Impact of Social Media Influencer Endorsements on Consumer Purchase Intentions

Thesis Abstract

The rapid proliferation of social media platforms has transformed the landscape of consumer marketing, with social media influencers emerging as powerful entities capable of shaping consumer perceptions and behaviors. Despite the increasing prevalence of influencer marketing, there remains limited empirical evidence quantifying the extent to which influencer endorsements impact consumer purchase intentions, particularly within context-specific markets. This study seeks to fill this gap by investigating the influence of social media influencer endorsements on consumer purchase intentions in the consumer electronics sector within an urban setting. The primary aim is to assess the strength and nature of the relationship between influencer endorsement attributes and consumers' willingness to purchase promoted products, with specific objectives including evaluating the roles of perceived credibility, attractiveness, and expertise of influencers, as well as mediating factors such as consumer trust and perceived authenticity. The research adopts a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design to facilitate empirical analysis of the relationships among variables. The population comprises active social media users aged 18–35 residing within metropolitan areas, with the sample size determined at 500 respondents through stratified random sampling to ensure representation across demographics including age, gender, and education level. Data collection instruments comprise a structured questionnaire developed and validated through a pilot study, incorporating Likert scale items to measure constructs such as influencer credibility, attractiveness, expertise, consumer trust, perceived authenticity, and purchase intention. The validity and reliability of the instruments are confirmed via factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, respectively. Data analysis involves multiple regression analysis to determine the predictive strength of influencer endorsement attributes on purchase intention, supported by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine mediating effects of trust and perceived authenticity within the relationships. The study also employs descriptive statistics to profile respondent characteristics. Theoretical frameworks include the Source Credibility Theory, which posits that the perceived trustworthiness and expertise of a communicator influence message acceptance, and the Social Comparison Theory, which suggests that consumers evaluate themselves relative to influencer personalities; these underpin the hypothesis-driven analysis. Anticipated findings are expected to demonstrate that influencer credibility, attractiveness, and expertise significantly correlate positively with consumer purchase intentions, with perceived authenticity and trust mediating these relationships. Such results would suggest that influencer characteristics influence purchase decisions both directly and indirectly, emphasizing the importance of authentic influencer-brand alignment. The findings are expected to contribute meaningfully to existing marketing literature by empirically validating the pathways through which influencer endorsements affect consumer behaviors and by extending the application of established theories within digital marketing contexts. This research contributes to academic knowledge by providing a nuanced understanding of the psychological and perceptual processes underlying influencer-driven purchase decisions, and offers practical insights for marketers aiming to optimize influencer campaigns. Based on the findings, recommendations include the strategic selection of influencers with high perceived credibility and authenticity, as well as fostering genuine engagement to enhance trust. Furthermore, the study advocates for marketers to consider consumer perceptions of authenticity as a critical component in influencer marketing strategies. Future studies are suggested to explore longitudinal effects of influencer endorsements and to examine different product categories or cultural settings, thereby broadening the research scope on influencer marketing efficacy.