Int. J Sup. Chain. Mgt Vol. 7, No. 5, October 2018 564 The Influence of Marketing Stimuli on Consumer Purchase Decision of Malaysia’s Cosmetic Industry Khalilah Abd Hafiz #1 , Khairul Anuar Mohd Ali *2 #1 School of Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia #1 School of Business Management, COB, Universiti Utara Malaysia 06010 Sintok, Kedah, Malaysia 1 khalilah@uum.edu.my *2 School of Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia 2 kabma@ukm.edu.my Abstract— Cosmetics play essential roles and have an impact on consumers’ everyday lives on building one self-esteem and confidence. Young consumers have become beauty conscious and engaging in the beauty lifestyle. Demand for cosmetics is dynamic in Malaysia, however, less attention dedicated to the cosmetic industry in the local setting in the literature. One main issue faced by marketers is their changing behaviour, tastes, and preferences. Marketers have the challenges in trying to cope with their behavioural changes and understanding their decision-making factors and processes correctly and accurately. Hence, the paper aims to examine the influence of product, price, promotion, and place on consumer purchase decision of makeups. The researchers applied store intercept model (convenience sampling) by using self- administered survey. Multiple regression was employed. The researchers conducted a pilot study of 102 respondents aged from 18 to 25 years old who shopped at shopping malls in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The empirical results confirm that promotion is the only construct that has a significant relationship with consumer purchase decision. Keywords— Marketing stimuli, consumer purchase decision, cosmetic industry, Malaysia 1. Introduction In this competitive business world, it is vital for every organisation to put considerable effort on researching consumer buying behaviour to find out detailed information on what consumers purchase, where, when and why they purchase, how and how much they purchase [1]. The purchase decision in the context of the study is “series of choices made by a consumer before making a purchase that begins once the consumer has established a willingness to buy” [2]. Despite the abundant research on consumer behaviour field in the western market, studies on makeups purchasing in the Asian context are just starting to grow with a minimal stake. India, Malaysia, and Thailand are examples of Asian countries that have a lot of great business potential, especially in the cosmetic segment [3]–[7]. Studies on purchase decision of makeup products are insufficient, hence, the researchers is focusing on makeups because this product line has more significant values and dynamic in the long term [8]. The issue arises when changing behaviour and lifestyle of the young Malaysian consumers make it difficult for the marketers to identify, follow and understand the patterns of consumption [9], [10]. The fact that marketing activities require more time to implement is a challenge for marketers in the industry. About makeups, it is part of cosmetic products which have wider ranges such as skincare, haircare, fragrances and hygiene products. Among all of these products, skincare is the highest used product, and hygiene products are the least. However, the makeup category is driving the cosmetics market growth worldwide [8]. The makeups market is growing faster than the overall cosmetics market. Statistically, Asia Pacific is the most prominent cosmetic market in the world at 36.9% and the least Africa and the Middle East at 2.9% of the total market. The consumption is stable even in an economic uncertainty [11]. Hence, the firms have to take this massive opportunity by producing and selling more of these products and services. Since consumer purchase decision is an essential study in consumer behaviour, Stimulus-Response ______________________________________________________________ International Journal of Supply Chain Management IJSCM, ISSN: 2050-7399 (Online), 2051-3771 (Print) Copyright © ExcelingTech Pub, UK (http://excelingtech.co.uk/)