INTRODUCTION . - Ăn mm 4 1.1 The reason for choosing the (ODÍC .o con n9 S0 n1 n1 1 mm vn 8 4 1.2 Overview of the research sifuafi0n .-. ô- cm mm mm mm ngư 5
International research of online purchase infenfion
In foreign research publications, the studies place a greater emphasis on the analysis of clients' online buy intentions as influenced by celebrities A significant portion of worldwide study on influencers has examined their growth and success as personal brands as “brand fans" (Abidin & Ots, 2016) or "brand evangelists" (Dolbec & Fischer, 2015) (Abidin, 2012) In the context of brand messaging and awareness for fashion bloggers, the legitimacy and authenticity of influencers have been explored (Kozinets, de Valck, Wojnicki & Wilner, 2010) Several researchers have expressed an interest in the influencers’ popularity and influence Kwak et al (2010) compare three separate variables: followers, page rank, and retweets, with page rank being the most important Cha et al (2010) discovered, using the same three metrics (followers, mentions, and retweets), that influencers with a large following are not always successful on the other measures
Researchers looked at consumers' intentions to buy under various conditions Online shoppers are more likely to make a purchase when they have more faith in the commodity or service, claim Akar and Topcu (2011) Purchase intention has been shown to be significantly impacted by trust (Li, Kim & Park, 2007) Customers have an important role in the online world as well, thanks to their interactions., which have an impact on the establishment of trust and eventually influence purchase intention (Lee, Khong & Hong, 2014) Electronic word-of-mouth (WOM) has an effect on client purchasing choices at this time, which can have a positive or negative effect on purchase intent (Sa'ait, Kanyan, & Nazrin, 2016) Additionally, brand attitude has been shown to affect purchase intentions in a favorable way For instance, a customer's positive opinion of a certain brand may encourage them to purchase it if they demonstrate a desire to do so (Butt, 2014) Furthermore, brand equity influences customer desire to buy, whereas brand loyalty influences in brand equity and purchase intention (Porral et al., 2015)
Influencers can influence consumer purchasing decisions in their capacities as experts, demonstrating the relationship between influencers and consumer behavior while implying an implicit relationship between the authenticity, credibility, and other qualities an influencer may possess as the primary reason for trusting experts As a consequence, our research issue may be related to the link between influencers and online purchase intent Because past research has not thoroughly addressed the question of what the genuine features of the influencers that affect online purchase intention are, the focus of this thesis will be on studying this relationship from the customers’ point of view
1.2.3 Research of online purchase intention on Gen Z consumers:
With a rise of 10% from 2019's 68 million Internet users and 65-68 million users of social media, Vietnam has enjoyed a significant technological edge (Kemp, 2020) According to data gathered by GSO of Vietnam (2018), which may be used to support this claim, more than 70% of Vietnam's 95 million people have access to the internet
According to Tiamo and Verissimo (2014), substantially more convenient and affordable internet connectivity has allowed the digital to advance significantly Marketing techniques have evolved significantly as a result of the rapid advancement in technology (Opreana & Vinerean, 2015), particularly social media marketing campaigns, which are used as an economical yet efficient method of communicating brand messaging to clients in the era of 4.0 (Kirtis & Karahan, 2011) Platforms for social networking, like Facebook, YouTube, Tiktok, Instagram, and Twitter, have seen a growth in marketing by influencers
Influencer marketing is the most trusted and successful kind of advertising since 92% of consumers worldwide feel that a person's recommendation is more trustworthy than traditional advertising (Nielsen, 2015)
As more businesses interact with and engage with various client groups, influencer marketing is getting more and more popular The author is motivated to investigate influencer marketing by this reality as well Nielsen (2015) estimates that Gen Z will make up 25% of Vietnam's future labor force, or around 15 million potential consumers Gen Z will make up 30% of the global population by 2020, making them the generation most likely to displace Millennials as consumers (Sparks & Honey marketing agency, 2019)
In Vietnam, the impacts of influencer marketing on gen Z buying intentions have only been investigated briefly According to Kantar (2020), 75% of respondents want to understand more about the brand's media actions in the Covid 19 epidemic As a result, all firms must devise marketing strategies that effectively reduce marketing expenses while attracting clients
According to a Launchmetrics research involving 600 marketing, PR, and communication experts, influencer marketing will be used as part of the marketing plan for organizations In crisis (Launchmetrics, 2020).Therefore, the author aims to do study on this issue in order to provide a current marketing solution for businesses The purpose of this study is to examine the link between influencer marketing and the purchasing proclivity of Vietnam's Gen Z Businesses are given managerial ideas on how to boost influencer marketing campaigns among Gen Z customers
This study examines how influencers affect undergraduates in Ho Chi Minh City's intention to purchase online From there, we investigate the psychological process of those students who are addicted to surfing the internet and how they are affected In addition, the research team will also make theoretical and practical implications based on research results and models to help undergraduates recognize the effects of influencer marketing
Firstly, the influencers impact the shopping online intent of the undergraduates in Ho Chi Minh city
Thus, identify factors of influencers which affect the shopping online intent of Ho Chi Minh city’s undergraduates
- How do influencers have an impact on the shopping online intent of undergraduates in Ho Chi Minh city?
