Brand Switching in Skincare: The Role of Social Media Marketing, Electronic Word-of-Mouth, and Variety Seeking

The rapid expansion of Indonesia’s local skincare industry has intensified competition and increased consumer propensity for brand switching. This study examines the effects of social media marketing (SMM) and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) on brand switching behavior, incorporating variety seeking as a moderating variable. A quantitative approach was employed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) based on data collected from 312 active skincare users in the Greater Jakarta area. The findings show that e-WOM has a significant positive effect on brand switching, highlighting the critical role of peer-generated information in shaping consumer decisions. In contrast, SMM does not exhibit a significant effect, suggesting that firm-generated promotional content alone is insufficient to alter brand preferences in high-involvement product categories. Furthermore, variety seeking demonstrates a strong direct effect on brand switching and negatively moderates the relationship between SMM and brand switching, while its moderating effect on the e-WOM relationship is not significant. These results indicate that consumers with higher novelty-seeking tendencies are less responsive to promotional stimuli but remain influenced by credible interpersonal communication. This study contributes to the literature by integrating digital marketing and psychological perspectives, emphasizing the primacy of socially validated information in driving consumer switching behavior.