Impact of Social Media Influencers on Customer Behavior in Luxury Beauty Industry

This study aims to analyze the impact of social media influencers on customer behavior in the luxury beauty industry. It reviews past literature on consumer behavior, social media influencers, and luxury beauty products. The study evaluates factors influencing customer behavior, the role of social media influencers, and recommends ways for luxury beauty brands to effectively influence customer behavior.

Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
A STUDY TO ANALYZE THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE SOCIAL MEDIA
INFLUENCERS IMPACT THE CUSTOMER BEHAVIOR IN THE PARTICULAR
CONTEXT OF THE LUXURY BEAUTY INDUSTRY
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................4
1.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................4
1.2 Background of the Study...................................................................................................4
1.3 Research Problem..................................................................................................................5
1.4 Research Aim.........................................................................................................................5
1.5 Research Objectives...............................................................................................................5
1.6 Research Questions................................................................................................................6
1.7 Rationale of the Study...........................................................................................................6
1.8 Significance of the Study.......................................................................................................7
1.9 Structure of the Study............................................................................................................8
1.10 Summary..............................................................................................................................8
Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW..............................................................................................9
2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................9
2.2 Consumer Behavior...............................................................................................................9
2.3 Social Media Influencers.....................................................................................................10
2.4 Overview of Luxury Beauty Products.................................................................................10
2.5 Factors influencing the purchase of luxury beauty products...............................................12
2.5.1 Brand and its value.......................................................................................................12
2.5.2 Quality of the products.................................................................................................13

2SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
2.5.3 Marketing strategies used by the Luxury Beauty Brands.............................................14
2.5.4 Price..............................................................................................................................15
2.6 Social media influencers in the luxury beauty industry.......................................................15
2.7 Impact of the social media influencers on customer behavior in the luxury beauty industry
...................................................................................................................................................16
2.8 Conceptual Framework........................................................................................................17
2.9 Literature Gap......................................................................................................................18
2.10 Summary............................................................................................................................18
Chapter 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.................................................................................20
3.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................20
3.2 Research Philosophy............................................................................................................20
3.2.1 Justification for the Selected Research Philosophy......................................................21
3.3 Research Design..................................................................................................................21
3.3.1 Justification for the Selected Research Design.............................................................22
3.4 Research Approach..............................................................................................................22
3.4.1 Justification for the Selected Research Approach........................................................22
3.5 Data Collection Method.......................................................................................................23
3.5.1 Justification for the Selected Data Collection Method.................................................23
3.6 Data Analysis Method.........................................................................................................23
3.6.1 Justification for the Selected Data Analysis Method....................................................24

3SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
3.7 Ethical Considerations.........................................................................................................24
3.8 Limitations of the Study......................................................................................................24
3.9 Summary..............................................................................................................................25
References......................................................................................................................................26

4SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
This chapter outlines the research problem, research questions, research aim, research
objectives and other important entities on the basis of which the entire research would be
undertaken by the researcher. Along with these, the researcher had also outlined the structure
which would be used for the conduct of the study.
1.2 Background of the Study
As per Forbes.com (2019), the demand for luxury beauty products in the UK between the
years 2015 to 2018 surged up by more than 71% and it had been seen that more than 34% of the
global luxury beauty brands selected UK as their preferred market for the launch of the luxury
beauty products offered by them. Furthermore, the net worth of the luxury beauty industry of UK
in the year 2016 was around £19.94 billion and this value of the industry under discussion here is
expected to grow even further (Sawer and Betts 2019). In this relation, Liu, Shin and Burns
(2019) have noted that an integral factor that had contributed towards this exponential growth of
the luxury beauty industry of UK can be attributed to the effective usage of the social media and
social media influencers by the different luxury beauty brands in the concerned nation. For
instance, the different luxury beauty brands had been able to almost double its market share
worldwide through the effective usage of social media influencers on the different social media
platforms and also YouTube (Elmhirst 2019). Furthermore, the Boadicea Perfume had been able
to do the same through the influence of the Kuwaiti Blogger Ahood Alenezi whereas brands like
Guerlain, MAC and others are also trying to do the same by organizing different trips as well as
through the usage of different social media influencers (Jin and Ryu 2019). It is in the backdrop

5SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
of this influence that the social media influencers are presently wielding within the luxury beauty
industry of UK that the researcher intends to conduct the study.
1.3 Research Problem
The extensive usage of social influencers by the luxury beauty brands had given rise to
the situation wherein the free will of the customers related to the purchase is getting subverted
and they are merely following the recent trend over social media and other media platforms for
the purchase of the luxury beauty products (Pentina, Guilloux and Micu 2018). More
importantly, this had come at the cost of the disregard of the personal needs or the requirements
of the customers, who are merely falling into the pit of beauty standards which are dominant in
the present times (Audrezet, De Kerviler and Moulard 2018). Furthermore, the usage of the
social influencers have helped the luxury beauty brands to attain a substantial amount of success
yet when considered from the perspective of the customers it becomes highly unethical or for
that matter detrimental (Jiménez-Castillo and Sánchez-Fernández 2019). Therefore, it is
important for the luxury beauty brands to ethically use the social media influencers for the
purpose of influencing the buying behavior of the customers.
1.4 Research Aim
The aim of this dissertation is to analyze the extent to which the social media influencers
impact the customer behavior in the particular context of the luxury beauty industry.
1.5 Research Objectives
1. To understand the factors which influence the customer behavior for the purchase of
luxury beauty products in the luxury beauty industry

6SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
2. To evaluate the manner in which the social media influencers influence the customer
behavior in the luxury beauty industry
3. To evaluate the relationship between the influence wielded by the social media
influencers and the decisions made by the customers in the luxury beauty industry
4. To recommend ways through which the luxury beauty brands can take the help of social
media influencers for effectively influencing the customer behavior in the luxury beauty
industry
1.6 Research Questions
1. What are the factors which influence the customer behavior for the purchase of luxury
beauty products in the luxury beauty industry?
2. How the social media influencers influence the customer behavior in the luxury beauty
industry?
3. What is the relationship between the influence wielded by the social media influencers
and the decisions made by the customers in the luxury beauty industry?
4. What are the ways through which the luxury beauty brands can take the help of social
media influencers for effectively influencing the customer behavior in the luxury beauty
industry?
1.7 Rationale of the Study
The issue that had been selected by the researcher for analysis in this study is the
influence wielded by the social media influencers in influencing the customer behavior within
the luxury beauty industry. This is an important topic from the perspective of the luxury beauty

7SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
brands because of the fact that the success or for that the exponential growth that they have been
able to attain worldwide is hugely reliant on the effectiveness with which they are being able to
use the social media influencers. In this relation, it needs to be said that presently there are
various online bloggers as well as influencers who are wielded a substantial influence on the
purchase decisions made by the customers regarding the purchase of luxury beauty products all
over the world (Hamilton, Kaltcheva and Rohm 2016). For instance, it had been seen that the
majority of the customers blindly believe the recommendations or the luxury beauty reviews
written by the bloggers or the social media influencers for the purchase of the luxury beauty
products (Jin and Muqaddam 2019). Thus, it had become important for the luxury beauty brands
to take the help of the different social media influencers so as to sustain the growth attained by
them recently. The researcher in this study intends to analyze the impact of the social media
influencers in the purchase decisions made by the customers or for that matter the behavior
displayed by the customers for the purchase of luxury beauty products which in turn would help
the luxury beauty brands to utilize them effectively so as to sustain their recent growth or
success.
1.8 Significance of the Study
This research will be a significant one from the perspective of the different luxury beauty
brands since it will elucidate the manner in which they can utilize the social media influencers
not only for sustaining the recent growth attained by them but also to enhance this growth as
well. More importantly, the study in a succinct manner will also highlight the manner in which
the luxury beauty brands can influence the customer behavior or for that matter the purchase
decision of the customers related to the purchase of luxury beauty products for the enhancement

8SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
of the amount of profitability earned by them. In the light of these aspects, it can be said that this
research, will be a really important one for the luxury beauty brands.
1.9 Structure of the Study
Figure 1: Proposed Structure of the Study
Source: (Created by the Author)
1.10 Summary
To sum up, the researcher in the above discussion had highlighted the research aim,
research objectives, research questions, research problem and other important aspects on the
basis of which the entire study would be conducted.
C h a p te r1 : In tro d u c tio n
C h a p te r 2 : L ite ra tu re R e v ie w
C h a p te r 3 : R e se a rc h M e th o d o lo g y
C h a p te r 4 : F in d in g s a n d D is c u s s io n
C h a p te r 5 : C o n c lu s io n a n d R e c o m m e n d a tio n s

9SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
The research in this chapter had undertaken a critical review of the past literature related
to the topic of the impact of the social media influencers on the buying or the purchase decisions
made by the customers in the particular context of the luxury beauty industry. Thus, the
researcher had taken the help of the theoretical concepts, models, frameworks, arguments and
others presented in the past secondary literature related to the topic under discussion here.
2.2 Consumer Behavior
As stated by Boardman et al. (2019), consumer behavior refers to the branch of study
which is concerned with the analysis of the manner in which the customers, individuals or for
matter groups select, purchase, use and finally dispose the different products or services. Adding
to this, Morra et al. (2018) have observed that the customers are likely to opt only for those kinds
of products or services which fulfill their basic needs like psychological needs, self-actualization
needs, basic needs and others. Furthermore, as per the consumer buying behavior model there are
five steps that the customers before finally undertaking the actual process of the purchase of the
commodities. The five stages are need recognition, information search, a critical evaluation of
the alternatives, the actual purchase and finally the post-purchase evaluation (Santos, Au-Yong-
Oliveira and Branco 2018). In addition to these, it is seen that there are several factors which
influence the entity of customer behavior like price, brand image, quality of the products or
services and others (Jin and Ryu 2019). More importantly, within the particular context of the
luxury beauty industry it is seen that the different luxury beauty brands are taking the help of the
process of social media marketing or more precisely using the diverse social media influencers

10SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
for the purpose of influencing the customer behavior and thereby gain the desired level of growth
or profitability.
2.3 Social Media Influencers
Leiss et al. (2018) have found that the social media influencers have become an important
part of the contemporary business world and their emergence in the present times can be traced
to the digitalization that had taken place in the contemporary times. As discussed by Santos, Au-
Yong-Oliveira and Branco (2018), social media influencers can be defined as an individual who
is an active social media user and also boasts of a substantial amount of credibility within the
framework of a particular industry. More importantly, because of the global reach of the different
platforms of social media it is seen that the social media influencers have the opportunity to
persuade a large number of people through the different blogs, posts and other updates shared by
them over the different social media platforms (Jin and Ryu 2019). The different social media
influencers are being extensively used by the diverse business corporations as part of their digital
marketing strategy because of the global reach as well as the authenticity regarding the posts,
updates, blogs and others that they post over the various platforms of social media (Schouten,
Janssen and Verspaget 2019). Thus, the different business corporations through the effective
usage of the diverse social media influencers have been able to effectively influence the buying
behavior or for that matter the purchase decisions made by the customers.
2.4 Overview of Luxury Beauty Products
Ki and Kim (2019) are of the viewpoint that the luxury beauty products are described as
the kind of beauty products which are not an essential requirement of the individuals yet are still
desired by the individuals and the consumption of the same is often considered to denote the
social-position or for that matter the status of the individuals. As discussed by Arora et al.

11SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
(2019), the demand for the different luxury beauty products like skin care creams, perfumes,
cosmetics and others have surged substantially in the present times in the face of the diverse
beauty that has gained popularity. More importantly, Schouten, Janssen and Verspaget (2019)
have noted that an important change that had taken place within the luxury beauty industry is the
fact that unlike the earlier times wherein it was seen that the women were the major consumers
of the luxury beauty products however presently it is seen that the male individuals are also using
the same as well. For instance, presently it had been seen that not only the luxury beauty
products are being produced keeping into perspective the requirements of the male customers but
they are being consumed by the male customers as well (Jin and Ryu 2019). This in turn had not
only substantially increased the target market of the different luxury beauty brands but also the
profit earned by them in the present times. The different luxury beauty brands are actively taking
the help of various innovative marketing or for that matter the promotional strategies like digital
media marketing, the usage of social media influencers and others for the purpose of effectively
influencing the buying or the purchasing decisions made by the customers (Merk and Michel
2019).
Arora et al. (2019) have noted that the different luxury beauty products can be
categorized as per the different layers of the Luxury pyramid. For instance, it had been seen that
there are five layers of the luxury pyramid which denotes the different kinds of luxury products,
namely, mass-market products, premium products, accessible luxury products, aspirational
luxury products and absolute luxury products (Audrezet, De Kerviler and Moulard 2018). The
mass-market luxury products are not highly priced and therefore can be easily purchased by the
majority of the individuals. The premium luxury products are priced a little higher than the mass-
market luxury products whereas the accessible luxury products are priced still higher.

12SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
Furthermore, the prices of the aspirational and absolute luxury products are so high that only the
individuals related to the wealthy or for that matter the affluent families can afford them. This
segregation of the different luxury products even becomes perceptible within the context of the
luxury beauty industry as well wherein it is seen that the different luxury beauty brands take the
help of this particular pyramid for the designing and determining of the price of the luxury
beauty products offered by them.
2.5 Factors influencing the purchase of luxury beauty products
According to Konstantopoulou et al. (2019), the purchase or for that matter the buying
decisions made by the customers within the luxury beauty industry for the purchase of the luxury
beauty products is influenced by various factors like quality, brand image of the luxury beauty
brands, the marketing or promotional strategies used by the luxury beauty brands and others.
Some of the important factors in this regard are listed below-
2.5.1 Brand and its value
Lemon and Verhoef (2016) are of the viewpoint that the brand image or the market
reputation of the luxury beauty brands is an important factor that affects the purchase or the
buying decisions made by the customers related to the purchase of the same. As discussed by
Trudeau and Shobeiri (2016), with the increase in the number of the luxury beauty brands in the
present times it had been seen that the number of options or for that matter the choices which are
available to them related to the purchase of luxury beauty products. An important implication of
this is the fact that the customers for the purchase of the luxury beauty products are taking into
account the brand image of the luxury beauty brands (Boardman et al. 2019). More importantly,
it had been seen that the customers are also taking into perspective the manner in which the
luxury beauty products are being manufactured by the brands for instance whether the brands are

13SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
taking the help of child labor or not, whether they are disregarding the environmental damage or
for that matter the damage that the luxury beauty products offered by them are causing to the
users and others (Audrezet, De Kerviler and Moulard 2018). This as a matter of fact is one of the
major reasons why the luxury beauty brands which maintain a positive brand image had been
able to attain a substantial amount of success whereas the other brands which disregard the same
have not been able to attain the desired level of success or growth. Thus, it can be said that the
entity of brand image is one of the most important factors which affect the buying or for that
matter the purchase decisions made by the customers related to the purchase of the luxury beauty
products in the present times.
2.5.2 Quality of the products
Nelson, Moore and Swanson (2019) have noted that the quality of the luxury beauty
products which are being offered by the luxury beauty brands is one of the most important
factors which influence the buying or for that matter the purchase behavior of the customers. For
instance, the luxury beauty products are not a thing of utmost necessity for the customers and
also the surplus amount of money that the customers have it is generally seen that they try to
purchase the kind of luxury beauty products which are better in terms of quality regardless of the
price which is being charged by the luxury beauty brands for the same (Lamberton and Stephen
2016). Furthermore, if the luxury beauty brands offer below par luxury beauty products to the
customers then it is likely that this would adversely affect the users and thereby their satisfaction
or loyalty (Morra et al. 2018). In the face of this, it is likely that the customers would not opt for
the same luxury beauty products again and this in turn would adversely affect the profitability of
the luxury beauty brands. As discussed by Min, Lee and Zhao (2018), taking this particular
aspect into account the different luxury beauty brands are presently trying to improve the quality

14SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
of the luxury beauty products which are being offered by them through the usage of organic
ingredients and others so as to influence the buying behavior of the customers in the best
possible manner.
2.5.3 Marketing strategies used by the Luxury Beauty Brands
According to Stokinger and Ozuem (2018), an important benefit that the usage of
marketing offers to the luxury beauty brands is the fact that it helps them to adequately promote
or for that matter advertise the luxury beauty products that are being offered by them. For
instance, if the customers are not aware regarding the luxury beauty products which are being
offered by a particular luxury beauty brand then it is likely that they would not purchase the
same (Wright 2017). In the face of this, the framework of marketing had become an imperative
one for the luxury beauty brands for the purpose of effectively promoting or advertising the
luxury beauty products which are being offered by them. More importantly, as discussed by
Weinstein (2018), realizing the benefits offered by the mechanism of marketing, the different
luxury beauty brands are taking the help of different kinds of innovative marketing strategies like
digital marketing, the usage of social influencers and others so as to effectively influence the
buying or for that matter the purchase decisions made by the customers related to the purchase of
the luxury beauty products. Furthermore, the success attained by the luxury beauty brands
through the usage of the different innovative marketing strategies becomes apparent from the
recent growth or the surge in profitability as well as market share that they have experienced
(Montgomery 2019). Thus, the effectiveness of the marketing strategies or the measures used by
the luxury beauty brands is one of the most important factors which affects the buying or the
purchase behavior of the customers.

15SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
2.5.4 Price
Hahn, Marconnet and Reid (2016) are of the viewpoint that price is an important factor
which substantially influence the decision of the customers whether to purchase a particular
product or not and thus the business corporations are required to fix the prices of the products or
the services that they offer taking into account the pricing needs of the target market that they
serve. For instance, within the particular context of the luxury beauty industry it had been seen
that regardless of the quality of the luxury beauty products or for that matter the brand image of
the brands if the prices of these products are not in alignment with the pricing needs of the
customers then it is likely that they would not purchase the same (Kimmel 2015). In the light of
these aspects, it can be said that the entity of price is an important factor which directly
influences the purchase or the buying behavior of the customers.
2.6 Social media influencers in the luxury beauty industry
The different social media influencers have become an important part of the luxury
beauty industry in the present times because of the benefits that they offer to the luxury beauty
brands related to the aspect of marketing of the luxury beauty products offered by them (Merk
and Michel 2019). Nelson, Moore and Swanson (2019) have observed that the social media
influencers through the different blogs, posts, articles and others that they write promote the
beauty standards which are being followed by the common people. Furthermore, the beauty tips
or for that matter the suggestions or recommendations offered by the social media influencers are
being ardently followed by the individuals (Morra et al. 2018). The different luxury brands are
taking the help of the different social media influencers and the blogs, articles and others written
by them. More importantly, by getting associated with the different social media influencers, the
luxury beauty brands are making them place recommendations regarding the usage of the luxury

16SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
beauty products offered by them so as to influence the buying or the purchasing behavior of the
customers (Audrezet, De Kerviler and Moulard 2018). This in turn had helped the luxury beauty
brands to substantially enhance the sales volume of the luxury beauty products offered by them
and thereby enhance the amount of profit earned by them as well. Thus, the effective usage of
the different social media influencers have helped the luxury beauty brands to adequately
influence the buying behavior of the customers and thereby earn a higher amount of profitability.
2.7 Impact of the social media influencers on customer behavior in the luxury beauty
industry
Ki and Kim (2019) are of the viewpoint that one of the most important reasons for the
unprecedented success attained by the different luxury beauty brands in the recent times can be
attributed to the effective usage of the various social media influencers. As discussed by Min,
Lee and Zhao (2018), the effective usage of the different social media influencers have helped
the luxury beauty brands to create the need among the customers for the usage of the luxury
beauty products and thereby capitalize on the demand that they have created by offering the
luxury beauty products which will enable them to effectively fulfill the beauty needs of the
people. More importantly, the different social media influencers have created various beauty
standards in the present times and it is because of this that it had become imperative for the
people related to the affluent families to take the help of the luxury beauty products so as to be a
part of the concerned beauty standards (Hahn, Marconnet and Reid 2016). Furthermore, because
of the tie-ups or for that matter association that the social media influencers share with the luxury
beauty brands it is seen that they always try to promote the kind of beauty standards which
would be effectively fulfilled by the luxury beauty products that are being offered by the brands
with which they are associated (Santos, Au-Yong-Oliveira and Branco 2018). Thus, it can be

17SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
SOCIAL
INFLUENCE
INFLUENCER
MARKETING
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
CUSTOMER
ENGAGEMENT
said that the luxury beauty brands have been able to effectively market or for that promote the
luxury beauty products which are being offered by them through the usage of the different social
media influencers and thereby earn a higher amount of profitability.
2.8 Conceptual Framework
Figure 2: Conceptual Framework
Source: (Created by the Author)
The above given conceptual framework clearly indicates the framework which would be
followed by the researcher for the completion of this study. For instance, the conceptual
framework clearly indicates the primary objective of the luxury beauty brands behind the usage
of the process of social media marketing is to promote customer engagement which in turn
would enable them to enhance their sales volume and thereby their profitability. More
importantly, the processes of social influence and influencer marketing are being generally used

18SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
by the luxury beauty brands as part of their social media marketing measures. Furthermore, as
part of social influence, the luxury beauty brands take the help of the different social media
influencers whereas the influencer marketing refers to the marketing strategies which are being
used by the luxury beauty brands for influencing the customer behavior.
2.9 Literature Gap
The researcher during the conduct of this literature review found that there is a substantial
amount of literature related to the topic of social media influencers and the role that they play
within the contemporary luxury beauty industry. However, at the same time it needs to be said
that there are not many articles which explore the manner in which the different social media
influencers can be used for the purpose of marketing or for that matter promoting the luxury
beauty products which are being offered by them. More importantly, the researcher also found
that there are very few scholarly works which highlight the manner in which the different social
media influencers can be used for the purpose of influencing the buying behavior of the
customers. In the light of these aspects, it can be said that by effectively focusing on these
aspects which not many past scholars have focused on, the researcher will be able to create a
framework which the future researchers can follow for the purpose of conducting their research.
2.10 Summary
To sum up, the researcher in this chapter had highlighted the major theoretical concepts,
models or frameworks, ideas and others related to the impact of the social media influencers on
the buying or for that matter the purchase decisions made by the customers in the luxury beauty
industry. These ideas or for that matter the arguments presented in this chapter will enable the
researcher to effectively discuss the findings obtained by the researcher through the analysis of
the primary data collected for the completion of this study.

19SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR

20SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
Chapter 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
As noted by Flick (2015), research methodology is the systematic approach which is
generally used by the researchers for the completion of their research. Daniel, Kumar and Omar
(2018) have stated that the researchers need to take into account the different components of the
research methodology like research philosophy, research approach, data collection method and
others as per the nature or the kind of study that they are conducting so as to effectively address
the research objectives on the basis of which they are conducting the study.
3.2 Research Philosophy
According to Gabriel (2015), research philosophy is the collection of the beliefs, values,
tradition and other attributes which guides the entire process of research that is being undertaken.
Three of the most commonly used research philosophies are interpretivism research philosophy,
positivism research philosophy, pragmatism research philosophy and realism research
philosophy (Kumar 2019). Patten and Newhart (2017) have noted that the positivism research
philosophy requires the researchers to use different statistics, facts, observations, theories and
others for testing the accuracy of the hypotheses or the assumptions that they have made for the
conduct of the study. Furthermore, the usage of the interpretivism research philosophy requires
the researchers to differentiate between the human behavior and the social factors and thus the
research strategies of observation and interviews are generally suited for this research philosophy
(Smith 2015). The realism research philosophy is an amelioration of the above mentioned two
research philosophies and thus the researchers are required to take into account the attributes of
both of these philosophies for the completion of their study (Walliman 2017). Creswell and

21SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
Clark (2017) have noted that the pragmatism research philosophy is the one wherein the
researchers are required to take into account different perspectives for addressing the research
questions. Furthermore, the researchers using this particular research philosophy hold the idea
that one viewpoint cannot answer the research questions in the best possible manner and this is
the reason why they take the help of multiple viewpoints.
3.2.1 Justification for the Selected Research Philosophy
The researcher took the help of the pragmatism research philosophy for the conduct of
this study. This enabled the researcher to undertake an analysis of the research questions
formulated in the Introduction chapter through the specific lens of different perspectives which
in turn helped the researcher to analyze the impact of the social influencers on the entity of
customer behavior in the luxury beauty industry.
3.3 Research Design
As discussed by Antwi and Hamza (2015), the exploratory research design, explanatory
research design and the descriptive research design are the three most commonly used research
designs by the researchers. For example, descriptive research design requires the researchers to
correlate the findings obtained from secondary or the primary data with the research objectives
formulated in the Introduction chapter (Fletcher 2017). This helps the researchers to enhance the
quality of the study by rendering the necessary coherence to the same (Bell, Bryman and Harley
2018). The explanatory research design is the one wherein the researchers need to identify the
root causes or the factors which have contributed towards the research problem that is being
analyzed by them in the study (McCusker and Gunaydin 2015). Furthermore, the exploratory
research design is the one wherein the researchers explore the background information of the

22SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
problem statement or the research problem that they have selected (Alvesson and Sköldberg
2017).
3.3.1 Justification for the Selected Research Design
The descriptive research design was used by the researcher during the conduct of this
particular study. The usage of this research design afforded the opportunity to the researcher to
attain the necessary coherence in the study by linking the results derived from the analysis of the
primary data with the research objectives formulated in Chapter 1.
3.4 Research Approach
As stated by Corbin, Strauss and Strauss (2015), the researchers normally take the help of
either the inductive research approach or the deductive research approach. Deductive research
approach requires the researchers to opt for the usage of different theoretical constructs, models,
frameworks and others for testing the validity of the assumptions or the hypotheses formulated
by them during the conduct of the study (Daniel, Kumar and Omar 2018). However, the
researchers using the inductive research approach need to take the help of various analytical tools
so as to effectively analyze the secondary or the primary that they have collected which in turn
facilitates the testing of the hypotheses or the assumptions made in the study (Creswell and Clark
2017).
3.4.1 Justification for the Selected Research Approach
Deductive research approach was used by the researcher during the conduct of this study.
This enabled the researcher to use different theoretical models, frameworks and others for the
purpose of testing the validity or for that matter the accuracy of the assumptions or the
hypotheses made in the study.

23SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
3.5 Data Collection Method
Greenfield and Greener (2016) have noted that the secondary data collection and the
primary data collection method are the two most important data collection methods which are
available to the researchers depending on the nature or for that matter the kind of research that
they are undertaking. Primary data collection method helps the researchers to collect firsthand
information through the usage of the tools of interviews, survey, observation and others (Taylor,
Bogdan and DeVault 2015). Secondary data collection method facilitates the collection of
secondary information from newspaper, peer-reviewed journals and others (Quinlan et al. 2019).
3.5.1 Justification for the Selected Data Collection Method
Secondary data collection method was used by the researcher during the conduct of this
research. This helped the researcher to collect secondary data from the different secondary
sources regarding the purchase of luxury beauty products and also the role played by the
different social influencers and their blogs in influencing the purchase decisions made by the
customers.
3.6 Data Analysis Method
Qualitative data analysis method and quantitative data analysis method are the two most
commonly used data analysis methods by the researchers depending on the nature of data or
information that they have collected (Carey and Asbury 2016). In this context it needs to be said
that the qualitative data analysis method is generally used for the analysis of secondary data
whereas the quantitative data analysis method is being used for the analysis of primary data
(O'Brien and Pipkin 2017).

24SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
3.6.1 Justification for the Selected Data Analysis Method
The researcher because of the usage of the secondary data collection method took the
help of the qualitative data analysis method. This method helped the researcher to undertake an
analysis of the secondary data derived from the different secondary sources.
3.7 Ethical Considerations
The researcher took into account the different ethical considerations of conducting
academic research. For instance, in order to avoid plagiarism the researcher offered due credit to
the scholars whose works were used for the completion of this study.
3.8 Limitations of the Study
The researcher on the score of resource and time constraints was able to collect only
secondary information regarding the role played by the social media influencers in the purchase
decisions made by the customers related to the purchase of the luxury beauty products and no
surveys were being conducted. Furthermore, because of accessibility issues the researcher was
not able to conduct interviews with the customers who frequently purchase luxury beauty
products. These two aspects have not only affected the quality or the scope of the study but are
its two major limitations as well.
3.9 Summary
The researcher in this chapter had highlighted the research methodological framework
which was used during the conduct of the study and also offered adequate justifications for the
usage of the same. The next chapter of this study is “Findings and Discussion”.

25SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND CUSTOMER BEHAVIOUR
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