The impact of social media influencers on purchase intention: examining the mediating role of credibility in Sindh, Pakistan

Abstract

Social media influencer marketing is a brand-new digital marketing tool where influencers shape consumers’ perceptions of products, services, and brands. They can influence buying behaviour by posting images, reviews, and personal experiences on social media. Over the past few years, consumers have significantly become aware of influencers. This research paper aims to identify the numerous characteristics of influencers affecting social media, influencing their credibility and consumer intentions towards purchasing in Sindh, Pakistan. Consequently, a framework that shows the connections between trustworthiness and reliability. A framework that can directly impact an influencer’s credibility on social media and an indirect impact on a customer’s intention to make a purchase. Closed-ended survey questionnaires were used to obtain the data, and “purposive sampling” was used to select respondents in this study. Confirmatory factor analysis, reliability, and validity tests were used to conduct and check the hypotheses. Smart-PLS was applied to the data collected for a detailed analysis. The findings of this observation stated that the consumer’s intent to make a purchase is directly affected by the influencer’s credibility on social media. However, expertise had no significant effect on the influencer’s credibility, but it indirectly impacted a consumer’s purchase intention.