The Role of Facial Enhancement Technology in Online Sales of Branded Color Cosmetics

Abstract

The Role of Facial Enhancement Technology in Online Sales of Branded Color Cosmetics This is an article-based dissertation. The author conducted three published studies to support this dissertation during her PhD studies. It includes three quantitative studies. The purpose of this dissertation is multifold: First, to explore the factors that may contribute to FET adoption. Second, to investigate the extent to which FET adoption contributes to subsequent online purchases (i.e., color cosmetics). Despite its strategic importance, the existing body of literature specifically discussing the essential role of AR-based FET on consumers’ behavioral intentions is still scarce (Javornik, 2016; Wang et al., 2022). Additionally, the customers’ adoption rate of FET is still relatively low with an unproven conversion rate on a mass scale (Monteros, 2021). The mechanisms by which users adopt FET and whether FET contributes to the online purchase intention of branded color cosmetics are still less explored. To interconnect these three studies, the dissertation adopts the UTAUT theoretical model as the foundational framework, which was utilized in Study 3. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) developed by Venkatesh et al. (2003) is one of the most popular theories for explaining behavioral intentions to adopt new technology. The primary contribution of this dissertation is to extend the traditional UTAUT model (Venkatesh et al., 2003) and apply it in the context of FET. More specifically, UTAUT is used as a baseline model in this dissertation since it can be leveraged to examine determinants of AI adoption (Venkatesh, 2022) such as FET. In this dissertation, the author primarily employed a quantitative online survey as the core research methodology, employing purposive and snowball sampling techniques for data collection. The sample populations varied across the studies: Study 1 focused on Chinese social media influencers (N=221), Study 2 on Indonesian FET users (N=262), and Study 3 on Chinese FET users (N=473). The dissertation investigated six independent variables (performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, facilitating conditions, body esteem, and price sensitivity), one dependent variable (online purchase intention), one mediator (facial enhancement technology adoption), and one moderator (social media addiction). In total, eight construct-level hypotheses were tested throughout the dissertation. The constructs were measured using a five-point Likert scale ranging from “strongly disagree” (1) to “strongly agree” (5). All three selected studies utilized Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) via SPSS and AMOS software for data analysis. A 2-step approach, comprising Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), was implemented to validate the hypotheses and generate the results. This dissertation adapted UTAUT as the theoretical foundation, the main findings primarily stem from Study 3. Some relevant findings from Studies 1 and 2 are also presented, helping to shape the research model for the dissertation. For instance, body esteem was tested in the relationship with FET adoption in Study 1 and Study 2. In Study 1, body esteem was not found to be a significant predictor of FET adoption, whereas in Study 2, both positive and negative views of body esteem exhibited a positive relationship with FET adoption. These results inspired the author to include both positive and negative body esteem in the final dissertation model. This dissertation has several theoretical contributions: First, this dissertation introduces a new concept, namely facial enhancement technology (FET). FET was used as an umbrella term in this dissertation to refer to artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) technologies capable of altering users' facial features in a virtual environment. Second, this dissertation’s primary theoretical contribution is to identify the antecedents of FET adoption and how it may lead to online purchases of branded color cosmetics. Third, this dissertation adds to the body of knowledge in social comparison theory by elucidating the roles of body esteem and online purchase behavior in the context of FET adoption, a relatively new innovation in interactive technology. Lastly, this dissertation introduces social media addiction as a moderating variable. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first dissertation to propose and provide empirical evidence of the moderating role of social media addiction in the relationship between FET and online purchases.