The online influencers strategies and their impact on consumers decision process

Abstract

Social media influencers have emerged on social networks over the past few decades. It is significant that they have increased and now play a crucial role in shaping the process of consumer decision-making. This research aims to understand and investigate how customers react and how influencers shape their approaches in order to achieve the demands and needs of their followers. The methodology adopted is both quantitative and qualitative. Key findings reveal that influencers have an impact through their recommendations in the followers' purchase intention process. Additionally, the research indicates that the trust driven by influencers is increasingly questioned by followers who feel "unauthenticity" and believe their influence can lead to our society's becoming "standardized". This research that includes two methods is useful as we have analyzed the relationship between followers and influencers. Even though the influencers phenomena are quite recent, this research is valuable for firms as it clearly demonstrates how and why influencers impact consumers' behavior. It can also inform society about this current trend and how it could influence the consumers' decision-making process.

Training Concerns of Micro-influencers on Advertising and Marketing

“…Considering that micro-influencers typically engage in various activities and operate in the digital realm, online education emerges as a viable option due to its flexibility. Currently, only four universities in Spain offer online advertising degree programs (Fernández-Gómez & Feijoo, 2022;Carpenter et al, 2019;Hernández et al, 2010;Karamustafic et al, 2020;Leparoux et al, 2019).…”

Influencer Marketing Factors Affecting Brand Awareness and Brand Image of Start-up Businesses

“…Nevertheless, it will still lead to favorable purchase intention attitudes because of the Social learning theory of A. Bandura and R. Walters, wherein people usually learn from other people through observation, imitation, and modeling that indirectly influence consumer purchase decisions (Leparoux et al,2019). Therefore, it is interesting to note that consumer envy only occurs toward influencers who appear unfriendly, inhospitable, and less sincere.…”

“…With this, they can win followers and loyalty, especially when they reciprocate through giving discount codes to their followers that show the influencer's concern for them. Also, having a robust online presence makes the influencer more credible because studies show that people tend to believe that a familiar thing is trustworthy (Leparoux et al,2019). If consumers find the influencer reliable, it will lead to positive brand awareness and a significant increase in purchase intentions ( (Lou & Yuan, 2019).…”

“…However, social media is highly saturated, so macro-influencers often reduce trustworthiness and authenticity, unlike in using micro-influencers that have higher credibility for consumers because they are usually closer to their "narrower" audience (Nadanyiova et al,2020). So in choosing the right influencer to improve a brand, whether macro or micro, it is essential to have an influencer with a solid online presence that is an integral part of the target markets' life (Leparoux et al,2019). It is important to remember that the attitudes toward the endorsement and influencer significantly impact and reflect the attitudes toward the brand, which, in turn, impact purchase intentions (Torres et al,2019).…”

“…This influence is achieved because studies show that consumers are more likely to interact with content that does not have a clear disclosure of sponsorship (Lou et al, 2019). To further explain Online Presence's impact, studies show that people tend to believe that a familiar thing is trustworthy; thus, influencers who have a strong online presence appear to be more credible (Leparoux et al,2019). Also, people nowadays tend to mimic others' consumption behavior intentionally, especially to those who they always see online, in response to a desire to look or behave like those they are modeling (Ruvio et al,2013).…”