- What are those factors of influencers that affect the buying things online intent of undergraduates in Ho Chi Minh city?
1.5 Delimitation and scope of research
The purpose of the research is to find out whether influencer marketing affects the HCM city’s undergraduates’ intentions of shopping online or not And if it is, how it will be affected The research will be implemented throughout Ho Chi Minh city and focus on the group of the undergraduates - those spending the amount of time surfing social media sites and a large amount of money on internet shopping The factors impacting the research that we are conducting can be mentioned as the popularity of the influencers, the quality of the products the undergraduates are tending to purchase or herd behavior of the young
The research and survey would be conducted in the Ho Chi Minh area - the highest population density in VietNam, where many students from other sides of VietNam gather together so that it can be more trustworthy if we survey the different kinds of students, different financial conditions The survey may last for more or less than a month in order to collect diverse sources of data and convert it into useful information for the credibility of the research
The research will be qualitative research which utilizes a focus group strategy The table of questions would be created based on the qualitative research method - collecting and analyzing non-numerical data (e.g., text, video, or audio) to understand concepts, opinions, or experiences Qualitative research is done to comprehend how interviewers see their surroundings Although there are several ways to do qualitative research, most of them are adaptable and put a strong emphasis on preserving rich meaning when analyzing the data Grounded theory, ethnography, action research, phenomenological research, and narrative research are examples of common methodologies While they emphasize different aims and views, they do have certain commonalities
With influencer marketing, brands can interact with customers more directly, naturally, and broadly This is why it is predicted to be the marketing approach of 2017 Additionally, they can strengthen their messaging while enticing their intended audience (Talaverna, 2015) Influencer marketing is still a young concept, but despite the fact that it lacks a solid academic base, several marketing and PR firms have conducted studies where they discover compelling evidence in support of influencer marketing According to a study by Berger and the Keller Fay Group (2016), 82% of people are very inclined to heed the advice of an influencer because they view them as credible, believable, and informed Because influencer marketing 1s a relatively new
11 marketing tactic, arbitrage opportunities exist Tapinfluence and Nielsen discovered in
2016 that influencer marketing provides “Return on Investments” (ROI) that is 11 times greater than those of conventional types of digital marketing (Tapinfluence & Nielsen, 2016) Nielsen, a business that does consumer market research, also discovered in 2012 that 92% of people value personal recommendations above brand recommendations (Nielsen, 2012) Influencer marketing is the subject of its own section under the theory section, which will be expanded upon and examined from several angles
We were seeking behavioral models that may clarify why customers exhibit particular behaviors in our attempt to find an answer to this topic A theory known as the theory of reasoned action (TRA) describes how many aspects such as "normative subjects" and “behavioral attitudes" impact a consumer's desire to engage in a particular action
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In Vietnam, the impacts of influencer marketing on gen Z buying intentions have only been investigated briefly According to Kantar (2020), 75% of respondents want to understand more about the brand's media actions in the Covid 19 epidemic As a result, all firms must devise marketing strategies that effectively reduce marketing expenses while attracting clients
According to a Launchmetrics research involving 600 marketing, PR, and communication experts, influencer marketing will be used as part of the marketing plan for organizations In crisis (Launchmetrics, 2020).Therefore, the author aims to do study on this issue in order to provide a current marketing solution for businesses The purpose of this study is to examine the link between influencer marketing and the purchasing proclivity of Vietnam's Gen Z Businesses are given managerial ideas on how to boost influencer marketing campaigns among Gen Z customers
This study examines how influencers affect undergraduates in Ho Chi Minh City's intention to purchase online From there, we investigate the psychological process of those students who are addicted to surfing the internet and how they are affected In addition, the research team will also make theoretical and practical implications based on research results and models to help undergraduates recognize the effects of influencer marketing
Firstly, the influencers impact the shopping online intent of the undergraduates in Ho Chi Minh city
Thus, identify factors of influencers which affect the shopping online intent of Ho Chi Minh city’s undergraduates
- How do influencers have an impact on the shopping online intent of undergraduates in Ho Chi Minh city?
