Analyzing the Correlation Between Social Media Influencers and Customers’ Intention to Buy in the Luxury Market

Authors

  •   Charul Agrawal Research Scholar, Amity Business School, Amity University, Sector 125, Noida - 201 313, Uttar Pradesh
  •   Taranjeet Duggal Professor, Amity Business School, Amity University, Sector 125, Noida - 201 313, Uttar Pradesh
  •   Vishal Shukla Associate Professor, Auro University, Earthspace, Hazira Road, Opposite ONGC, Surat - 394 510, Gujarat
  •   Mitali Dohroo Research Scholar, Amity Business School, Amity University, Sector 125, Noida - 201 313, Uttar Pradesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2023/v53/i9/173140

Keywords:

luxury shopping

, social media influencers, consumer behavior, expertise, authenticity

Paper Submission Date

, March 5, 2023, Paper sent back for Revision, June 15, Paper Acceptance Date, June 30, Paper Published Online, September 15, 2023

Abstract

Purpose : The present study analyzed the impact of expertise, authenticity, and advertisement disclosure by social media influencers (SMI) on the purchased intention of luxury goods with the moderated role of gender. The growth of social media platforms has accentuated the need to understand the implications of SMIs.

Methodology : The data for the study were collected via Google Forms from 400 respondents. The variables, namely expertise, authenticity, and advertisement disclosure by SMIs, were chosen after studying extensive literature. All these variables were analyzed, keeping gender as a moderating variable; whereas, purchase intention was the dependent variable. The data collected were analyzed using AMOS.

Findings : The study revealed that all three independent variables, namely expertise, authenticity, and advertisement disclosure, were positively related to purchase intention. However, no significant relationship was observed when gender was studied concerning advertisement disclosure.

Practical Implications : The study would be helpful to luxury market companies where they can evaluate the utility of SMIs when it comes to luxury shopping. It also provided insights into what aspect of SMIs was paramount for luxury consumers.

Originality : The previous studies have focused on luxury shopping and its antecedents for purchase; this study specifically concentrated on three crucial variables directly associated with SMIs and how they could influence the purchase decisions.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2023-09-01

How to Cite

Agrawal, C., Duggal, T., Shukla, V., & Dohroo, M. (2023). Analyzing the Correlation Between Social Media Influencers and Customers’ Intention to Buy in the Luxury Market. Indian Journal of Marketing, 53(9), 28–45. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2023/v53/i9/173140

References

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

Alam, A. S., & Fathima, M. S. (2023). Implication of theory of planned behavior and marketing mix variables in assessing the mindset of consumers for solar products in India. International Journal of Energy Sector Management, 17(1), 128–144. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJESM-07-2021-0003

AlFarraj, O., Alalwan, A. A., Obeidat, Z. M., Baabdullah, A., Aldmour, R., & Al-Haddad, S. (2021). Examining the impact of influencers' credibility dimensions: Attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise on the purchase intention in the aesthetic dermatology industry. Review of International Business and Strategy, 31(3), 355–374. https://doi.org/10.1108/RIBS-07-2020-0089

AL-Sous, N., Almajali, D., & Alsokkar, A. (2023). Antecedents of social media influencers on customer purchase intention: Empirical study in Jordan. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 7(1), 125–130. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2022.11.010

Amatulli, C., & Guido, G. (2011). Determinants of purchasing intention for fashion luxury goods in the Italian market: A laddering approach. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 15(1), 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1108/13612021111112386

Arli, D. (2017). Does social media matter? Investigating the effect of social media features on consumer attitudes. Journal of Promotion Management, 23(4), 521–539. https://doi.org/10.1080/10496491.2017.1297974

Bagozzi, R. P., & Yi, Y. (1988). On the evaluation of structural equation models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 16(1), 74–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02723327

Balaban, D. C., Mucundorfeanu, M., & Naderer, B. (2022). The role of trustworthiness in social media influencer advertising: Investigating users' appreciation of advertising transparency and its effects. Communications, 47(3), 395–421. https://doi.org/10.1515/commun-2020-0053

Balaban, D. C., & Szambolics, J. (2022). A proposed model of self-perceived authenticity of social media influencers. Media and Communication, 10(1), 235–246. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v10i1.4765

Balaban, D., Iancu, I., Mustățea, M., Pavelea, A., & Culic, L. (2020). What determines young people to follow influencers? The role of perceived information quality and trustworthiness on users' following intentions. Romanian Journal of Communication and Public Relations, 22(3), 5–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.21018/rjcpr.2020.3.306

