Effects of social media influencer credibility on their followers’ dietary supplement evaluations and purchase intentions

On the basis of the source credibility model, this study investigated the effects of various dimensions of social media influencer (SMI) credibility on followers’ perceptions of the nutritional value, safety, and health benefits of endorsed dietary supplements (DSs) and the effects of such perceptions on purchase intentions. Data were collected from 418 Taiwanese consumers who followed an SMI that had endorsed DSs. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the hypothesized relationships. The results revealed that SMI trustworthiness and attractiveness positively influenced followers’ perceptions of the nutritional value and safety of the endorsed DS. However, SMI expertise affected only perceived nutritional value but not safety. Moreover, perceived nutritional value and safety contributed to perceptions of health benefits, ultimately leading to higher purchase intentions. This study contributes to the literature by elucidating how the dimensions of SMI credibility influence followers’ perceptions of an endorsed DS’s nutritional value, safety, and health benefits.