The role of influencers in the consumer decision-making process

Abstract

In the contemporary globalised markets opinion leaders play a vital role in the process of the purchasing decision-making of consumers. Thanks to their individual skills, specific knowledge or their personality, opinion leaders have a direct or indirect influence on the attitudes and decisions of consumers. In the contemporary globalised marketing using social media, this role is taken over by the influencers who affect consumers with their thoughts, attitudes and opinions and thus, significantly influence trends in demand for particular products. Over the recent years, influencer marketing has become increasingly popular, representing a specific type of social media marketing. The aim of this scientific contribution is the systematization of knowledge about the position and roles of influencers as opinion leaders in the social media environment in order to identify their typology, influence factors and the intensity of their impact on consumer decision making process, based on the comparison of knowledge from the results of global research studies and the quantitative online research study processed by authors. The findings of the survey showed that the promotion of some products through influencers may be more advantageous than others. Influencers will have the greatest impact when buying clothes, shoes, cosmetics and, surprisingly, services. Meanwhile, people rely heavily on other factors to buy food, jewellery and electronics, but it is not excluded that influencer marketing could affect them as well.

Analysis of the Role of Digital Influencers and Their Impact on the Functioning of the Contemporary On-Line Promotional System and Its Sustainable Development

“…Undoubtedly, the key and most frequently raised issue in all reports and studies is the connection between the content transmitted and a specific person. The influencer's authentic message induces the trust of the recipients, and allows relationships to be built with the recipients [34,45,53,74,75]. This is extremely important in today's market conditions.…”

Layla’s Got You: Developing a tailored contraception chatbot for Black and Hispanic young women

“…Youth often seek out health information that resonates with them and is personalised for who they are and the information they need – often prioritising information that resonates with them over information from sites that they know are reliable (Fergie et al, 2013). The involvement of local women and influencers in the campaign likely contributed to the campaign’s perceived credibility; influencers in particular have been shown to have high levels of trustworthiness and ability to sway behaviours (Lou and Yuan, 2019; Muqaddam and Jin, 2018; Zak and Hasprova, 2020). The high levels of engagement shown through the digital metrics on Facebook and Instagram suggest that the tailored content resonated with young women – particularly important given that the campaign promoted knowledge about an often stigmatised topic.…”

COVID-19 infections on international celebrities: self presentation and tweeting down pandemic awareness

“…The role of traditional celebrities is evolving with the developments in digital technologies. Zak and Hasprova [2020] opine that traditional celebrities have become online influencers, appropriating online spaces to communicate and engage with online users. Montoya and Vandehey [2009] understand an influencer in terms of a set of external personal perceptions that encapsulate the expectations, promises and experiences that an individual displays to others.…”

“…Info tech has become the major driver of business. Therefore, influencer marketing can be said to be one of the fastest growing tools in reaching new consumers with the help of online media [Zak and Hasprova, 2020]. Celebrities have also played an important role in mediating health communication, often contracted by health organisations.…”

“…Celebrities have also played an important role in mediating health communication, often contracted by health organisations. In Germany, communication of health related topics such as nutrition and exercise has been amplified by celebrities [Zak and Hasprova, 2020]. Heldman, Schindelar and Weaver [2013] note that there is so much debate on how social media can be harnessed to best achieve public health outcomes.…”