Purchase Propensity and Purchase Behavior for Inner-Beauty Products: The Mediating Role of Consumer Happiness and the Moderating Role of Body Appreciation
This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of consumer happiness and the moderating effect...
Purchase Propensity and Purchase Behavior for Inner-Beauty Products: The Mediating Role of Consumer Happiness and the Moderating Role of Body Appreciation
This study aimed to examine the mediating effect of consumer happiness and the moderating effect of body esteem in the relationship between inner beauty product purchase orientation and purchasing behavior. As society enters an era of rapid aging, interest in maintaining beauty and health has grown, leading to increased consumption of cosmetics and health functional foods. Accordingly, understanding the purchase tendencies of consumers who purchase inner beauty products is essential. By identifying these tendencies, companies can propose products that align with consumers’ preferences, enhance their body confidence, and ultimately contribute to consumer happiness, thereby promoting purchasing behavior. Academically, the study provides comprehensive insight into inner beauty consumption and contributes to the continued development and expansion of the inner beauty market.
For the survey method, ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Seokyeong University (IRB No. SKUIRB-2024-01-034). An online survey was conducted over seven days, from October 15 to October 21, 2024, using simple random sampling. The survey targeted men and women aged 20 to 60 years or older across South Korea who had consumed inner beauty products at least once. A professional research agency distributed the questionnaire, and 630 responses were initially collected. After excluding 27 incomplete or invalid responses, a total of 603 responses were used for analysis. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 26 and AMOS 22, employing frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, structural equation modeling (SEM), and multi-group path analysis. Statistical significance was assessed at the 0.05 level. The key results are summarized as follows.
First, regarding the characteristics of inner beauty consumption, the most frequently purchased product category (multiple responses allowed) was immune/fatigue care (20.5%). Consumers most commonly used two inner beauty products (37.5%), and the most frequent monthly purchase amount was under 100,000 KRW (38.8%). The primary reason for product access was self-decision (26.9%), and the main motivation for consumption was expectations related to immune/fatigue management (31.3%), followed by expectations for skin health (21.6%). The most common purchase channel was open-market platforms (32.7%), and the primary reason for choosing a purchase channel was convenience (54.4%). The most influential purchase decision factor was product function and efficacy (55.7%). Regarding consumption patterns, 41.1% reported that they “often repurchase the same product.” Capsules/tablets were the most preferred product form (67.5%), and the most common intake frequency was once per day (57.0%). The typical repurchase cycle was between two and three months (39.8%), and in 90.4% of cases, the consumer themselves was the primary user of the product.
Second, the effect of purchase orientation on consumer happiness revealed that brand-oriented and efficacy-oriented tendencies positively
influenced consumer happiness, whereas practicality-oriented and safety-oriented tendencies did not show significant effects.
Third, consumer happiness had a significant positive effect on purchasing behavior.
Fourth, in examining the effect of purchase orientation on purchasing behavior, brand-oriented, efficacy-oriented, and safety-oriented tendencies were found to have significant positive effects. However, practicality-oriented tendencies did not show a significant effect.
Fifth, the analysis of the mediating effect of consumer happiness indicated that efficacy-oriented and brand-oriented tendencies significantly influenced purchasing behavior through the mediation of consumer happiness, whereas safety-oriented and practicality-oriented tendencies did not show significant mediating effects.
Sixth, regarding the moderating effect of body esteem, participants were divided into high and low body-esteem groups based on the mean score. In the low body-esteem group, consumer happiness, brand orientation, efficacy orientation, and safety orientation had stronger effects on purchasing behavior. In the high body-esteem group, brand orientation, efficacy orientation, consumer happiness, and practicality orientation had stronger effects.
In conclusion, the study confirms that inner beauty product purchase orientation influences both consumer happiness and purchasing behavior, that consumer happiness plays a mediating role, and that body esteem exerts differential moderating effects across groups. Therefore, to enhance consumer satisfaction and promote the development of the inner beauty market, it is necessary to understand consumers’ tendencies, self-perception, and internal psychological factors. Such understanding can contribute to the establishment of effective and differentiated marketing strategies and support multidimensional research beneficial to both inner beauty companies and consumers.