How fashion influencers contribute to consumers' purchase intention

TLDR

This study addresses a gap by being the first to examine how attitudes toward fashion influencers affect brand attitude and purchase intention in the fashion industry. The authors aim to assess the impact of attitudes toward fashion influencers on brand attitude and consumer purchase intention, and to identify factors shaping those attitudes. They developed a conceptual model integrating the theory of planned behavior with influencer‑marketing literature and tested it with partial least squares on 610 Moroccan respondents. Results show that positive attitudes toward fashion influencers enhance brand attitude and purchase intention, and that perceived credibility, trust, behavioral control, subjective norms, expertise, and congruence strengthen those attitudes, offering marketers guidance on influencer selection.

Abstract

Purpose This study examines the impact of attitudes toward fashion influencers (FIs) on brand attitude and consumer purchase intention. It also aims to identify factors affecting consumers' attitudes toward FIs. Design/methodology/approach To achieve this goal, the authors propose a conceptual model that combines the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and theoretical outcomes of prior literature related to influencer marketing. Based on data collected from 610 Moroccan respondents, the authors empirically test the conceptual model using a partial least squares (PLS) estimation. Findings This study illustrates that attitudes toward FIs positively impact brand attitude and consumer purchase intention. The authors also demonstrate that perceived credibility, trust, perceived behavioral control, perceived subjective norms, perceived expertise and perceived congruence positively impact attitudes toward FIs. Practical implications The study findings help marketers and advertisers in the fashion industry to understand how influencer marketing contributes to consumer purchase intention. They also allow marketers to understand factors explaining attitudes toward FIs and therefore better select influencers capable of creating purchase intentions among existing and potential customers. Originality/value The present paper bridges a gap pertaining to antecedents and factors that impact attitudes toward FIs and consumer purchase intention. To the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first of its kind to investigate the impact of attitudes toward influencers on both brand attitude and purchase intention in the fashion industry.