MEDIATING ROLE OF CONSUMER PURCHASE INTENTION ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INFLUENCER’S PERCEIVED CHARACTERISTICS AND CONSUMER PURCHASE BEHAVIOR

Year 2023, Volume: 21 Issue: Cumhuriyetin 100. Yılı Özel Sayısı, 807 - 834, 18.10.2023

Mert İnal , Erkan Bil

https://doi.org/10.35408/comuybd.1359816

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the mediating role of purchase intention in the relationship between two selected characteristics of influencers and purchase behavior in the context of influencer marketing. In addition, the aim of this paper to examine these selected characteristics’ (trust and similarity, as defined by Parasocial Interaction Theory and Planned Behavior Theory) impact on both purchase intention and purchase behavior. The main population of this paper comprises social media users who actively use social media platforms and follow at least one influencer. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed in IBM SPSS 20 program, and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling analysis were performed using the SmartPLS 4 package program. The results showed that purchase intention has a mediating effect on the purchase behavior's relationships between trust and similarity. In addition, it was revealed that trust and similarity have positive and significant effects on purchase intention and purchase behavior. The main contribution of that paper to the literature is not only to reveal the mediating role of purchase intention in the purchase behavior’s relationship between trust and similarity but also to show the effects of trust and similarity on purchase intention and to determine the effects of these variables on purchase behavior in the context of influencer marketing.

Keywords

Influencer Marketing, Social Media, Purchase Intention, Purchase Behavior, Mediating Effect

TÜKETİCİ SATIN ALMA NİYETİNİN İNFLUENCERLARIN ALGILANAN ÖZELLİKLERİ İLE TÜKETİCİ SATIN ALMA DAVRANIŞI ARASINDAKİ ARACILIK ROLÜ

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı, influencerların seçilmiş iki özelliği ile satın alma davranışı arasındaki ilişkide satın alma niyetinin aracı rolünü etkileyici pazarlama bağlamında araştırmaktır. Ayrıca, seçilen bu özelliklerin (Parasosyal Etkileşim Teorisi ve Planlı Davranış Teorisi’ne dayanan güven ve benzerlik) hem satın alma niyeti hem de satın alma davranışı üzerindeki etkisini araştırmak amaçlanmaktadır. Bu araştırmanın evrenini sosyal medya platformlarını aktif olarak kullanan ve en az bir influencerı takip eden sosyal medya kullanıcıları oluşturmaktadır. IBM SPSS 20 programında tanımlayıcı istatistiksel analizler, SmartPLS 4 paket programında ise doğrulayıcı faktör analizi ve yapısal eşitlik modellemesi (YEM) analizi yapılmıştır. Analiz sonuçlarına göre, satın alma niyetinin, güven ile satın alma davranışı ve benzerlik ile satın alma davranışı arasındaki ilişkilerde aracı etkiye sahip olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca güven ve benzerliğin satın alma niyeti ve satın alma davranışı üzerinde pozitif ve anlamlı etkilerinin olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu çalışmanın literatüre katkısı, yalnızca güven ve benzerlik ile satın alma davranışı arasındaki ilişkide satın alma niyetinin aracı rolünü ortaya koymak değil, aynı zamanda güven ve benzerliğin satın alma niyeti üzerindeki etkilerini ortaya koymak ve bu değişkenlerin satın alma davranışı üzerindeki etkilerini etkileyici pazarlama bağlamında incelemektir.

Keywords

Influencer Pazarlama, Sosyal Medya, Satın Alma Niyeti, Satın Alma Davranışı, Aracılık Etkisi

