What’s done in the dark will be brought to the light: effects of influencer transparency on product efficacy and purchase intentions

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the type of disclosure used by social media influencers on consumer evaluations of influencer transparency, product performance expectations and how those factors ultimately influence purchase intentions. Design/methodology/approach An experiment was conducted with 321 participants recruited from MTurk to test a moderated serial-mediation model. Findings The results indicate that when consumers become cognizant that an influencer’s branded promotional post may have been motivated by an underlying financial relationship, they evaluate the influencer as significantly less transparent if a more ambiguous disclosure is used relative to a clearer disclosure. Transparency perceptions of the influencer impact consumers’ perceptions of product efficacy as well as purchase intentions. Originality/value Social media influencers are rapidly emerging as a popular marketing tool for brand managers, but consumer response to this form of promotion is not well understood. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate how the type of endorsement disclosure used by a social media influencer impacts consumer perception of influencer transparency, product efficacy and purchase intentions. Further, this research demonstrates the applicability of the persuasion knowledge model in the domain of influencer marketing.

Impact of Social Media Influencer Marketing On Youth Purchase Intentions in UAE

“…However, it depends on consumer involvement with products as it helps raise their intentions to interact with influencers and look for information. Taillon et al (2020); Pick (2020); and Woodroof et al (2020); Glucksman (2017); Jun and Yi (2020); ; Bochenek (2019); and Han et al's (2020) studies have already proved the influencers' role as attractive persons shaping up the purchase decisions by their credibility, attractiveness, experience and trustworthiness intentions. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that influencers' posts and videos contribute as instruments for word-of-mouth marketing and enhance the attractiveness and likeability of products and help consumers evaluate their purchase preferences.…”

Does product display quantity increase purchase intention? The mediation of diminished pain of payment

“…the likelihood of purchasing the products or services (Kamalul Ariffin et al, 2018;Raji et al, 2019). On the other hand, research on online retailing also illustrates product display quantity's positive impact on product perception (Vanbergen et al, 2020), which will also stimulate consumers' incentive to purchase (Pancer et al, 2017;Woodroof et al, 2020). Therefore, we argue that product display quantity is a signal that has a positive impact on online purchase intention.…”

Impact of Social Media Influencer Marketing on Youth Purchase Intentions in UAE

“…However, it depends on consumer involvement with products as it helps raise their intentions to interact with influencers and look for information. Taillon et al (2020); Pick (2020);and Woodroof et al (2020); Glucksman (2017); Jun and Yi (2020); ; Bochenek (2019);and Han et al's (2020) studies have already proved the influencers' role as attractive persons shaping up the purchase decisions by their credibility, attractiveness, experience and trustworthiness intentions. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that influencers' posts and videos contribute as instruments for word-of-mouth marketing and enhance the attractiveness and likeability of products and help consumers evaluate their purchase preferences.…”