Beverland, M. B., Lindgreen, A., & Vink, M. W. (2008). Projecting authenticity through advertising: Consumer judgments of advertisers' claims. Journal of Advertising, 37(1), 5–15. https://doi.org/10.2753/JOA0091-3367370101

Boisvert, J., & Ashill, N. J. (2022). The impact of gender on the evaluation of vertical line extensions of luxury brands: A cross-national study. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 31(3), 484–495. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-09-2020-3119

Breves, P., Amrehn, J., Heidenreich, A., Liebers, N., & Schramm, H. (2021). Blind trust? The importance and interplay of parasocial relationships and advertising disclosures in explaining influencers' persuasive effects on their followers. International Journal of Advertising, 40(7), 1209–1229. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2021.1881237

Byrne, B. M., & Campbell, T. L. (1999). Cross-cultural comparisons and the presumption of equivalent measurement and theoretical structure: A look beneath the surface. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 30(5), 555–574. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022199030005001

Chen, W.-K., Silaban, P. H., Hutagalung, W. E., & Silalahi, A. D. (2023). How Instagram influencers contribute to consumer travel decision: Insights from SEM and fsQCA. Emerging Science Journal, 7(1), 16–37. https://doi.org/10.28991/ESJ-2023-07-01-02

Conde, R., & Casais, B. (2023). Micro, macro and mega-influencers on instagram: The power of persuasion via the parasocial relationship. Journal of Business Research, 158, 113708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113708

Crisafulli, B., Quamina, L. T., & Singh, J. (2022). Competence is power: How digital influencers impact buying decisions in B2B markets. Industrial Marketing Management, 104, 384–399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2022.05.006

De Figueiredo Marcos, A., & Brás, J. L. (2022). The role of digital influencers on the intention to purchase fashion products. In, 2022 17th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI) (pp. 1–7). https://doi.org/10.23919/CISTI54924.2022.9820300

Enke, N., & Borchers, N. S. (2019). Social media influencers in strategic communication: A conceptual framework for strategic social media influencer communication. International Journal of Strategic Communication, 13(4), 261–277. https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118X.2019.1620234

Farrag, D. A. (2017). The young luxury consumer in Qatar. Young Consumers, 18(4), 393–407. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-06-2017-00702

Feng, W., Chang, D., & Sun, H. (2023). The impact of social media influencers' bragging language styles on consumers' attitudes toward luxury brands: The dual mediation of envy and trustworthiness. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1113655. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1113655

Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151312

Gammarano, I. D., & Filho, E. J. (2022). Psychosocial elements that connect the digital influencers to their followers. In, J. Allen, B. Jochims, & S. Wu (eds.), Celebrating the past and future of marketing and discovery with social impact. AMSAC-WC 2021. Developments in marketing science: Proceedings of the academy of marketing science (pp. 153–164). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95346-1_52

Gammoudi, F., Sendi, M., & Omri, M. N. (2022). A survey on social media influence environment and influencers identification. Social Network Analysis and Mining, 12(1), Article 145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13278-022-00972-y

Gomes, M. A., Marques, S., & Dias, Ã. (2022). The impact of digital influencers' characteristics on purchase intention of fashion products. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 13(3), 187–204. https://doi.org/10.1080/20932685.2022.2039263

Hmoud, H., Nofal, M., Yaseen, H., Al-Masaeed, S., & AlFawwaz, B. M. (2022). The effects of social media attributes on customer purchase intention: The mediation role of brand attitude. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 6(4), 1543–1556. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2022.4.022

Hugh, D. C., Dolan, R., Harrigan, P., & Gray, H. (2022). Influencer marketing effectiveness: The mechanisms that matter. European Journal of Marketing, 56(12), 3485–3515. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-09-2020-0703

Ingrassia, M., Altamore, L., Bacarella, S., Columba, P., & Chironi, S. (2020). The wine influencers: Exploring a new communication model of open innovation for wine producers — A netnographic, factor and AGIL analysis. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 6(4), 165. https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc6040165

Jacobson, J., & Harrison, B. (2022). Sustainable fashion social media influencers and content creation calibration. International Journal of Advertising, 41(1), 150–177. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2021.2000125

Jain, S. (2019). Exploring relationship between value perception and luxury purchase intention: A case of Indian millennials. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 23(4), 414–439. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-10-2018-0133

