Investigating the impact of influencer wishful identification and parasocial relationships on purchasing behavior: Insights from influencer fan data
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
5-1-2024
Abstract
Influencers are a powerful tool in the worlds of communication and marketing. The relationships that influencers build with audiences can affect consumer behaviors as can the brand that they create. Both the audience's perception of a relationship with the influencer as well as the audience's desire to be like the influencer can impact consumer purchasing behaviors. The purpose of this study is to explore how wishful identification and parasocial relationships serve as mediating factors in influencer impact on audience consumer behavior outcomes. This purpose is addressed via a quantitative survey (n = 948) in collaboration with a YouTube influencer disseminated to her audience. Results show that viewers' reported income, interactions with influencers, and parasocial relationships all have a positive impact on predicting participants' purchase behavior of influencer-recommended products. The findings contribute to an in-depth understanding of how wishful identification serves as a mediating variable between parasocial relationships and consumer purchasing behaviors in audiences.
Published In
Mercado, T. & Zhang, R. (2024). Investigating the Impact of Influencer Wishful Identification and Parasocial Relationships on Purchasing Behavior: Insights From Influencer Fan Data. In N. Bi & R. Zhang (Eds.), Global Perspectives on Social Media Influencers and Strategic Business Communication (pp. 216-230). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-0912-4.ch011
Publication Title
IGI Global
DOI
10.4018/979-8-3693-0912-4.ch011