Source Credibility’s Positive Effect on Purchase Intentions Replicated in Influencer Marketing Context: A study on Social Media Influencers’ Functioning as Opinion Leaders and the relationship with Need For Closure

Greatly inspired by Pierro et al.’s (2013) study on need for closure, the current study investigated whether high need for closure individuals outsource economic decisions in an influencer marketing context, similar to how Pierro et al.’s (2013) found high need for closure individuals to outsource organizational decisions to opinion leaders. Based on previous scientific literature a research model was developed to test the following two hypotheses: social media influencer credibility has a positive effect on purchase intentions towards influencer-promoted products, and the positive relation between social media influencer credibility and purchase intentions is moderated by need for closure, in a way that high NFC individuals have greater purchase intentions compared to low NFC individuals. A simple linear regression and a process model 1 moderation analysis were performed to test the hypotheses. Social media influencer credibility was found to have a significant positive effect on...Show moreGreatly inspired by Pierro et al.’s (2013) study on need for closure, the current study investigated whether high need for closure individuals outsource economic decisions in an influencer marketing context, similar to how Pierro et al.’s (2013) found high need for closure individuals to outsource organizational decisions to opinion leaders. Based on previous scientific literature a research model was developed to test the following two hypotheses: social media influencer credibility has a positive effect on purchase intentions towards influencer-promoted products, and the positive relation between social media influencer credibility and purchase intentions is moderated by need for closure, in a way that high NFC individuals have greater purchase intentions compared to low NFC individuals. A simple linear regression and a process model 1 moderation analysis were performed to test the hypotheses. Social media influencer credibility was found to have a significant positive effect on purchase intentions. Need for closure was not found to moderate this positive relation. The former finding replicated, strengthened, and extended findings from previous research to an influencer marketing context. Limitations, theoretical and practical implications, and suggestions for future research are discussed as well.Show less

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Source Credibility’s Positive Effect on Purchase Intentions Replicated in Influencer Marketing Context: A study on Social Media Influencers’ Functioning as Opinion Leaders and the relationship with Need For Closure