Social media influencer marketing: the moderating role of materialism

Purpose Social media influencers (SMIs) have become an important source of influence that affects consumer behaviours in their decision-making processes. As such, this justifies scholarly attention in understanding how SMIs transfer their meanings to endorsed brands and drive consumers' positive behavioural intentions. With the intention to fill this knowledge gap, this paper aims to examine the impact of SMIs' credibility, as manifested by trustworthiness, attractiveness and expertise, along with the moderating effects of materialism, on followers' purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach Self-administrated online surveys were used to collect data from Instagram users. A total of 191 usable data were collected and analysed using partial least square structural equation modelling. Findings The results show that SMIs' trustworthiness and expertise are significant predictors of followers' purchase intention. Moreover, the moderating effect of materialism on the relationship between attractiveness and purchase intention is significant. Notably, the influence of attractiveness on purchase intention is greater when materialism is high. Originality/value This research contributes to the SMI literature by examining the influence of SMIs' trustworthiness, attractiveness and expertise, along with the moderating effect of materialism, on followers' purchase intention.