- What are those factors of influencers that affect the buying things online intent of undergraduates in Ho Chi Minh city?
1.5 Delimitation and scope of research
The purpose of the research is to find out whether influencer marketing affects the HCM city’s undergraduates’ intentions of shopping online or not And if it is, how it will be affected The research will be implemented throughout Ho Chi Minh city and focus on the group of the undergraduates - those spending the amount of time surfing social media sites and a large amount of money on internet shopping The factors impacting the research that we are conducting can be mentioned as the popularity of the influencers, the quality of the products the undergraduates are tending to purchase or herd behavior of the young
The research and survey would be conducted in the Ho Chi Minh area - the highest population density in VietNam, where many students from other sides of VietNam gather together so that it can be more trustworthy if we survey the different kinds of students, different financial conditions The survey may last for more or less than a month in order to collect diverse sources of data and convert it into useful information for the credibility of the research.
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The research will be qualitative research which utilizes a focus group strategy The table of questions would be created based on the qualitative research method - collecting and analyzing non-numerical data (e.g., text, video, or audio) to understand concepts, opinions, or experiences Qualitative research is done to comprehend how interviewers see their surroundings Although there are several ways to do qualitative research, most of them are adaptable and put a strong emphasis on preserving rich meaning when analyzing the data Grounded theory, ethnography, action research, phenomenological research, and narrative research are examples of common methodologies While they emphasize different aims and views, they do have certain commonalities.
Contribution of the researCh - co cm mm cm mm n mm ng 11
With influencer marketing, brands can interact with customers more directly, naturally, and broadly This is why it is predicted to be the marketing approach of 2017 Additionally, they can strengthen their messaging while enticing their intended audience (Talaverna, 2015) Influencer marketing is still a young concept, but despite the fact that it lacks a solid academic base, several marketing and PR firms have conducted studies where they discover compelling evidence in support of influencer marketing According to a study by Berger and the Keller Fay Group (2016), 82% of people are very inclined to heed the advice of an influencer because they view them as credible, believable, and informed Because influencer marketing 1s a relatively new
11 marketing tactic, arbitrage opportunities exist Tapinfluence and Nielsen discovered in
2016 that influencer marketing provides “Return on Investments” (ROI) that is 11 times greater than those of conventional types of digital marketing (Tapinfluence & Nielsen, 2016) Nielsen, a business that does consumer market research, also discovered in 2012 that 92% of people value personal recommendations above brand recommendations (Nielsen, 2012) Influencer marketing is the subject of its own section under the theory section, which will be expanded upon and examined from several angles
We were seeking behavioral models that may clarify why customers exhibit particular behaviors in our attempt to find an answer to this topic A theory known as the theory of reasoned action (TRA) describes how many aspects such as "normative subjects" and “behavioral attitudes" impact a consumer's desire to engage in a particular action
In our situation, that particular conduct We make an effort to express our buying intent The type is well-known and frequently utilized to describe and alter various behaviors It has also been improved by other people researchers to strengthen its flaws This model will be shown with more depth We shall provide clarification of the TRA model's use in chapters 2 and 3 utilized to respond to our research.