Jain, S. (2020). Assessing the moderating effect of subjective norm on luxury purchase intention: A study of Gen Y consumers in India. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 48(5), 517–536. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-02-2019-0042

Jain, S., Khan, M. N., & Mishra, S. (2017). Understanding consumer behavior regarding luxury fashion goods in India based on the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 11(1), 4–21. https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-08-2015-0118

Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003

Kay, S., Mulcahy, R., & Parkinson, J. (2020). When less is more: The impact of macro and micro social media influencers' disclosure. Journal of Marketing Management, 36(3–4), 248-278. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2020.1718740

Koay, K. Y., Cheung, M. L., Soh, P. C.-H., & Teoh, C. W. (2022). Social media influencer marketing: The moderating role of materialism. European Business Review, 34(2), 224–243. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-02-2021-0032

Lajnef, K. (2023). The effect of social media influencers' on teenagers behavior: An empirical study using cognitive map technique. Current Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04273-1

Leban, M., Thomsen, T. U., von Wallpach, S., & Voyer, B. G. (2021). Constructing personas: How high-net-worth social media influencers reconcile ethicality and living a luxury lifestyle. Journal of Business Ethics, 169(2), 225–239. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04485-6

Lindmoser, C., Weitzl, W. J., & Zniva, R. (2022). Influencer authenticity – Conceptualization, nature and nomological role. In, F. J. Martínez-López & L. F. Martinez, (eds.), Advances in digital marketing and eCommerce. DMEC 2022. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics (pp. 140–148). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05728-1_17

Mabkhot, H., Isa, N. M., & Mabkhot, A. (2022). The influence of the credibility of social media influencers SMIs on the consumers' purchase intentions: Evidence from Saudi Arabia. Sustainability, 14(19), 12323. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912323

Marques, S., Lindo, V., & Pereira, H. (2019). How gender affects the buying-decision process among consumers of luxury goods. In, 2019 Global Fashion Management Conference at Paris Proceedings. Global Alliance of Marketing and Management Associations. https://doi.org/10.15444/GFMC2019.05.06.10

Mishra, P. (2014). Persuading effect of store aesthetics on shoppers' purchase intentions: The gender difference. Indian Journal of Marketing, 44(9), 43–53. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2014/v44/i9/80122

Naderer, B., Matthes, J., & Schäfer, S. (2021). Effects of disclosing ads on Instagram: The moderating impact of similarity to the influencer. International Journal of Advertising, 40(5), 686–707. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2021.1930939

Nwagwu, W. E., & Akintoye, A. (2023). Influence of social media on the uptake of emerging musicians and entertainment events. Information Development. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669221151162

Padival, A., Michael, L. K., & Hebbar, S. (2019). Consumer perception towards social media advertisements : A study done in a semi-urban city of South India. Indian Journal of Marketing, 49(2), 38–51. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2019/v49/i2/141582

Park, J., Lee, J. M., Xiong, V. Y., Septianto, F., & Seo, Y. (2021). David and Goliath: When and why micro-influencers are more persuasive than mega-influencers. Journal of Advertising, 50(5), 584–602. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2021.1980470

Prasad, S., Gupta, I. C., & Totala, N. K. (2017). Social media usage, electronic word of mouth and purchase-decision involvement. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 9(2), 134–145. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-06-2016-0063

Ramela, O., de Villiers, M. V., & Chuchu, T. (2022). Assessing the effectiveness of influencer marketing communication of beauty products on social media in South Africa: A consumer's perspective. Communitas, 27, 74–84. https://doi.org/10.18820/24150525/Comm.v27.6

Ren, L., Lee, S. K., & Chun, S. (2023). The effects of influencer type, regulatory focus, and perceived authenticity on consumers' purchase intention. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 47(4), 1241–1255. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12898

Ren, S., Karimi, S., Velázquez, A. B., & Cai, J. (2023). Endorsement effectiveness of different social media influencers: The moderating effect of brand competence and warmth. Journal of Business Research, 156, 113476. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113476

Richard, M.-O., Chebat, J.-C., Yang, Z., & Putrevu, S. (2010). A proposed model of online consumer behavior: Assessing the role of gender. Journal of Business Research, 63(9–10), 926-934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2009.02.027

Riefler, P. (2020). Local versus global food consumption: The role of brand authenticity. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 37(3), 317–327. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-02-2019-3086

