Purpose: This study provides academic and practical insights by analyzing the effects of fashion and beauty influencer characteristics (e.g., empathy, information usefulness, professional credibility, intimacy, and attractiveness) on consumer empathy and their subsequent effects on consumers’ continuous engagement intention.Methods: This quantitative study empirically examined the relationships among the characteristics of fashion and beauty influencers, consumer empathy, and continuous engagement intention. A survey of consumers who followed fashion and beauty influencers yielded 193 responses. The collected data were statistically analyzed using regression analysis, which confirmed the significant influence relationships and explanatory power (R²) between the variables.Results: The results showed that the influencer’s empathy (β=0.344), information usefulness (β=0.191), and attractiveness (β=0.199) significantly boost consumer empathy. Continuous engagement intention (R²=5.8%) was also significantly and positively affected by information usefulness (β=0.435) and influencer attractiveness (β=0.196). Consumer empathy (β=0.665, R²=44.3%) significantly strengthened continuous engagement intention, demonstrating that consumers’ internal emotional factors provide a psychological basis for actual behavioral changes.Conclusion: This study found that the characteristics of fashion and beauty influencers and consumer empathy as factors influencing consumers’ continuous engagement intention. The findings emphasize that both influencers’ extrinsic characteristics and the intrinsic emotional variable of “consumer empathy” independently and significantly impact various behavioral intentions. This implies that when developing marketing strategies for fashion and beauty influencers, it is essential to segment influencers and consider their characteristics based on the targeted consumer behavior. Furthermore, strategies should not only deliver valuable information to consumers but also aim to foster consumer empathy through authentic content and emotional storytelling.
Koh Mi Cho (Thu,) studied this question.