FROM INFLUENCE TO INTENT: SYSTEMATICALLY REVIEWING THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS IN PURCHASING BEHAVIOUR
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69980/j7hrvr72Keywords:
Social media influencer marketing, social media influencer, buying behaviour, purchase intention, consumer behaviour, influencer marketingAbstract
Background: In the digital moving age, social media influencers (SMIs) have emerged as strong agents altering consumer behaviour and hence, there was a need to conduct systematic literature analysis present on social media influencers.
Objectives: Broadly, to explore the impact of social media influencers on consumer purchase behaviour.
Methods: This systematic literature review explores the impact of social media influencers on consumer purchase behaviour, synthesizing findings from academic research published over the period of 15 years (2011 to 2025). PRISMA is being used as the methodology for conducting this literature review.
Results: The review identifies key factors such as influencer credibility, authenticity, engagement, content quality, and platform characteristics that prominently influence consumer trust and By employing, simultaneously, their buying behaviour.
Conclusion: Social media influencers significantly impact consumer trust and buying behaviour. The review categorizes the literature into thematic clusters, including influencer marketing strategies and consumer psychology.
References
1.Abidin, C. (2016). Visibility labour: Engaging with influencers' fashion brands and #OOTD advertorial campaigns on Instagram. Media International Australia, 161(1), 86–100.
2.Al-Adwan, A. S., Kokash, H., & Al-Kilidar, H. (2020). The role of social media influencers in the decision-making process of consumers in the Arab world. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55, 102096.
3.Casaló, L. V., Flavián, C., & Ibáñez-Sánchez, S. (2020). Influencers on Instagram: Antecedents and consequences of opinion leadership. Journal of Business Research, 117, 510–519.
4.Chapple, C. and Cownie, F. (2017) ‘An investigation into viewers’ trust in and response towards disclosed paid-for-endorsements by YouTube lifestyle vloggers’, Journal of Promotional Communications, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp.110–136.
5.Coates, A. E., Hardman, C. A., Halford, J. C. G., Christiansen, P., & Boyland, E. J. (2019). Social media influencer marketing and children’s food intake: A randomized trial. Pediatrics, 143(4), e20182554.
6.De Veirman, M., Cauberghe, V. and Hudders, L. (2017) ‘Marketing through Instagram influencers: the impact of number of followers and product divergence on brand attitude’, International Journal of Advertising, Vol. 36, No. 5, pp.798–828,
7.Djafarova, E., & Rushworth, C. (2017). Exploring the credibility of online celebrities' Instagram profiles in influencing the purchase decisions of young female users. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 1–7.
8.Djafarova, E., & Trofimenko, O. (2019). ‘Instafamous’ – credibility and self-presentation of micro-celebrities on social media. Information, Communication & Society, 22(10), 1432–1446
9.Freberg, K., Graham, K., McGaughey, K., & Freberg, L. A. (2011). Who are the social media influencers? A study of public perceptions of personality. Public Relations Review, 37(1), 90–92.
10.Hwang, Y., & Zhang, Q. (2018). Influence of parasocial relationship and perceived credibility on millennials’ purchase intention toward YouTubers’ endorsed products. Computers in Human Behavior, 95, 256–269.
11.Jin, S. V., Muqaddam, A., & Ryu, E. (2019). Instafamous and social media influencer marketing. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 37(5), 567–579.
12.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.
13.Labrecque, L. I. (2014). Fostering consumer–brand relationships in social media environments: The role of parasocial interaction. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 28(2), 134–148.
14.Lee, J. E., & Watkins, B. (2016). YouTube vloggers’ influence on consumer luxury brand perceptions and intentions. Journal of Business Research, 69(12), 5753–5760.
15.Lou, C., & 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.
16.Sokolova, K., & Perez, C. (2021). You follow fitness influencers on YouTube. But do you actually exercise? How para social relationships, and watching fitness influencers, relate to intentions to exercise. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 58, 102276.
17.Trivedi, J. P., & 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
18.Vries, L. de, Gensler, S., & Leeflang, P. S. H. (2019). Popularity of brand posts on brand fan pages: An investigation of the effects of social media marketing. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 26(2), 83–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2019.02.001
19.Zhang, Y., Moe, W.W., Schweidel, D.A., Real, E.C., Clara, S. and Moe, W.W. (2016) ‘Modeling the role of message content and influencers in social media rebroadcasting’, International Journal of Research in Marketing
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Vanshika Jindal, Dr. Amisha Gupta
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
