Attractive females versus trustworthy males: Explore gender effects in social media influencer marketing in Saudi restaurants

Social media influencer marketing is gaining importance in the restaurant industry, especially for independent restaurants. This study explores the underlying mechanism of social media influencer marketing in the context of independent restaurants in Arab and Islamic culture. The study combines the uncertainty reduction theory with the self-categorization theory to propose a research framework. Data were collected with Saudis. The results show that prototype clarity, self-prototypicality, and trust positively affect an influencer's social attraction. Both trust and social attraction positively impact followers' intentions to visit a restaurant recommended by an influencer. However, self-disclosure negatively influences the perceived trust of female influencers. The multi -group comparison results indicate that the trustworthiness of a male influencer and the social attraction of a female influencer lead to higher restaurant visit intentions. The findings provide independent restaurant owners in Arab and Islamic culture with meaningful insight into selecting appropriate influencers.