How Effective Are Social Media Influencers' Recommendations? The Effect of Message Source on Purchasing Intention and e-Word of Mouth (WOM) from a Para-Social Interaction Perspective
How Effective Are Social Media Influencers' Recommendations? The Effect of Message Source on Purchasing Intention and e-Word of Mouth (WOM) from a Para-Social Interaction Perspective

Summary/Abstract: Purpose – The aim of this study was to eplain how the source credibility, attitude homophily, interactivity, and para-social interaction are related and affect the attitude toward the post. Following this, the effect of this attitude on buying and e-WOM intention and the moderating role of risk aversion levels in this relationship also has been investigated. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 570 followers of an influencer who mainly share content related to experience products on Instagram. The research model was tested with SEM and multi group comparison analysis using AMOS. Findings – This study revealed that para-social interaction of consumers with influencers results in the generation of a positive attitude towards the recommendation post of the influencer. Also, once a positive attitude towards the post has been generated, it results in the generation of purchase intention and e-WOM engagement. Relationships examined in the context of experience products showed that attitude homophily and influencer's interactivity were the most influential among the antecedents (influencer's credibility, attitude homophily, interactivity) examined in the formation of para-social interaction. In the study, it was also determined that the risk aversion levels of consumers have a moderating effect on the attitude-purchase intention relationship, and even in the context of experience products that are perceived as inherently risky, consumers with low risk aversion tended to make purchases by considering the influencer's share. Discussion – Today, where influencer marketing is used extensively by businesses, it is possible for these activities to create the desired effect by choosing the right influencer. It is crucial to determine what is necessary to ensure that the followers buy the product and have positive word-of-mouth communication that are among the ultimate goals of the influencer's posts.

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