The Impact of Source-Credibility on Influencer Generated Content Consumption & Purchase Intentions With Mediating Role of Brand Trust

Abstract

The primary objective of this research is to investigate and analyze the impact of influencer Source-Credibility on content consumption and purchase intentions with mediating role of brand trust. Four dimensions of source-credibility: homophily, expertise, trustworthiness and attractiveness; and its impact on Influencer brand trust were studied. Previous research has studied expertise, trustworthiness, and attractiveness on purchase intentions but no research has been conducted on its impact on content consumption. The four dimensions of homophily: attitude, background, values, and appearance along with the other dimensions of Source- Credibility, and its impact on influencer-generated content consumption and purchase intentions, with brand trust as mediating variable were also investigated. Research is deficient in field of Influencer marketing; even research on content consumption and homophily is insufficient. Hence, this study was conducted. A structured questionnaire was shared with the residents of major urban cities of Pakistan using Google forms. Using convenience and snowball sampling, 208 responses were collected out of which 204 responses were utilized in this study. Questions were adopted from the literature with reference to the participants’ favorite influencer/vlogger. SPSS and Smart PLS were used to analyze the data. The analysis of results revealed that homophily has a direct impact on content consumption and purchase intentions whereas through brand trust it impacted content consumption but not purchase intentions. Expertise has a direct influence on content consumption but not on purchase intentions. Also expertise did not influence content consumption and purchase intentions through mediating role of brand trust. Attractiveness has a positive influence on content consumption and purchase intentions. However, the mediating influence of brand trust on attractiveness was insignificant. Trustworthiness did not have direct impact on content consumption and purchase intentions but through the mediating influence of brand trust, there was a positive influence on content consumption and purchase intentions. Therefore, this research study may prove to be very helpful for vloggers and influencers in improving their marketing strategies. It would also assist the marketing practitioners and managers in making correct decisions about influencer endorsements. Lastly, it will add to the body of knowledge in the domain of influencer marketing.