Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of two potentially important antecedents of female Generation Y consumers’ attitudes towards beauty products. In particular, the impact of the media and groups is analysed through their influence on subjective norms. Design/methodology/approach Structural equation modelling analysis of moment structures was used to propose and test a research model by means of data from a substantial size of female Generation Y consumers. Findings The study’s results confirm that female Generation Y consumers have a favourable attitude towards beauty products and that this attitude is influenced by their subjective norms. Furthermore, the findings suggest that group influence, which includes the opinions of friends, family and peers and media influence both predict female Generation Y consumers’ favourable attitude towards beauty products via their influence on this segment’s subjective norms. Practical implications These results emphasise the strategic importance of incorporating subjective norms, together with media and group influence into beauty product marketing communication campaigns targeting female Generation Y consumers. Given that this generation is known to be prevalent users of social media and often consult online peer product reviews, such strategies should also be extended beyond traditional media platforms to include social media, particularly social media influencers and online product review platforms, thereby tapping into subjective norms and group influence. Originality/value This study contributes to understanding female Generation Y consumers’ attitudes towards beauty products, especially the combined influence of subjective norms and media and group influence on such attitudes.

The social environment of young consumers plays an important role in their consumption behaviour. Consumers seek additional information from personal sources before they commit to purchase a product. Personal sources can include friends, family members, salespeople or even strangers, as well as media sources. Celebrities can also influence consumers purchase decisions, especially Generation Y consumers, as these individuals are obsessed with celebrities, preoccupied with celebrity image and will go to extreme measures to replicate celebrity styles. Celebrities are often used to build brand images within the fashion industry. Fashion includes various consumer products, such as automobiles, clothing, cosmetics, food, footwear, housing, music and perfumery. Cosmetics, also known as beauty products, comprise products used to care for, clean and improve the human body. The beauty product industry is a noteworthy industry, representing a significant share of the global economy. This industry is showing tremendous growth, as it was estimated to be worth 532 billion USD in 2017, with an expected growth of up to 863 billion USD by 2024. Generation Y consumers spend a significant amount of their time and energy on shopping, more specifically shopping for fashion products, resulting in them spending a considerable amount of their disposable income on these products. Furthermore, these consumers are known to have well-paid jobs, substantial spending power and a high social standing, and are therefore becoming an emerging financial force. Consequently, this paper sought to determine the influence celebrities and salespeople have on female Generation Y students' attitude towards beauty products. Data collection was done using a self-administered questionnaire. This questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of female 610 students across the campuses of three higher education institutions within the Gauteng province of South Africa. Data was analysed by means of descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, reliability and validity measures and regression analysis. The findings suggest that celebrities and salespeople have a significant direct influence on Generation Y female students' attitude towards beauty products. Marketers and retailers can use the results of this study to effectively market beauty products to South African female Generation Y students. This can be done by training salespeople to provide consumers with the needed assistance in order to make the correct purchase decisions. Marketers and retailers can also make use of celebrities to endorse, use and review beauty products. JEL Classification: M3168 https://iises.net/proceedings/international-academic-conference-barcelona/front-page

The cosmetic industry is a highly lucrative market in South Africa. Individuals of the Generation Y cohort represent an essential current and future market segment for various industries, including the beauty product industry. The purpose of this study is to determine the direct and indirect effects of variety seeking and status consumption on attitudes through beauty product innovativeness among female Generation Y students. This study used a self-administered questionnaire. The sample includes female Generation Y students at a traditional university, a comprehensive university, and a university of technology in the Gauteng province. The study yielded 610 adequate responses. The data were analyzed using principal component factor analysis, descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, and path analysis with mediation tests. The study presents a four-factor model: status consumption, variety seeking, beauty product innovativeness, and consumer attitude. Status consumption statistically, significantly, and positively affect beauty product innovativeness (β = 0.350, p = 0.000 < 0.01) and consumer attitude (β = 0.107, p = 0.053 < 0.01). Variety seeking has a statistically significant and positive influence on beauty product innovativeness (β = 0.276, p = 0.000 < 0.01) but an insignificant on consumer attitude (β = 0.043, p = 0.459 > 0.01). Lastly, beauty product innovativeness was a statistically significant predictor of attitude (β = 0.286, p = 0.000 < 0.01). These results suggest that beauty product innovativeness mediates the relationship between variety-seeking and consumer attitudes of the Generation Y cohort toward beauty products.

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