Do parasocial interactions and vicarious experiences in the beauty YouTube channels promote consumer purchase intention?

Abstract Watching beauty YouTube channels when searching for product information and learning how to do makeup is becoming very popular among young women. This study focused on the parasocial interactions that arise between beauty YouTubers and viewers during video viewings. We examined the effects of parasocial interactions on consumer purchase intentions through vicarious experience and perceived risk. Data from 318 Korean women in their 20s validated the hypothesized research model. We used AMOS 25.0 to conduct structural equation modeling with maximum likelihood estimation. Our analysis showed that parasocial interactions promote viewers' vicarious experiences of content diagnosticity and vicarious expression, which in turn reduce risk perceptions and increase viewers' purchase intentions. This study provides evidence supporting the applicability of parasocial interactions as a theoretical framework to explain consumer perceptions of virtual relationships and their impacts on consumers' vicarious experiences and purchase decision processes in the YouTube environment. The results also indicate that strengthening parasocial interactions between presenters and viewers can make beauty YouTube channels more effective marketing tools. However, the generalizability of the results is limited to beauty YouTube contexts involving large numbers of subscribers.