Rosado-Pinto, F., & Loureiro, S. M. (2022). Authenticity: Shedding light on the branding context. EuroMed Journal of Business, Vol. ahead of print, No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/EMJB-08-2021-0115

Salem, S. F., & Salem, S. O. (2018). Self-identity and social identity as drivers of consumer's purchase intention towards luxury fashion goods and willingness to pay premium price. Asian Academy of Management Journal, 23(2), 161–184. https://doi.org/10.21315/aamj2018.23.2.8

Schneewind, A., & Sharkasi, N. (2022). Analysis of the impact of brand fit on perceived credibility of social media influencers by European millennials. In, F. J. Martínez-López, & L. F. Martinez (eds.), Advances in digital marketing and eCommerce. DMEC 2022. Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics (pp. 191–207). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05728-1_22

Schorn, A., Vinzenz, F., & Wirth, W. (2022). Promoting sustainability on Instagram: How sponsorship disclosures and benefit appeals affect the credibility of sinnfluencers. Young Consumers, 23(3), 345–361. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-07-2021-1355

Sesar, V., MartinÄević, I., & Boguszewicz-Kreft, M. (2022). Relationship between advertising disclosure, influencer credibility and purchase intention. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 15(7), 276. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm15070276

Shaari, H., Sheikh Abdul Hamid, S. N., & Ahmed Mabkhot, H. (2022). Millennials' response toward luxury fashion brands: The balance theory's perspective. Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business, 24(1), 101–126. http://doi.org/10.22146/gamaijb.66352

Sharma, N., Khatri, B., Khan, S. A., & Shamsi, M. S. (2023). Extending the UTAUT model to examine the influence of social media on tourists' destination selection. Indian Journal of Marketing, 53(4), 47–64. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2023/v53/i4/172689

Sharma, N., & Singh, J. (2022). Effects of social media on consumer behaviour for tourism products. ECS Transactions, 107(1), 9373. https://doi.org/10.1149/10701.9373ecst

Singh, B., & Dagur, A. (2022). Understanding influence of social media marketing of masstige fashion brands on generation Z female Indian consumers. Indian Journal of Marketing, 52(5), 8–24. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2022/v52/i5/169414

Singh, N., & Yadav, P. (2018). Social media influences holiday travel decisions : A rationale for profound analysis. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 11(2), 40–56. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2018/v11i2/121395

Solka, A., Jackson, V. P., & Lee, M.-Y. (2011). The influence of gender and culture on Generation Y consumer decision making styles. The International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 21(4), 391–409. https://doi.org/10.1080/09593969.2011.596554

Stokburger-Sauer, N. E., & Teichmann, K. (2013). Is luxury just a female thing? The role of gender in luxury brand consumption. Journal of Business Research, 66(7), 889–896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.12.007

Sun, Y., Wang, R., Cao, D., & Lee, R. (2022). Who are social media influencers for luxury fashion consumption of the Chinese Gen Z? Categorisation and empirical examination. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 26(4), 603–621. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-07-2020-0132

Tanwar, A. S., Chaudhry, H., & Srivastava, M. K. (2021). Influencer marketing as a tool of digital consumer engagement: A systematic literature review. Indian Journal of Marketing, 51(10), 27–42. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2021/v51/i10/166439

Tomar, J. S. (2016). Need of today: Creating an enterprise wide social media usage policy. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 9(3), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2016/v9i3/89177

Ünal, S., & Erciş, A. (2008). The role of gender differences in determining the style of consumer decision-making. Boğaziçi Journal, 22(1–2), 89–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.21773/boun.22.1.6

Yadav, M. (2017). Social media as a marketing tool: Opportunities and challenges. Indian Journal of Marketing, 47(3), 16–28. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2017/v47/i3/111420

Yang, G. (2022). The effects of sponsorship disclosures, advertising knowledge, and message involvement in sponsored influencer posts. International Journal of Advertising, 41(8), 1502–1520. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2022.2029260

Yang, J., Teran, C., Battocchio, A. F., Bertellotti, E., & Wrzesinski, S. (2021). Building brand authenticity on social media: The impact of Instagram ad model genuineness and trustworthiness on perceived brand authenticity and consumer responses. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 21(1), 34–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2020.1860168

Zniva, R., Weitzl, W. J., & Lindmoser, C. (2023). Be constantly different! How to manage influencer authenticity. Electronic Commerce Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-022-09653-6