Influencer Credibility as a Determinant of Consumer Purchase Intention: A Study of Social Media Marketing Effectiveness
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This paper explores how the credibility of influencers is a major determinant of consumer purchaseintention, as applied in social media marketing. The study examines the effects of dimensions ofperceived trustworthiness, perceived expertise, relatability, content quality, engagement with theaudience, and transparency of paid disclosures as the main variables on the attitudes and purchasingbehaviour of consumers, using a structured Likert-scale survey, which was carried out on 52participants, primarily based in Mumbai, Surat, and the surrounding areas. The results can beexpressed as follows: most of the respondents have purchased products on the recommendationsof the influencers, and the elements of disclosure of paid promotion and high-quality contenthave proven to be the most effective trust-building elements. The paper wraps up by concludingthat the multi-dimensional influencer credibility is a key contributor to purchase intention in theIndian social media ecosystem.
Authors: Masurkar, Chaitanay, Dsilva, Royson
Language: English
Subfield: Marketing
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7220734283