Social Media Influencers and Cosmetics: The Role of Trust and Materialism in Consumer Purchase Decisions

Abstract

Social media influencers are used on a large scale as a type of marketing strategy, due to the speed with which they can gain the trust of followers. They’re a new twist on opinion leaders; their followers are inspired by them and strongly affect their attitudes and behaviors. Using the social exchange theory and its fundamental principle of reciprocity, the current research examined if the fundamental attributes of an influencer (i.e., expertise, authenticity, physical attractiveness, homophily) can act as interpersonal assets in the process of gaining followers' trust. If the reliance of the follower in an influencer begets loyalty to that digital creator, and whether favorable output (e.g., product attitude, and purchase intention) are due to advertising, were covered as well. Results showed that source credibility and attractiveness were significant in developing relational trust. Moreover, the findings show that materialism mediates the link among exposure to influencers and buying intention. The results highlight important consequences for the strategic implementation of influencer marketing by suggesting an increased understanding of the persuasion processes that shape influencer–follower dynamics. Also, these understandings add to existing works on social media influencers and materialism, whilst giving useful recommendations to influencers and marketers to better their strategies expertly.