The Impact of Key Opinion Leaders on Fashion Purchase Decisions on TikTok

Abstract

Using Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) has emerged as a prominent marketing strategy to promote fashion products on social media platforms. However, research on the influence of KOLs on customers’ purchase intentions, particularly in the fashion sector, remains limited. This study investigates how KOLs build customer trust and influence their intention to purchase fashion products, particularly environmentally friendly "green" items, by applying the Stimulus– Organism–Response (S-O-R) theoretical framework. Drawing on a review of relevant literature, this study examines KOL, related factors such as reputation, perceived expertise, and level of audience engagement. It also considers content-related attributes, including content quality, aesthetic value, and interactivity. To empirically test the proposed relationships, an online survey was conducted among Vietnamese customers. Findings from this research provide practical insights for organizations seeking to leverage KOLs as an effective marketing tool in the digital fashion industry. The results suggest that utilizing KOLs can help enhance customer understanding of the value and benefits of fashion products, especially in online environments. Additionally, the study highlights certain limitations in applying the S-O-R model in this context, thereby emphasizing the need for further research, either through refining the existing framework or exploring alternative theoretical models across different industries and customer settings.