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1.8.1.Abstract: Giving an overview and the main purposes of the research 1.8.2.Chapter 1: Introduction
The reason for choosing the topic
- Overview of the research situation:
Domestic research of online purchase intention
International research of online purchase intention
Research of online purchase intentions on Vietnamese Gen Z consumers
- Delimitation and scope of the research
Some theories used in the research:
- Factors of influencers that affect online shopping intention:
Hypotheses used In the research
Influencers and features of the influencers
Purchase intent and factors, influencing the purchase intent
Influencer marketing on social media has grown in popularity thanks to the usage of social media influencers, which has given companies new opportunities to engage with customers directly and in real-life situations (Glucksman, 2017) Influencer marketing is a “rapidly expanding sector that aims to sell products or raise brand recognition through material disseminated by social media users who are deemed to be influential," according to Carter (2016) Identifying people who have a higher impact on a target demographic than other people is the practice of influencer marketing (Sigala,2017) Last but not least, influencer marketing is social media advertising that focuses on employing influencers to spread a brand's message to a wider audience (Tapinfluence, 2017)
Influencers now play a significant role in word-of-mouth marketing, and their popularity is rising quickly (Scoble & Israel, 2006) A less well-known and less well-liked social media user than the world's celebrities, an influencer nonetheless has an impact They are sort of thought leaders, yet they are neither famous nor really
"regular people." Influencers are people who have a great reputation for being knowledgeable and skilled in a given subject They often write articles on the topic on their preferred social media platforms, which draws a sizable following of ardent followers who actively follow their ideas Influencers with more trustworthy sources are more likely to interact with and befriend customers, which increases the likelihood that they will have an impact on those consumers (Jin & Seung, 2014) Because these people have been identified as potential customers, influencer marketing is a sort of advertising that concentrates on a small number of important individuals rather than the target market as a whole Influencer marketing therefore focuses marketing efforts on these "influencers." So, because of their unique attraction, influencers are able to retain customers by engaging them and maintaining their attention over time
One of the most important and essential topics covered in the marketing literature is purchasing intention Furthermore, it is related to customer purchasing behavior (Goyal, 2014) Intentions are seen to be powerful indicators of future results (Vineyard, 2014) The willingness of a customer to conduct an online transaction is the definition of online purchase intention (Meskaran, Ismail & Shanmugam, 2013) Buy intention, as described by Aykag & Yilmaz (2020), is "consumers' intention to take a purchase action for a product." Purchase intention is a step in the decision-making process that examines why a consumer chooses to purchase a specific brand Purchase intention is a very intricate process that frequently depends on consumer perceptions, actions, and attitudes It is thought that purchasing intention can be used as a tool to forecast customer behavior 2015's (Mirabi et al.)
2.2 Some theories used in the research
Purchase intention can be described as the cognitive behavior regarding the intention to buy a particular brand (Shah et al., 2012) Spears and Singh (2004) defines purchase intention as “an individual’s conscious plan to make an effort to purchase a brand” Understanding customers! purchasing intentions is crucial, according to Ghosh (1990), since it affects their behavior, perception, and attitude and may be used to forecast the buying process Additionally, the influence of customer experiences on purchase Intention is considerably increased when customers’ experiences are shared via online blogs (Hsu & Tsou, 2011) Furthermore, Cooley and Parks-Yancy (2019) discovered empirical proof of the Social Media Influencers impacts on customer buying choices in the fashion business In addition, electronic word-of-mouth (WOM) can have a good or negative impact on a consumer's intention to make a purchase (Sa'ait, Kanyan,
& Nazrin, 2016) According to Mikalef, Giannakos, and Pateli (2013), product browsing and desire to spread word of mouth are intricately related, which increases
14 the likelihood of making a purchase Additionally, Kotler and Armstrong (2010) contend that the five stages of the consumer decision-making process are need awareness, information search, alternative appraisal, buy choice, and post-purchase behavior In general, there 1s a connection between attitudes and intention to buy The link between attitudes and purchasing intentions has been the subject of investigation by several scholars
Persuasion is a process targeted at changing a person’s attitude or behavior A method called persuasion aims to alter someone's mindset or behavior The elaboration likelihood model (ELM), which is used by one branch of persuasion theory, distinguishes between central persuasion, which has a greater elaboration likelihood, and peripheral persuasion, which has a lower elaboration likelihood (Petty and Cacioppo, 1981)
Central route processing involves a high level of elaboration Here, the audience (or user) has a high degree of motivation, which causes them to carefully examine the message's contents rather than reading it carelessly (John, 2016) Users are aware of their priorities, therefore they will take the time to carefully consider the message of a trustworthy design Users who are convinced through central route processing will have concentrated on the message's advantages (John, 2016) As they pursue their objectives, they'll also be more inclined to concentrate and disregard interruptions (like pop-ups)
In the peripheral route, we’re susceptible to being influenced by cues that don’t actually relate to the issue at hand This peripheral route is geared toward more heuristic-based persuasion, through which attitudes or beliefs are leveraged by appeals to characterize the information sources through the lens of credibility Studies have also established that positive impressions of a social media target are formed on the basis of minimal cues (Bacev-Giles and Haji, 2017).
