Influencer Marketing and Social Commerce: Exploring the Role of Influencer Communities in Predicting Usage Intent

As popular social media channels such as Instagram and TikTok launch new commerce features, brands are also launching influencer partnerships to facilitate use of new commerce features which help generate in-platform sales. Commonly referred to as social commerce, this emerging commerce practice is fast becoming a growing trend in the United States. To better understand various factors that facilitate adoption intent, this study investigated three influencer-related relational angles—influencer community, individual consumer, and influencer–follower relationships—as they relate to commitment toward the influencer in facilitating usage intent. In addition, platform factors derived from the technology acceptance model (TAM)—namely, perceived usefulness and enjoyment—are also explored. Using a survey, the study findings indicate that perceived enjoyment, interactivity, social support, identification, and usefulness are significant predictors of usage intent. The most significant findings and unique contributions to existing research are the effects of influencer community factors, identification, social support, and interactivity on usage intent, which was mediated by commitment toward the influencer. Limitations and avenues for future research are also discussed.