Influence of Social Media Short Content Video Marketing on Women's Purchasing Intention of Local Ayurvedic Beauty Brands: Examining the Mediating Role Brand Credibility with Special Reference to Gen Z in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Short video content marketing on social media has rapidly become one of the most powerful weapons in influencing the behavior of consumers, especially the more digitally savvy Generation Z. This study attempts to explore how social media short video content influences women’s purchasing intentions of local Ayurvedic beauty products in Sri Lanka, focusing more on the mediating effect of brand credibility. Based on the Western Province context, the research aims to explain how Ayurvedic beauty brands can utilize short-form videos to better integrate traditional and culturally embedded products with the needs of a predominantly digital audience. The research employs a positivist paradigm and is therefore deductive, implying that it extensively relies on testing hypotheses developed from such theories and frameworks as the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Researchers used a structured questionnaire of 26 questions that was administered to a sample of 382 women aged 18–27 from Colombo, Gampaha, and Kalutara districts who were selected as representing the Gen Z audience. This was to target Gen Z women who are social media users, as they were the most pertinent demographic group for this study. To guarantee the population was consistent with the topic of interest, the subjects were drawn using a non-probability sampling method whereby the participants accessed the study through convenience sampling. Convenience sampling was chosen due to its practicality and efficiency in reaching the target demographic of Gen Z women actively engaging with short video content. This method allowed the researcher to collect data quickly and cost-effectively while ensuring a sufficient sample size for meaningful analysis. Through online administration, the data were collected based on a five-point Likert scale to measure perceptions of short video content, brand credibility, and purchasing intention. Further, statistical analysis such as descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and mediation analysis were performed using SPSS software to test the proposed relationships among the stated variables. The research findings indicate that the use of short videos in the social media context has an impact on women’s purchasing intention directly and indirectly through brand credibility. Three other factors were also noted interesting content, scenario-based experiences, and user participation interaction, which are constituents of short video marketing that enhance brand credibility and purchasing intention. It is noteworthy that trustworthiness and expertise as components of brand credibility were effective in influencing the relationship between short video marketing and purchasing intention. This means that the consumer trust and perceived expertise acquired through interaction with short video content that is captivating and genuine are important determinants of consumer behavior. These findings are consistent with previous research and reinforce the role of interactive, visually attractive marketing strategies in gaining consumers’ trust and encouraging purchases. The study, however, recognizes certain limitations despite its contributions. Because the approach taken is cross-sectional, there is no way of knowing the long-term effects and changes in the consumers’ behavior due to short-form video marketing. Moreover, the study only concentrates on Gen Z women in the Western Province of Sri Lanka which makes it impossible to make pronouncements about other ages or geographical areas. Furthermore, the use of self-reported data creates potential sources of bias including social desirability and recall bias which may reduce the credibility of such data. Moreover, social media is constantly changing, and developing at an unprecedented pace, making it difficult to track and measure the changes in the trends and desires of consumers. The theoretical and practical implications of the study are significant. The research extends the focus on digital marketing as it considers brand credibility as a mediating factor in the short-form video context. It demonstrates the potential of engaging and informative short video content in securing consumer trust, which is critical in today’s evolving market as traditional norms are disrupted. At a practical level, the findings offer useful recommendations to local Ayurvedic beauty brands in the Sri Lankan market. For example, Spa Ceylon, Janet Ayurveda, and Aroma Bliss Ceylon can use the findings of this study to design marketing strategies targeting the Gen Z cohort. By coming up with short videos that are more interesting, real, and interactive, these brands stand a chance of increasing their brand credibility, consumer trust, and purchasing intention. In addition, the research brings to light Generation Z, especially the females who are high consumers of visual and interactive content and who are generally more digitally active. The research seems to suggest other possibilities that would be relevant for future research including, the types of studies that require more advanced designs employing longitudinal elements in anticipation of time changes and doing similar research in different cultural settings, sectors, or ages. As a conclusion, this research proves that social media short video content can positively influence the purchasing intention of women in Generation Z in Sri Lanka, especially where brand credibility is high. These results emphasize the importance for local Ayurvedic beauty companies to implement creative solutions in their marketing strategies that would integrate local customs and current social media trends.