References

• Abraham, J. S. E., Floreto, S. J. L., Pagkalinawan, M. I. B., & Etrata, A. E. (2022). Consumer perception on influencer marketing efforts of brands in the beauty and cosmetics industry. International Journal of Social and Management Studies, 3(2), 105-118.
• Adnan, A., Jan, F. A., Ali, A., & Shah, S. A. (2018). Relationship between celebrity endorsements & consumer purchase intention. Contemporary Issues in Business & Economics (ICCIBE), 179.
• Afifah, I. F. (2022). Expertise, trustworthiness, similarity, familiarity, likeability, product-match up of celebrity endorsement to purchase intention. Journal of Communication and Public Relations, 1(2), 21-30.
• Al-Darraji, Z., Al Mansour, Z., & Rezai, S. (2020). Similarity, Familiarity, and Credibility in influencers and their impact on purchasing intention. Malardalen University, Sweden.
• Ajzen, I. (1988). Attitudes, personality, and behavior, Chicago: Dorsey Press.
• Ajzen, I. (2015). Consumer attitudes and behavior: the theory of planned behavior applied to food consumption decisions. Italian Review of Agricultural Economics, 70(2), 121-138.
• Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211.
• Ashraf, A., Hameed, I., & Saeed, S. A. (2023). How do social media influencers inspire consumers' purchase decisions? The mediating role of parasocial relationships. International Journal of Consumer Studies.
• Ba, S. and Pavlou, P. A. (2002). Evidence of the effect of trust building technology in electronic markets: Price premiums and buyer behavior. MIS quarterly, 243-268.
• Bailis, R. (2022). The state of influencer marketing: 10 influencer marketing statistic to inform where you invest. Access: 09.07.2023, https://www.bigcommerce.co.uk/blog/influencer-marketing-statistics/#10-most-important-influencer-marketing-statistics-for-2020
• Baron R. M. and Kenny DA. (1986). The Moderator-Mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 51, 1173–1182.
• Barta, S., Belanche, D., Fernández, A., & Flavián, M. (2023). Influencer marketing on TikTok: The effectiveness of humor and followers’ hedonic experience. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 70, 103149.
• Bastrygina, T. and Lim, W. M. (2023). Foundations of consumer engagement with social media influencers. International Journal of Web Based Communities, 19(2-3), 222-242.
• Bil, E. and Özkaya, M. (2020). Büyük veri analizi ve geleneksel pazarlama araştırmalarının kısa bir karşılatırılması. Troyacademy, 6(2), 462-476.
• Bil, E. and Özkaya, M. (2022). Büyük verinin pazarlama karması üzerindeki etkileri. Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 24(3), 969-980.
• Bil, E., İnal, M., & Özkaya, M., (2022). The Impact of Influencer’s Perceived Characteristics on Consumer Purchase Behavior. Pazarlama ve Pazarlama Araştırmaları Dergisi, 15(1), 219-244.
• Bu, Y., Parkinson, J., & Thaichon, P. (2022). Influencer marketing: Homophily, customer value co-creation behaviour and purchase intention. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 66, 102904.
• Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Chen, M., Xie, Z., Zhang, J., & Li, Y. (2021). Internet celebrities’ impact on luxury fashion impulse buying. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 16(6), 2470-2489.
• Chen, H. and Ren, J. (2022). The effect of influencer persona on consumer decision- making towards short-form video ads—from the angle of narrative persuasion. In International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, June 26-July 1, Cham: Springer International Publishing. 223-234.
• Daud, N. A. P. (2021). The moderating role of Instagram influencer marketing on the relationship between purchase intention and actual purchase in an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB) (Doctoral dissertation, IPMI Business School).
• Desai, V. (2019). Digital marketing: A review. International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development, 6(5), 196-200.
• Dhanesh, G. S. and Duthler, G. (2019). Relationship management through social media influencers: Effects of followers’ awareness of paid endorsement. Public Relations Review, 45(3), 101765.
• EMarketer (2023). Influencer Marketing 2022 Report. Access: 04.07.2023, https://www.insiderintelligence.com/
• Enke, N. and Borchers, N. S. (2021). Social media influencers in strategic communication: A conceptual framework for strategic social media influencer communication. In Social media influencers in strategic communication (pp. 7-23). Routledge.
• Farivar, S., Wang, F., & Yuan, Y. (2021). Opinion leadership vs. para-social relationship: Key factors in influencer marketing. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 59, 102371.
