MEDIATING ROLE OF CONSUMER PURCHASE INTENTION ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INFLUENCER’S PERCEIVED CHARACTERISTICS AND CONSUMER PURCHASE BEHAVIOR

This paper aims to explore the mediating role of purchase intention in the relationship between two selected characteristics of influencers and purchase behavior in the context of influencer marketing. In addition, the aim of this paper to examine these selected characteristics’ (trust and similarity, as defined by Parasocial Interaction Theory and Planned Behavior Theory) impact on both purchase intention and purchase behavior. The main population of this paper comprises social media users who actively use social media platforms and follow at least one influencer. In order to represent the research population in the best possible way, participants were reached through convenience sampling technique. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed in IBM SPSS 20 program, and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling analysis were performed using the SmartPLS 4 package program. The results showed that purchase intention has a mediating effect on the purchase behavior's relationships between trust and similarity. In addition, it was revealed that trust and similarity have positive and significant effects on purchase intention and purchase behavior. The main contribution of that paper to the literature is not only to reveal the mediating role of purchase intention in the purchase behavior’s relationship between trust and similarity but also to show the effects of trust and similarity on purchase intention and to determine the effects of these variables on purchase behavior in the context of influencer marketing. As a result of this paper, it is observed that businesses can benefit from influencers in the context of Planned Behavior Theory and Social Interaction Theory to enhance the effectiveness of their marketing communication efforts. Influencers can contribute to businesses through their follower networks, personal positioning opportunities, communication content, follower trust, and the personas they create in their connections with consumers. Choosing the appropriate Influencer for businesses not only increases the sales of their products and services, but also positively affects brand positioning, brand image and brand value.