The Role of Brand Trust in Mediating the Effect of Social Media Marketing Strategy on Purchase Intention of Product Portfolio

The growth of social media has transformed how businesses build relationships with consumers, particularly among Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). This study aims to examine how social media marketing (SMM) strategies influence purchase intention toward product portfolios through the mediating role of brand trust. A quantitative explanatory research method was applied, involving 117 respondents from the digital generation (aged 17–40) who had interacted with Poriklin and Poriskin brands owned by CV Halona via social media. Data were collected using a Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 3.0. The results indicate that social media marketing significantly affects both brand trust and purchase intention. Furthermore, brand trust plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between SMM and purchase intention. An R-square value of 57.5% shows that the combination of SMM and brand trust explains more than half of the variation in purchase intention toward the product portfolio. These findings demonstrate that building trust in a brand through social media not only enhances single-product purchasing decisions but also encourages consumers to buy other complementary products in the brand’s portfolio through a cross-selling approach. This study contributes to the development of sustainable digital marketing strategies for MSMEs.