• Fishbein, M. and Ajzen, I. (1975) Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior: An Introduction to Theory and Research. E-Commerce: The Role of Familiarity and Trust. Omega, 28, 725-73.
• Fishbein, M. and Ajzen, I. (1977). Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior: An introduction to theory and research.
• Fornell, C. and Larcker, D.F. (1981). Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error. Journal Of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50.
• Frik, A., and Mittone, L. (2019). Factors influencing the perception of website privacy trustworthiness and users’ purchasing intentions: The behavioral economics perspective. Journal of theoretical and applied electronic commerce research, 14(3), 89-125.
• Gassenheimer, Jule B., Franklin S.Huston & J. Charlene Davis (1998). "The Role of Economic Value, Social Value, and Perceptions of Fairness in Interorganizational Relationship Retention Decisions," Academy of Marketing Science, 26(4), 322–338.
• Geyser, W. (2022). What is influencer marketing? The ultimate guide for 2022. Access: https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing/ Access Date: 02.02.2023.
• Ghosh, A. (1990). Retail management. Chicago: Drydden press.
• Gomes, M. A., Marques, S., & Dias, Á. (2022). The impact of digital influencers’ characteristics on purchase intention of fashion products. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 13(3), 187-204.
• Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E. And Tatham, R. L. (2006). Multivariate Data Analysis. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
• Hair Jr, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Gudergan, S. P. (2018). Advanced issues in partial least squares structural equation modeling. Los Angeles: Sage publications.
• Hair, J.F., Tomas, G., Hult, M., Ringle, C.M. & Sarstedt, M. (2014). A Primer on Partial Least Square Structural Equations Modeling (PLS-SEM). Los Angeles: Sage.
• Hair, J.F., Tomas, G., Hult, M., Ringle, C.M. & Sarstedt, M. (2017). Primer on Partial Least Square Structural Equations Modeling (PLS-SEM). (2nd Ed.) Los Angeles: Sage.
• Henseler, J., Ringle, C.M. And Sarstedt, M. (2015). A New Criterion for Assessing Discriminant Validity in Variance-Based Structural Equation Modelling, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43, 115135.
• Horton, D. and Richard Wohl, R. (1956). Mass communication and para-social interaction: Observations on intimacy at a distance. Psychiatry, 19(3), 215-229.
• Jamaludin, A. and Ahmad, F. (2013). Investigating the relationship between trust and intention to purchase online. Business and Management Horizons, 1(1), 1-9
• Jang, W., Kim, J., Kim, S., & Chun, J. W. (2021). The role of engagement in travel influencer marketing: the perspectives of dual process theory and the source credibility model. Current Issues in Tourism, 24(17), 2416-2420.
• Jin, S. V., Muqaddam, A., & Ryu, E. (2019). Instafamous and social media influencer marketing. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 37(5), 567-579.
• Jin, S. V., Ryu, E., & Muqaddam, A. (2021). I trust what she's# endorsing on Instagram: moderating effects of parasocial interaction and social presence in fashion influencer marketing. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 25(4), 665-681.
• Johnstone, L. and Lindh, C. (2022). Sustainably sustaining (online) fashion consumption: Using influencers to promote sustainable (un) planned behaviour in Europe's millennials. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 64, 102775.
• Kim, D. Y. and Kim, H. Y. (2021). Trust me, trust me not: A nuanced view of influencer marketing on social media. Journal of Business Research, 134, 223-232.
• Kim, J., Leung, X. Y., & McKneely, B. (2023). The effects of Instagram social capital, brand identification and brand trust on purchase intention for small fashion brands: the generational differences. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, (ahead-of-print).
• 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.
• Kurdi, B., Alshurideh, M., Akour, I., Alzoubi, H., Obeidat, B., & Alhamad, A. (2022). The role of digital marketing channels on consumer buying decisions through eWOM in the Jordanian markets. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 6(4), 1175-1186.
• Lee, J. and Lee, J.N. (2015), “How purchase intention consummates purchase behaviour: the stochastic nature of product valuation in electronic commerce”, Behaviour & Information Technology, 34(1), 57-68.
