Social Media Influencers and Cosmetics: The Role of Trust and Materialism in Consumer Purchase Decisions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62843/jrsr/2024.3a065Keywords:
Social Media, Exchange Theory, Materialism, Trust, InfluencerAbstract
Social media influencers are used on a large scale as a type of marketing strategy, due to the speed with which they can gain the trust of followers. They’re a new twist on opinion leaders; their followers are inspired by them and strongly affect their attitudes and behaviors. Using the social exchange theory and its fundamental principle of reciprocity, the current research examined if the fundamental attributes of an influencer (i.e., expertise, authenticity, physical attractiveness, homophily) can act as interpersonal assets in the process of gaining followers' trust. If the reliance of the follower in an influencer begets loyalty to that digital creator, and whether favorable output (e.g., product attitude, and purchase intention) are due to advertising, were covered as well. Results showed that source credibility and attractiveness were significant in developing relational trust. Moreover, the findings show that materialism mediates the link among exposure to influencers and buying intention. The results highlight important consequences for the strategic implementation of influencer marketing by suggesting an increased understanding of the persuasion processes that shape influencer–follower dynamics. Also, these understandings add to existing works on social media influencers and materialism, whilst giving useful recommendations to influencers and marketers to better their strategies expertly.
References
Ahmad, R., Nawaz, M. R., Ishaq, M. I., Khan, M. M., & Ashraf, H. A. (2023). Social exchange theory: Systematic review and future directions. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1015921.
Baker, S., & Martinson, D. L. (2002). Out of the red-light district: Five principles for ethically proactive public relations. Public Relations Quarterly, 47(3), 15.
Barbalet, J. (2017). Social Exchange Theory. 1–11. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483376493.n287
Blau, P. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9780203792643/exchange-power-social-life-peter-blau
Bolat, E., & Gilani, P. (2018). Instagram influencers: When a special relationship with fans turns dark. The Conversation, 7th August 2018. http://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/31127/1.pdf
Boman, C. D., Schneider, E. J., & Akin, H. (2023). Examining the mediating effects of sincerity and credibility in crisis communication strategies. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 29(4), 550-566. https://doi.org/10.1108/ccij-09-2022-0118
Breves, P. L., Liebers, N., Abt, M., & Kunze, A. (2019). The Perceived Fit between Instagram Influencers and the Endorsed Brand: How Influencer–Brand Fit Affects Source Credibility and Persuasive Effectiveness. Journal of Advertising Research, 59(4), 440–454. https://doi.org/10.2501/JAR-2019-030
Briñol, P., & Petty, R. (2009). Source factors in persuasion: A self-validation approach. European Review of Social Psychology, 20, 49–96. https://doi.org/10.1080/10463280802643640
Brooks, G., & Piskorski, M. (2018). The trusted influencer: How they do it and how brands can benefit. Advances in Consumer Research, 46, 489–490.
Brown, K. W., Kasser, T., Ryan, R. M., & Konow, J. (2016). Materialism, Spending, and Affect: An Event-Sampling Study of Marketplace Behavior and Its Affective Costs. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17(6), 2277–2292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-015-9694-9
Bu, Y., Parkinson, J., & Thaichon, P. (2022). Influencer marketing: Homophily, customer value co-creation behaviour and purchase intention. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 66(102904), 102904. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102904
Chaffey, D. (2025, February 14). Global social media statistics research summary 2025 [Feb 2025 update]. Smart Insights. https://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/
Chaker, N. N., Walker, D., Nowlin, E. L., & Anaza, N. A. (2019). When and how does sales manager physical attractiveness impact credibility: A test of two competing hypotheses. Journal of Business Research, 105, 98–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JBUSRES.2019.08.004
Chen, J. K. C., & Sriphon, T. (2022). Authentic leadership, trust, and social exchange relationships under the influence of leader behavior. Sustainability, 14(10), 5883. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14105883
Chung, J. (jae), Ding, Y., & Kalra, A. (2023). I really know you: How influencers can increase audience engagement by referencing their close social ties. The Journal of Consumer Research, 50(4), 683–703. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad019
Clark, J. K., Wegener, D., Habashi, M., & Evans, A. T. (2012). Source Expertise and Persuasion. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 100–190. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167211420733
Cook, K. S., & Rice, E. (2006). Social Exchange Theory. In Handbook of Social Psychology (pp. 53–76). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-36921-x_3
Djafarova, E., & Rushworth, C. (2017). Exploring the credibility of online celebrities’ Instagram profiles in influencing the purchase decisions of young female users. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.009
Djafarova, E., & Trofimenko, O. (2018). ‘Instafamous’ – credibility and self-presentation of micro-celebrities on social media. Information, Communication & Society, 22(10), 1432–1446. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2018.1438491
Etzkorn, K. (2021). How Digital Shopping Will Evolve: Three Trends to Watch. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2021/04/09/how-digital-shopping-will-evolve-three-trends-to-watch/
Eyal, G. (2018, July 9). Why Influencers Fail to Disclose Commercial Relationships and the Brands that Enable Them. https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/why-influencers-fail-to-disclose-commercial-relationships-and-the-brands-that-enable-them/
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
Foy, J. E., Locasto, P. C., Briner, S. W., & Dyar, S. (2017). Would a madman have been so wise as this?” The effects of source credibility and message credibility on validation. Memory & Cognition, 45, 281–295. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-016-0656-1
Frank, B., & Mitsumoto, S. (2023). An extended source attractiveness model: The advertising effectiveness of distinct athlete endorser attractiveness types and its contextual variation. European Sport Management Quarterly, 23(4), 1091–1114.
