Investigating The Effect of Visual Content of Facebook on Customer Trust with The Mediating Perspective of Customer Engagement with Special Reference to Cosmetic Industry of Colombo District Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background: Facebook visual content has become an important marketing tool for cosmetic brands to communicate with consumers and build customer trust. However, limited empirical research has examined how visual content on Facebook influences customer trust through customer engagement in the Sri Lankan cosmetic industry. Objective: This study investigates the effect of visual content of Facebook on customer trust with the mediating role of customer engagement with special reference to the cosmetic industry in the Colombo district of Sri Lanka. Methodology: The study employed a quantitative research approach using a structured, closed ended questionnaire to collect primary data from a sample of 384 Facebook users who follow the cosmetic brand pages. Respondents were selected through a convenience sampling method. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Key Findings: The findings revealed that Facebook visual content has a significantly positive impact on customer engagement (B = 0.849, p ˂ 0.05) and customer trust (B = 0.874, p ˂ 0.05), and also customer engagement positively influences customer trust (B= 0.529, p ˂ 0.05). Furthermore, Mediation analysis confirmed that customer engagement partially mediates the relationship between visual content and customer trust (B = 0.094, p ˂ 0.05), indicating that visual content enhances customer trust primarily by increasing customer engagement. Conclusion / Implication: This study highlights the critical role of Facebook visual content in enhancing customer engagement and building customer trust within the cosmetic industry. By empirically validating the mediating role of customer engagement, the study contributes to the existing literature and addresses a notable research gap in the Sri Lankan context the findings provide valuable insights for cosmetic marketers to design effective visual content strategies to strengthen consumer trust and engagement.