Multiple online media channels have emerged in recent years to promote a company’s products and inspire customers to make purchasing choices. These channels emerged as a consequence of advancements in information and communication technologies. Later research on social media marketing activities demonstrated that creating social connections via online platforms is recognized as an emerging strategy for advertising and reaching large audiences. Several social media platforms have emerged, prompting marketing practitioners to use them for engaging, communicating, and working with their social clients. Rapid improvements in internet and information technologies have presented business practitioners with options for reaching their consumers and reinforcing their brand values. In light of its importance in influencing customer purchasing behavior, the use of social media for communicating and marketing new goods or services has grown. Social media platforms provide a way for people to engage and communicate, making it easier for companies to communicate with customers and provide services like online shopping, product search, and payment. Furthermore, it facilitates the virtual sharing and broadcasting of vast amounts of information among internet users. As the usage of social media platforms expands globally, companies have begun to focus on improving the customer experience via these channels and internet websites in general. Customer experience is a goal-oriented approach that emphasizes creating good behavioral intentions and promoting customer loyalty. The customer’s evaluation of the value of the product or service is influenced by their experience and might significantly impact their purchase decision. Previous empirical research on SMM has focused largely on purchase intention rather than actual purchase behavior, and studies that explore the processes by which SMM may affect purchase decisions are scarce. Accordingly, the present study investigates the relation between SMM and purchase decision through the mediation role of customer experience in skin and hair care products in Egypt.

The framework links SMM dimensions (interactivity, entertainment, informativeness, perceived relevance) to customer experience dimensions (peace of mind, moments-of-truth, outcome focus, product/service experience) and to purchase decision, with social platforms as a moderator and customer experience as a mediator.

Data were collected via a questionnaire administered through Survey Monkey. Quantitative analysis employed SPSS for descriptive statistics and AMOS for Structural Equation Modelling (SEM).

The questionnaire was sent to 700 female respondents; 428 were returned (61.1%). Of these, 38 were unusable (4.8%), and 272 were not reached (38.9%). A total of 390 valid replies were obtained (55.7%). Platform usage: Facebook 47.2%, Instagram 23.1%, YouTube 17.7%, Pinterest 12.1%.

Measurement model: standardized loadings 0.504–0.922 (α=0.05) indicating convergent validity. AVE exceeded 0.50 for all constructs: Interactivity 0.624, Informativeness 0.739, Entertainment 0.561, Perceived Relevance 0.583, Peace of Mind 0.690, Moments of Truth 0.564, Product Experience 0.596, Outcome Focus 0.575, Purchase Decision 0.750. Composite Reliability (CR): Interactivity 0.869, Informativeness 0.918, Entertainment 0.827, Perceived Relevance 0.846, Peace of Mind 0.930, Outcome Focus 0.844, Moments of Truth 0.837, Product Experience 0.852, Purchase Decision 0.938.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (9-factor): DF=1129; χ²/DF=2.369; RMSEA=0.054 (<0.08); TLI=0.922; CFI=0.930.

Structural model: DF=691; χ²/DF=2.428; RMSEA=0.055; TLI=0.919; CFI=0.924.

SMM → Customer Experience: β=0.513, CR=4.931, p<0.05. Supports that SMM enhances customer experience, aligning with prior work on social media interactions improving service encounters and relationships.

SMM → Purchase Decision: β=0.775, CR=13.258, p<0.05. Indicates strong positive effect of SMM on purchase decision, consistent with findings on interactivity, entertainment, relevance, and informativeness driving purchase behavior.

Customer Experience → Purchase Decision: β=0.394, CR=3.206, p<0.05. Confirms positive influence of experience on purchasing, emphasizing the need to manage online touchpoints.

Mediation: Customer experience partially mediates SMM → purchase decision (p=0.001). Moderation: Platform differences observed—Instagram showed strongest SMM → purchase decision (β=0.500); YouTube strongest SMM → experience (β=0.919); Pinterest strongest experience → purchase decision (β=0.508).

Context limited to Egyptian skin and hair care products; future studies should include additional developing countries and sectors (including SMEs). Cross-sectional design limits temporal insights; longitudinal studies are recommended. Qualitative methods could enrich understanding of mechanisms.