Catalysing Consumer Behaviour: Analysing The Impact Of Social Media Influencers On Purchase Intentions And Attitudes

Abstract

Purpose – Social media influencers have the ability to influence customers’ attitudes and induce them to purchase endorsed products for certain brands by cultivating trust among their followers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact that social media influencers have on consumer attitude and the customers’ propensity to make a purchase.

Design/methodology/approach – To provide an integrated and comprehensive review on the subject domain, this paper was focused on extrapolating the performance of the research conducted on the subject domain from 2012 to 2022. Under the performance analysis, the publication trends, prolific countries, impactful journals, and prominent documents were analyzed and reported. Moreover, TTM (theory, theme, methodology) analysis on the selected literature helped in the identification of the methodological focus and literature categories in the subject domain.

Findings - Based on bibliometric inquiry and TTM analysis, the study presents a comprehensive analysis of the logical concept mapping, usage, and major themes that contribute to the influence of social media influencers on consumers' purchase intentions. Furthermore, the study also elucidates the domains in which research has achieved significant advancements, as well as those dimensions where gaps and unresolved tensions continue to exist. The epistemological inquiry examines the noteworthy contributions that further direct the identification of future study areas.

Originality/value – The study advances the extant literature concerning impact of social media influencers on consumer purchase intention in terms of supplementing it by examining and presenting the impact of social media influencers on consumer’s propensity to make a purchase decision. In addition, the findings of this study also provide value to firms in making decision while selecting influencers for endorsing their products.