“An analysis on consumer opinions of Social Media Influencers and their perception of how this impacts their purchase intentions, with a focus on Instagram Advertisements”

Abstract

This study aims to examine consumer opinions of Social Media Influencers (SMI) on Instagram, and their perception of how this impacts their own purchasing behaviour. After reviewing existing literature, this paper argued that there was limited research on Instagram Influencers. As a result, further investigation was conducted on the use of Instagram’s marketing tools such as the “paid partnerships” feature to evaluate the effects this has on the audience. In particular, the study examines the importance of an influencers personality versus influencer credibility when it comes to making purchase decisions. Although previous research indicates the importance of SMIs on creating brand awareness and the success of online campaigns, the success from Instagram is particularly unclear. The study conducted two methods of research to establish both the qualitative and quantitative results of the behaviour and motivations towards consumer purchases intentions. The results suggest that consumer opinions and attitudes towards SMIs are influenced by their personality, which is enhanced through the type of content that they create. Furthermore, this study argues the impact Instagram tools have on consumer purchase behaviour and revealed that they can deter consumers from making purchases.