Consumer Attitudes Towards Fashion Influencers on Instagram: Impact of Perceptions and Online Trust on Purchase Intention

The growing importance of digital influencers has been already acknowledged both by companies and by the academy. However, due to its contemporaneity, the literature regarding this topic still faces some limitations. Thus, the present study intends to explore the antecedents of the trust in influencers and the consequent purchase intention. To develop their digital strategies, it is essential that companies understand consumers' attitudes towards digital influencers. Consequently, they have to identify the antecedents of trust in influencer as well as their consequences on purchase intention. The research objectives of this study are (1) to design a framework of the relationship between customer perceptions that will determine the trust, influencer trust and intention to buy, and (2) to test and validate this framework using a sample of Portuguese consumers. The research followed a quantitative approach with a nonprobabilistic convenience sampling. To achieve the objective of this research an online survey was conducted (n=242) among individuals who are following fashion influencers on Instagram. The results showed that purchase intention is indeed influenced by influencer trust and brand credibility is an important antecedent both to build the trust and purchase intention. This study allowed a better understanding of the role of fashion influencers in social media from the user perspective, allowing the enrichment of information in the Portuguese context. At the business level, this research has provided evidence that the use of digital influencers is a successful tool for marketers in the fashion segment.