ANTECEDENTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF FASHION OPINION LEADERSHIP IN INSTAGRAM

Abstract

In the fashion industry, online opinion leaders (e.g. fashion blogs) that may be a source of advice for other consumers have emerged since the beginning of the century. Nowadays, among the several social networking sites (SNS) available, Instagram is also experiencing a steady increase in the amount of active users related to the fashion industry. Taking into account the relevant role of social influencers in the fashion industry (Wiedman et al., 2010) and the increasing use of Instagram by influencers and their followers, this study is thus designed to identify some of the antecedents and consequences of opinion leadership in a fashion Instagram account.First, we consider the perceived characteristics of the account (originality [H1a], uniqueness [H1b], quality [H1c] and quantity [H1d] of the contents posted) as the main antecedent factors of opinion leadership. Second, since opinion leaders are thought to have a great understanding of a specific product category (Thakur et al., 2007), we propose that opinion leadership may influence consumer behavioral intentions (Park, 2013). Specifically, opinion leadership will influence the intention to interact with the Instagram account (H2a), the intention to recommend it (H2b) and the intention to follow the advices obtained there (H2c). Finally, online interaction propensity will reinforce the influence of opinion leadership on interaction (H3a) and recommendation intentions (H3b), and the influence of opinion leadership on the intention to follow the advice will be reinforced when the contents of the account match the consumer personality and interests (i.e. personal fit) (H3c).Data to test these hypotheses was collected from an Instagram account focused on fashion in which a potential influencer posts pictures related to new trends in the fashion industry and that could be imitated by the followers of the account. Specifically, this account has more than 62.000 followers, who were invited to participate in the research. Finally, 808 participants answered a questionnaire including measurement scales adapted from previous literature, using seven-point Likert-type response formats, which respondents rated from 1 (“strongly disagree”) to 7 (“strongly agree”).Partial Least Square was used as the estimation procedure. First, we analysed data to check validity of measures in order to confirm the factor structure, guarantee its internal consistency, and check both convergent and discriminant validity. After that, results of the proposed model reveal that opinion leadership is positively affected by perceived originality (β=.380, p<.01) and uniqueness (β=.298, p<.01), supporting H1a and H1b. However the influence of both perceived quality and quantity is non-significant. In turn, opinion leadership has a significant influence on the intention to continue interacting in the account (β=.558, p<.01), the intention to recommend the account online (β=.482, p<.01), and the consumer intention to follow the advice received in the Instagram account (β=.232, p<.01). As a result H2a, H2b and H2c are supported. Finally, while the interaction effects of online interaction propensity and opinion leadership are not significant, the interaction effect of perceived fit with personal interests and opinion leadership on the consumer intention to follow the advice received in the Instagram account (β=.078, p<.01) is significant. Therefore, H3c is supported. In sum, this study confirms that opinion leadership in the Instagram context may influence consumers and finds that originality and uniqueness are the key variables to develop this leadership and become influential, which suggests several implications for management.