• Lee, J. E. and Watkins, B. (2016). YouTube vloggers' influence on consumer luxury brand perceptions and intentions. Journal of Business Research, 69(12), 5753-5760.
• Lestari, R., Pradani, T., & Digdowiseiso, K., (2022). The effects of digital marketing, entrepreneurship orientation, and product innovation on competitive advantage and its impact on the marketing performance of Talas Bolu Sangkuriang in Bogor City. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute (BIRCI-Journal): Humanities and Social Sciences, 5(1), 2081-2087.
• Li, Y. and Peng, Y. (2021). Influencer marketing: purchase intention and its antecedents. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 39(7), 960-978.
• Lim, Y. J., Osman, A., Salahuddin, S. N., Romle, A. R., & Abdullah, S. (2016). Factors influencing online shopping behavior: the mediating role of purchase intention. Procedia Economics and Finance, 35, 401-410.
• Lou, C. and Kim, H. K. (2019). Fancying the new rich and famous? Explicating the roles of influencer content, credibility, and parental mediation in adolescents’ parasocial relationship, materialism, and purchase intentions. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2567.
• Lou, C. and Yuan, S. (2019). Influencer marketing: How message value and credibility affect consumer trust of branded content on social media. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 19(1), 58-73.
• Lu, L. C., Chang, W. P., & Chang, H. H. (2014). Consumer attitudes toward blogger’s sponsored recommendations and purchase intention: The effect of sponsorship type, product type, and brand awareness. Computers in Human Behavior, 34, 258-266.
• Mandal, P. and Joshi, N. (2017). Understanding digital marketing strategy. International Journal of Scientific Research and Management, 5(6), 5428-5431.
• Martensen, A., Brockenhuus-Schack, S., & Zahid, A. L. (2018). How citizen influencers persuade their followers. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 22(3), 335-353.
• Martínez-López, F. J., Anaya-Sánchez, R., Fernández Giordano, M., & Lopez-Lopez, D. (2020). Behind influencer marketing: key marketing decisions and their effects on followers’ responses. Journal of Marketing Management, 36(7-8), 579-607.
• Masuda, H., Han, S. H., & Lee, J. (2022). Impacts of influencer attributes on purchase intentions in social media influencer marketing: Mediating roles of characterizations. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 174, 121246.
• Mayer, R.C., J.H. Davis and D.F. Schoorman (1995), ‘An integrative model of organizational trust’, Academy of Management Review, 20, 709–34.
• Melović, B., Jocović, M., Dabić, M., Vulić, T. B., & Dudic, B. (2020). The impact of digital transformation and digital marketing on the brand promotion, positioning and electronic business in Montenegro. Technology in Society, 63, 101425.
• Michael, S.T. Dahl, D.W., White, K., Zaichkowsky, J.L., & Polegato, R. (2014). Consumer Behavior. Beijing: Renmin University Publications.
• Moore, K. (2021). Influencer marketing trends: How influencers are shaping ecommerce marketing. Access: 03.05.2023, https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/influencer-marketing-trends
• Moran, M. (2022). 29 significant influencer marketing statistics and trends. Access: 09.05.2023, https://startupbonsai.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/
• Moslehpour, M., Van, K.P. and Danyfisla, I. (2014), “Differences of customer purchase behavior toward organic rice in Indonesia and Taiwan”, International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences, Vol. 6 No. 4, pp. 348-368.
• Müller, L., Mattke, J., & Maier, C. (2018). #Sponsored# ad: exploring the effect of influencer marketing on purchase intention. AMCIS 2018 Proceedings. 29
• Nadanyiova, M., Gajanova, L., Majerova, J., & Lizbetinova, L. (2020). Influencer marketing and its impact on consumer lifestyles. In Forum Scientiae Oeconomia, 8(2), 109-120.
• Niloy, A. C., Alam, J. B., & Alom, M. S. (2023). Influencer marketing: factors influencing a customer’s purchase intention. Asian Journal of Business Environment, 13(1), 23-32.
• Ohanian, R. (1990). Construction and validation of a scale to measure celebrity endorsers' perceived expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness. Journal of Advertising, 19(3), 39-52.
• Peña-García, N., Gil-Saura, I., Rodríguez-Orejuela, A., & Siqueira-Junior, J. R. (2020). Purchase intention and purchase behavior online: A cross-cultural approach. Heliyon, 6(6), e04284.
• Pop, R. A., Săplăcan, Z., Dabija, D. C., & Alt, M. A. (2022). The impact of social media influencers on travel decisions: The role of trust in consumer decision journey. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(5), 823-843.