Factors of influencers that affect online shopping intenfion
Three characterisation constructs were found in our literature review: trustworthiness, parasocial relationship, and perceived expertise These are crucial elements in social media influencer marketing that help to explain followers' motivations to make purchases
Influencer marketing on social media heavily relies on credibility, much like traditional media The degree of reliability and trustworthiness of a source is how credibility is commonly defined (Rogers and Bhowmik, 1970) According to Sternthal et al (1978), trustworthiness and expertise are the two elements that affect a source's credibility Trustworthiness refers to how much the audience believes the speaker's claims to be accurate A speaker's perceived honesty is a measure of their dependability Their kindness is evident in how much they seem to care about the audience (Sokolova and Kefi, 2020) When forecasting successful outcomes for social media marketing, trustworthiness frequently goes hand in hand with perceived authenticity and expertise
What is referred to as the endorser's expertise is the extent of their recognized knowledge, abilities, and understanding (Hovland et al., 1953) According to Sternthal (1978), highly credible sources are more likely to persuade customers that their message is true due to their expertise Wang and Scheinbaum (2018) claimed that the level of knowledge a person possesses strongly affects the level of persuasion required to convince a buyer to buy anything that is offered In light of this, influencers may come out as less trustworthy because of their inexperience
The concept of parasocial interaction (PSI) (Horton and Wohl, 1956) is used to explain the relationship between a spectator and a performance PSR is considered to conceptually resemble connections in the real world since it is a lasting association that typically continues after a specific media experience (Dibble et al., 2016) This kind of self-made friendship could go unrecognized by other people (Kelman, 1958) The development of a PSR with celebrities was correlated with using social networking sites According to Sokolova and Kefi (2020), online social networking users can establish this sort of contact with bloggers by following their social media postings and subscribing to their channels or blogs
The theory of persuasion views influencers' personal characteristics as peripheral clues Observing these human traits helps followers characterize social media influencers Sokolova and Kefi (2020) concluded that homophily of attitude, social attractiveness, and physical attractiveness have all been demonstrated to be extremely crucial traits of influencers These three traits are most common since social media influencer marketing is distinguished by a higher level of audience connection (Arora et al., 2019)
According to Shan et al (2019), when a social media influencer's attractiveness and a customer's ideal self-image are extremely compatible, effective endorsement outcomes are generated Similarity plays a role in attitude homophily, which is predicated on the notion that interactions between like-minded individuals occur more frequently than interactions between different individuals (McPherson et al., 2001) Similar-minded individuals commonly interact with one another (Rogers and Bhowmik, 1970) While a study (McCormick, 2016) reveals that celebrities who know their audience are better at marketing, attitude homophily implies that social media influencers who are perceived as being similar to their following may also be more effective (Sokolova and Kefi, 2020)
The extent to which a person's physical characteristics are regarded as aesthetically pleasant or lovely is referred to as physical attractiveness The topic of physical attractiveness has received significant attention in research on attitude transformation (Berscheid and Walster, 1974) It is a crucial quality since people may watch vloggers all the time According to Munnukka et al (2019), physical attractiveness has been considered to have a significant impact on social media influencers
According to Sokolova and Kefi (2020), social attracttveness is a phrase used to describe how likable a speaker is Social attractiveness was discovered to encourage users’ social interactions to computers in a research of anthropomorphic speaker interfaces, showing a higher level of trusting (Lee, 2010) Bourdieu (2014) claimed that customers always anthropomorphize brands, and they frequently utilize them as platforms for expression and characterization According to Carroll and Ahuvia (2006) brand anthropomorphism's characteristics have been studied, with a particular emphasis on the idea of brand love It has been discovered that brand love precedes loyalty and word-of-mouth (WOM) (Batra et al., 2012), therefore social media influencers that highlight firms' attractiveness may use this concept in marketing.
