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING AND ONLINE PURCHASE INTENTION

Abstract

This study examines the impact of Social Media Marketing on Online Purchase Intention, emphasizing the mediating role of Brand Trust among consumers of Azarine skincare products. Despite the rapid expansion of digital marketing activities, the rise in purchase intention has not kept pace, as consumers still prioritize trust and the credibility of information when making purchasing decisions. The research applies a quantitative approach with a causal design. Data were gathered using a Likert-scale questionnaire adapted from Kim and Ko (2012), which comprised 12 items divided into Social Media Marketing (6 items), Brand Trust (3 items), and Online Purchase Intention (3 items). The sample consisted of 80 student respondents who were familiar with the Azarine brand and actively engaged on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. The data were analyzed through multiple linear regression using SPSS version 26. The analysis indicates that Social Media Marketing does not have a significant direct influence on Online Purchase Intention (p = 0.213 > 0.05), while Brand Trust has a positive and significant effect (p = 0.000 < 0.05). Consequently, the impact of Social Media Marketing on purchase intention is transmitted indirectly through Brand Trust as the mediating factor. These results align with the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) framework, demonstrating the essential role of Brand Trust in transforming promotional engagement into purchase intention. From a practical perspective, local brands such as Azarine should focus on strengthening consumer trust by delivering authentic, transparent, and informative social media content to enhance online purchasing intentions.