The Rise of Social Media Influence Marketing on Lifestyle Branding

Abstract

This study aims to examine the impact of influencers' homophily, social presence, and physical attractiveness on affinity within the framework of influencer marketing for the fashion and beauty sectors. The researchers also look at the mediating roles of loyalty and trust in relation to consumers' intents to purchase. To analyse the information gathered from the 408 people that participated in the online survey, the researchers used Smart PLS 4.0. The results show that the positive association between homophily, influencer social presence, and consumer purchase intention is moderated by affinity, trust, and loyalty. It is logical to suppose that customers' strong emotional ties to influencers greatly affect their purchasing decisions, considering the significance of affinity. Looking at the roles of homophily, influencer social presence, influencer physical attractiveness, and consumer purchase intention via the prisms of loyalty, trust, and affinity, this study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in the beauty and fashion industry, which is still largely unexplored. Those in the industry who are looking to boost customer loyalty, expand their social circle, and earn credibility could benefit from these suggestions. This study highlights the significance of affinity and offers recommendations for influencer marketing strategies in the fashion and beauty sectors to boost customer loyalty and purchase intent. Social media engagement, in the form of likes and comments, demonstrates consumer trust and loyalty to a business. Since user-generated content on social networking sites represents the brand's image, marketers should pay attention to this aspect. As a marketing term, "social media influence" describes the power one has to shape the views of others inside a virtual community.