Hypotheses and research modđeès., ôôc ôse se sen s15 595 55505515555 17
Numerous studies have studied how an influencer's credibility, particularly their trustworthiness, affects followers’ purchase inclinations (Schouten et al., 2020) According to Lou and Kim (2019), teenage followers' (10-19 years old) perceived parasocial relationships (PSR) with their favorite influencers were shown to be positively correlated with trustworthiness, which was connected to online purchase intention As a result, the following hypothesis is made:
Al Trustworthiness has a positive and significant effect on followers’ purchase intention
According to Till and Busler (2000), expertise has a beneficial impact on purchase intention Purchase intention is closely associated with competence and credibility Sokolova and Kefi (2020) claimed that long-term followers of reliable influencers who care about their audience and possess subject-matter expertise are more likely to purchase the marketed goods As a result, the following hypothesis is made:
FAA2 Perceived expertise has a positive and significant effect on followers’ purchase intention
PSR and social media users’ buying intentions seem to be tightly related (Erkan and Evans, 2016) PSR influences purchasing intent favorably among fans of celebrities (Hwang and Zhang, 2018) According to various research on brand perspectives, PSR between influencers and followers has an impact on the followers’ purchasing inclinations (Chung and Cho, 2017) Thus, the following hypothesis is proposed:
3 PSR has a positive and significant effect on followers’ purchase intention
Previous research has demonstrated that influencers’ social attractiveness is increased by their followers’ similarities (Bye, 1961) Research on word-of-mouth marketing demonstrates that attitude homophily is a crucial component of credibility and can result in online word-of-mouth advertising (Li and Du, 2011) When an influencer has the same values as their audience, it increases confidence in them Thus, the following hypothesis 1s proposed:
Ff4a Attitude homophily has a positive and significant effect on trustworthiness
Homophily and credibility were studied by Wang et al (2008) as two basic processes of social influence They discovered that homophily was at the foundation of perceptions about trustworthiness that drove persuasion in online discussion forums
As a result, followers perceive greater levels of knowledge when they encounter homophily Thus, the following hypothesis is made:
4b Attitude homophily has a positive and significant effect on perceived expertise
According to Fu (2019), both external and internal similarities have a significant influence on consumers’ PSR and trust transference, which ultimately has an impact on their social commerce behavior Sokolova and Kefi (2020) claimed that sharing values
18 is a key component of persuasion, as demonstrated by homophily's impact on credibility and PSI As a result, the following hypothesis is made:
4c Attitude homophily has a positive and significant effect on PSR
Physical attractiveness has been examined as a significant effect element in recent studies of social media influencers, along with audience involvement and influencer transparency (Augustine, 2019; Woodroof et al., 2020) Percetved attractiveness improved dependability, according to a study of online dating profiles Additionally, it was shown that physical attractiveness is significantly associated with trustworthiness (Sokolova and Kefi, 2020) Thus, the following hypothesis is made:
Aa Physical attractiveness has a positive and significant effect on trustworthiness
Advertising studies show that a sender's physical attractiveness affects their level of expertise and popularity (Patzer, 1983) In 2016, Palmer and Peterson conducted research on the public's perception of political knowledge They asserted that when someone is more handsome, their expertise and persuastveness are seen to be higher Additionally, it was demonstrated that the reputation of social media influencers, including their level of expertise, was positively associated with physical attractiveness (Sokolova and Kefi, 2020) As a result, the following hypothesis is made:
H5) Physical attractiveness has a positive and significant effect on perceived expertise
According to Lou and Kim (2019), studies on premium products and teenage social media use have both corroborated the impact of physical attractiveness on PSR The influencer's physical attractiveness appears to have a significant impact on the development of the PSR As a result, the following hypothesis is made:
5c Physical attractiveness has a positive and significant effect on PSR
Influencers that exhibit social beauty are able to win the emotional favor of their followers in addition to simply gaining "likes" on social media platforms According to a research of user profiles on social networking sites, social beauty significantly affects how Facebook users perceive someone's reliability (Toma, 2014) As a result, the following hypothesis is made:
Hoa Social attractiveness has a positive and significant effect on trustworthiness
As was previously said, one of the criteria these individuals use to determine legitimacy is social beauty Many followers equate social attractiveness with strong social capital, which raises their estimation of a person's level of expertise (Jin and Phua, 2014) As a result, the following hypothesis is made:
