The Role of Social Media Influencers on Consumer Purchasing Behaviour in Urban Pakistan: A Quantitative Study

Abstract

The study critically examines the effects of social media influencers (SMIs) on buying behaviour of urban consumers in Pakistan. The rise of social media has revolutionized marketing, and SMIs have a meaningful influence on consumers' buying decisions. This research identifies the impact of SMIs on digital active consumers' awareness, trust and buying behavior. This research methodology was quantitative in the form of a structured questionnaire, which was given to 600 respondents in the age group of 18-39 in six cities. Consumer responses for influencer marketing were determined through descriptive statistics, frequency distributions and a reliability test performed on SPSS. The findings confirm that social media influencers have a significant relationship with consumers in terms of being aware of products, their trust, and their purchase intent, with 100% of the respondents stating that they have bought a product recommended by a social media influencer, more than 95% of respondents saying that they had been made aware of products by an influencer, more than 95% of respondents saying that an influencer had had a positive impact on their online purchases, and over 95% saying that they knew about the latest trends via an influencer. Mean scores were between 4.44 and 4.47, with standard deviations under 0.59, which suggests high and consistent level of agreement. The Cronbach's Alpha of the internal reliability was very high (0.987) hence the results were valid. The results provide further support for the applicability of the Source Credibility Model and Para social Interaction Theory and provide marketers with actionable insights for using influencer partnerships strategically.