Impact Of Social Media Influencers’ Credibility on The Purchase Intention: Reference to The Beauty Industry

Abstract

Purpose: The role of social media influencers is growing in importance, due to their ability to effectively influence. In addition, marketers have identified Instagram as the most important social media channel for influencer marketing, while the concept of credibility has always been significant in the field of influencer marketing. While a few studies have recently focused on how social media influencers influence consumer purchase behavior, research that specifically focuses on influencer credibility and its impact on purchase behavior is still scarce. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of influencer credibility on the purchase intention of beauty products in Sri Lanka.

Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative study was conducted using the survey method. The sample consists of 150 Instagram users between the ages of 18 and 34 who live in Colombo, Sri Lanka. To empirically test the conceptual model, single and multiple regression analyses were used.

Findings: Results suggest that there’s a positive impact of credibility dimensions towards purchase intention and the most impactful credibility factor towards purchase intention is “trustworthiness”

Originality: This research contributed to the current debates about the credibility of social media influencers. Furthermore, this study focuses on the impact of Instagram influencer credibility dimensions, which is still scarce. So, the current paper fills a gap in the limited existing literature on the credibility of social media influencers on purchase intention, with a focus on the beauty industry in the Sri Lankan context.

Implications: The findings assist marketers and advertisers in the fashion industry in understanding how influencer marketing affects consumer purchase intent. Additionally, this provides important insights to influencers in order for them to be successful influencers.

Keywords: Social media influencers, Influencer Marketing, Instagram Influencers, Influencer Credibility, Beauty Industry.