Hộp Social attractiveness has a positive and significant effect on perceived expertise
An online survey found that the PSR of female respondents was significantly impacted by the social attractiveness of social media bloggers (Lee and Watkins, 2016) As a result, the following hypothesis is made:
Hoc Social attractiveness has a positive and significant effect on PSR
The persuasion theory may be used to approach social media influencers in the methods mentioned below: Their behavioral intentions are influenced by how followers view the influencer (such as how trustworthy they are) (1.e., purchase intentions) Followers are more likely to make larger purchases when they trust an influencer Followers form an opinion of an influencer's credibility based on their observations of their personal traits, such as attractiveness The research approach applied in this work is shown in Fig 1
We hypothesized that followers' perceptions of influencers on social media are influenced by their personal characteristics The followers! peripheral channels are subsequently activated by these characterizations, which ultimately leads to behavioral intention Using this research methodology, we investigated the key factors impacting followers’ purchase intentions
Figl Adapted theory of persuasion framework
2.5.1 Hypotheses used in the research
H1 Trustworthiness has a positive and significant effect on followers’ purchase intention
H2 Perceived expertise has a positive and significant effect on followers’ purchase intention
H3 PSR has a positive and significant effect on followers’ purchase intention
H4a Attitude homophily has a positive and significant effect on trustworthiness H4b Attitude homophily has a positive and significant effect on perceived expertise H4c Attitude homophily has a positive and significant effect on PSR
HS5a Physical attractiveness has a positive and significant effect on trustworthiness H5b Physical attractiveness has a positive and significant effect on perceived expertise
H5c Physical attractiveness has a positive and significant effect on PSR
H6a Social attractiveness has a positive and significant effect on trustworthiness H6b Social attractiveness has a positive and significant effect on perceived expertise H6c Social attractiveness has a positive and significant effect on PSR
Influencer Attributes Perceived characterization Behavioral Intentions
Fig2 Proposed research model (Source: Hisashi, Spring, & Jung, 2022)
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The research will be qualitative research which utilizes a focus group strategy The table of questions would be created based on the qualitative research method collecting and analyzing non-numerical data (e.g., text, video, or audio) to
21 understand concepts, opinions, or experiences Qualitative research is done to comprehend how interviewers see their surroundings Although there are several ways to do qualitative research, most of them are adaptable and put a strong emphasis on preserving rich meaning when analyzing the data Grounded theory, ethnography, action research, phenomenological research, and narrative research are examples of common methodologies While they emphasize different aims and views, they do have certain commonalities More specifics about the test that was used are being provided Data gathering and measurements are used to wrap up the presentation
3.1.2.2 Formulating research aim, objectives and research questions or developing hypotheses
Qualitative research đesign ôcm n1 9y n1 555 22 3.2.2 Result of Qualifative research sec sec c5 nen n n1 1 se 22 3.2.2.1 Influencers and their charaCf€riSfẽCS - s<< s5 << 22 3.2.2.2 Purchase intention and the variables that affect it
This master's thesis is prone to exploratory design because its objective is to explore the traits of the influencers that affect consumers’ online purchase intent Because this research is qualitative in nature, it is related to using an exploratory research strategy
In order to understand "what is happening, research new insights, and raise questions in a fresh light," this thesis is an exploratory study (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill,
2012, p.78) Because it covers novel concerns for which little to no prior research has been done, exploratory research designs are appropriate (Brown, 2006)
According to the focus groups interviews conducted by Lisichkova and Othman (2017), the empirical conclusions from the data obtained from the focus groups interviews are presented in this chapter:
The interviewees follow the influencers for entertainment and inspiration The influencers also serve as motivators As one participant explained:
‘Tt is nice to follow these people so you can learn about their life and how they are living’
‘I follow them (the influencers) as I like their pictures and I use them for inspiration for what I want to do, or for some places I want to go and visit’
Another reason to follow influencers is because of the content they produce:
‘ just watch it and I enjoy the product they produce- the content’;
‘I follow some because they are interesting to me, and their lifestyle encourages me to keep up’