• Putrevu, S. and Lord, K. R. (1994). Comparative and Noncomparative Advertising: Attitudinal Effects Under Cognitive and Affective Involvement Conditions. Journal of Advertising, 23(2), 77-91.
• Rossiter, J. and Bellman, S. (2005), Marketing Communications: Theory and Applications, Pearson Australia Publications.
• Ruef, M., Aldrich, H. E., & Carter, N. M. (2003). The structure of founding teams: Homophily, strong ties, and isolation among US entrepreneurs. American Sociological Review, 195-222.
• Saima and Khan, M. A. (2020). Effect of social media influencer marketing on consumers’ purchase intention and the mediating role of credibility. Journal of Promotion Management, 27(4), 503-523.
• Santora, J. (2022). Key influencer marketing statistics you need to know. Access: 07.05.2023, https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/
• Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C.M. and Hair, J.F. (2017). Partial Least squares Structural Equation Modelling. In C. Homburg, M.Klarmann & A.Vomberg (Eds.), Handbook of Market Research, 2-34. Heidelberg: Springer.
• Schouten, A.P., Janssen, L., & Verspaget, M. (2020). Celebrity vs. Influencer endorsements in advertising:The role of identification, credibility, and product-endorser fit. International Journal of Advertising, 39(2), 258–281.
• Sirdeshmukh, D., Singh, J., & Sabol, B. (2002). Consumer trust, value, and loyalty in relational exchanges. Journal of Marketing, 66(1), 15-37.
• Spiryn, J. (2021). What is influencer marketing? An ultimate guide by Brand24. Access: 29.03.2023, https://brand24.com/blog/what-is-influencer-marketing/
• Sokolova, K. and Kefi, H. (2020). Instagram and YouTube bloggers promote it, why should I buy? How credibility and parasocial interaction influence purchase intentions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101742.
• Statista, (2023). Influencer marketing worldwide - statistics & facts. Access: 03.07.2023, https://www.statista.com/topics/2496/influence-marketing/#topicOverview
• Sun, Y., Leng, K., & Xiong, H. (2022). Research on the influencing factors of consumers’ green purchase behavior in the post-pandemic era. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 69, 103118.
• Trivedi, J. and Sama, R. (2020). The effect of influencer marketing on consumers’ brand admiration and online purchase intentions: An emerging market perspective. Journal of Internet Commerce, 19(1), 103-124.
• Tung, S. J., Shih, C. C., Wei, S., & Chen, Y. H. (2012). Attitudinal inconsistency toward organic food in relation to purchasing intention and behavior: An illustration of Taiwan consumers. British Food Journal, 114(7), 997-1015.
• Vyatkina, O. (2020). The Impact Of Influencer Marketing On The Global Economy. Proceedings of the II International Scientific Conference GCPMED 2019, 1307-1311.
• We Are Social, (2023). The Global State of Digital in April 2023. Access: 01.07.2023 https://wearesocial.com/uk/blog/2023/04/the-global-state-of-digital-in-april-2023/
• Wibowo, A., Chen, S. C., Wiangin, U., Ma, Y., and Ruangkanjanases, A., (2021). Customer behavior as an outcome of social media marketing: The role of social media marketing activity and customer experience. Sustainability, 13(1), 189.
• Woods, S. (2016). #Sponsored: The emergence of influencer marketing. TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange.
• Wu, Y. and Huang, H. (2023). Influence of Perceived Value on Consumers’ Continuous Purchase Intention in Live-Streaming E-Commerce—Mediated by Consumer Trust. Sustainability, 15(5), 4432.
• Xu, J. D., Cenfetelli, R. T., & Aquino, K. (2016). Do different kinds of trust matter? An examination of the three trusting beliefs on satisfaction and purchase behavior in the buyer–seller context. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 25(1), 15-31.
• Yadav, R. and Pathak, G. S. (2017). Determinants of consumers' green purchase behavior in a developing nation: Applying and extending the theory of planned behavior. Ecological Economics, 134, 114-122.
• Yuan, J. and Jang, S. (2008). The Effects of Quality and Satisfaction on Awareness and Behavioral Intentions: Exploring the Role of a Wine Festival. Journal of Travel Research, 46(3), 279-288.
• Zarei, G., Asgarnezhad Nuri, B., & Noroozi, N. (2019). The effect of Internet service quality on consumers’ purchase behavior: The Role of Satisfaction, Attitude, and Purchase Intention. Journal of Internet Commerce, 18(2), 197-220.
• Zeithaml, V. A., Berry, L. L., & Parasuraman, A. (1996). The behavioral consequences of service quality. Journal of Marketing, 60(2), 31-46.