How do social media influencers induce the urge to buy impulsively? Social commerce context

Abstract

Based on signaling theory, the current research examines the impact of Fashion Influencers (FIs) on consumers' Urge to Buy Impulsively (UBI) in a social commerce context. This research specifically focuses on identifying the key factors contributing to the trust in FIs' branded posts, which subsequently impact UBI. Additionally, this study explores the moderating role of persuasion knowledge in the trust-UBI relationship and whether the trust in FIs branded posts acts as a mediator. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to social media users in Pakistan. A total of 452 responses were collected and analyzed using partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to examine the impact of FIs on UBI. Results indicate that trust in the FIs' branded posts positively impacts UBI. The results also demonstrate that Influencer Credibility (IC), Message Credibility (MC), and Media Credibility (MeC) are essential factors that contribute to the trust in FIs' branded posts. Furthermore, persuasion knowledge moderates the trust-UBI relationship, and trust in FI's branded posts mediates the relationship between IC, MC, MeC and UBI. These findings add value to the literature and offer practical insights for fashion industry marketers by providing a roadmap for fostering trust-centric relationships with followers and, in turn, fostering UBI in a social commerce context.