All participants stated listening to a recommendation from an influencer helps them in a way with uncertainty avoidance Some of them said again it is the personality of the influencer that has an impact on the uncertainty:
here it comes down again to the personality of the person in general and how long you've been following him/her’;
‘Even though sometimes they officially state this review is sponsored by X brand you can still feel it from what they wrote if the influencer shows an honest and genuine opinion that comes from their own thoughts; compared to if it is very obvious it's a marketing material that they have been handed’
The reputation of the influencer is what the majority of the participants agreed to be more important than the popularity of the referential:
‘Tf the brand uses somebody who is a controversial person, or their image is super extreme this would totally turn me away from this brand and I will never buy it’;
Besides, one interviewee stated that popularity changes over time:
‘ the more popular you become the more you tend to change, and your legitimacy might go down due to sponsors offering you more money’
The participants in the focus groups appreciate the honesty of the influencers They want to know when a product is provided for a review, or see a disclaimer posted:
‘ they have to have the disclaimer sponsored so you have to always know this’; In the description on YouTube it must be stated that he is sponsored or in his blog -they have to be honest about it’
Being open and honest that a product is advertised, or how much ts paid for a review makes the consumers perceive the influencers as more trustworthy:
‘he's actually talking about the terms of the contract and what they have to do with the brand- this makes me trust the person more’
‘The first thing that comes to my mind when I see an influencer recommending a product or brand is how much money they have got from a sponsor of this brand or product Even though this doesnt really affect me, I want to know what their reasoning is behind’
The majority of the interviewees agreed that when they listen to a recommendation by an influencer they do as they percetve them to be credible and trustworthy, and the level to which one is familiar with the influencer:
‘When I listen to the recommendation given by the influencer, I would say I would do that because I perceived them as a credible and trustworthy’;
‘Tf it an influencer that you follow for one or two weeks then you might find it a bit sketchy, while if you follow someone for a long time (like 2 to 3 years) or so you tend to listen more to the person that you follow for the short-term’
The trustworthiness and credibility of the influencer depends on the relevance of the recommended product to their personality, according to the interviewees:
‘One day she started promoting a product of no relevance to her image; so that was sort of like questioning what is the connection - this would make me question her authenticity’
The legitimacy of the influencers is a factor the majority of the participants stated plays a role, and is linked with trustworthiness and credibility:
‘T would think about legitimacy which plays a big part of this, and I think this is a problem with most (influencers) as I don't see them as legitimate, they are there to get the money and then leave out of the business’
Moreover, the respondents linked the reputation of the influencers to authenticity and legitimacy:
‘.someone can have thousands of followers and be not with a good reputation, while another might have a few followers and be with a good reputation, so I think they both (authenticity and reputation) go hand in hand as well’
3.2.2.2 Purchase intention and the variables that affect it
Some of the participants get more influenced by the opinions of the influencers whenever it is related to their interest in the product and the budget they have:
‘ look it up then and I find it interesting for some future trips - for when I am more financially stable ;
‘ but most of the time the products are really expensive and right now I'm a student and I don't really have the budget’
Another reason to get influenced to some extent is when the influencers provide a proof for using the products:
they provide a living proof of how things happened in a way ’
The level of influence also depends on the product itself and the interest the person has in the product:
‘Certain bloggers affect me more than others, especially when they offer a product that matches my interest, so I value more what they are doing and can relate to it better’;
When purchasing online, the interviewees were driven by the need of the product- this was a common reply:
‘ the most important one is if I really do need that product If I really need it then I would buy it from any website `
One interviewee said that it starts with the need but then other factors might occur:
"a8 the features of the website, the impression of the product and website; the place is also a factor, as well as the price, and the product itself being offered by the company’
The quality of the website and its ease of use are sometimes factors influencing the online purchase and purchase intent:
‘if you really need the product the website doesn't matter a lot, while if you're still wondering about the product - then the website might matter.’
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