Freberg, K., Graham, K., McGaughey, K., & Freberg, L. A. (2011). Who are the social media influencers? A study of public perceptions of personality. Public Relations Review, 37(1), 90–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2010.11.001
Friman, M., Rosenbaum, M., & Otterbring, T. (2020). The relationship between exchanged resources and loyalty intentions. The Service Industries Journal, 40, 846–865. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2018.1561875
Geng, Y., & Maimaituerxun, M. (2022). Research Progress of Green Marketing in Sustainable Consumption based on CiteSpace Analysis. Sage Open, 12(3), 21582440221119835. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221119835
Geyser W. (2022, January 24). Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2025. Influencer Marketing Hub. https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report/
Giffin, K. (1967). The contribution of studies of source credibility to a theory of interpersonal trust in the communication process. Psychological Bulletin, 68(2), 104–120. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0024833
Global influencer market size 2025. (2025, February 18). Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1092819/global-influencer-market-size/
Górnik-Durose, M. (2020). Materialism and Well-Being Revisited: The Impact of Personality. Journal of Happiness Studies, 21, 305–326. https://doi.org/10.1007/S10902-019-00089-8
Grönroos, C. (1990). Service management and marketing (Vol. 27). Lexington books Lexington, MA.
Gui, C., Luo, A., Zhang, P., & Deng, A. (2020). A meta-analysis of transformational leadership in hospitality research. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32, 2137–2154. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-05-2019-0507
Haenlein, M., Anadol, E., Farnsworth, T., Hugo, H., Hunichen, J., & Welte, D. (2020). Navigating the New Era of Influencer Marketing: How to be Successful on Instagram, TikTok, & Co. California Management Review, 63, 5–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/0008125620958166
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis. In Multivariate data analysis (pp. 785–785).
Hair, J., Hair Jr, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Gudergan, S. P. (2018). Advanced issues in partial least squares structural equation modeling. Sage publications.
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
Hill, S. R., & Qesja, B. (2022). Social media influencer popularity and authenticity perception in the travel industry. The Service Industries Journal, 43, 289–311. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2022.2149740
Hohenberg, B. C. von, & Guess, A. (2022). When Do Sources Persuade? The Effect of Source Credibility on Opinion Change. Journal of Experimental Political Science, 10, 328–342. https://doi.org/10.1017/XPS.2022.2
Homans, G. C. (1961). Social behavior: Its elementary forms. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1974-20800-000
Hoult, D. I. (2011). The principle of reciprocity. Journal of Magnetic Resonance, 213(2), 344–346.
Hudders, L., Jans, S. D., & Veirman, M. de. (2020). The commercialization of social media stars: A literature review and conceptual framework on the strategic use of social media influencers. International Journal of Advertising, 40, 327–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2020.1836925
Hughes, B. T., Flournoy, J., & Srivastava, S. (2020). Is perceived similarity more than assumed similarity? An interpersonal path to seeing similarity between self and others. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspp0000369
Islam, T., Sheikh, Z., Hameed, Z., Khan, I. U., & Azam, R. I. (2018). Social comparison, materialism, and compulsive buying based on stimulus-response-model: A comparative study among adolescents and young adults. Young Consumers, 19(1), 19–37. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-07-2017-00713
Jackson, L., Hunter, J., & Hodge, C. N. (1995). Physical attractiveness and intellectual competence: A meta-analytic review. Social Psychology Quarterly, 58, 108–122. https://doi.org/10.2307/2787149
Jin, S. V., Muqaddam, A., & Ryu, E. (2019). Instafamous and social media influencer marketing. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 37(5), 567–579. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-09-2018-0375
Jongman-Sereno, K. P., & Leary, M. (2019). The Enigma of Being Yourself: A Critical Examination of the Concept of Authenticity. Review of General Psychology, 23, 133–142. https://doi.org/10.1037/GPR0000157
Kennedy, M. S., Ferrell, L. K., & LeClair, D. T. (2001). Consumers’ trust of salesperson and manufacturer: An empirical study. Journal of Business Research, 51(1), 73–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0148-2963(99)00039-9
Kenton, S. B. (1989). Speaker Credibility in Persuasive Business Communication: A Model Which Explains Gender Differences 1. Journal of Business Communication, 26(2), 143–157. https://doi.org/10.1177/002194368902600204
Khan, M. M., Memon, Z., & Kumar, S. (2019). Celebrity endorsement and purchase intentions: The role of perceived quality and brand loyalty. Market Forces, 14(2).
Kim, D. Y., & Kim, H.-Y. (2021). Trust me, trust me not: A nuanced view of influencer marketing on social media. Journal of Business Research, 134, 223–232.
Kim, E., Shoenberger, H., & Sun, Y. (2021). Living in a material world: Sponsored Instagram posts and the role of materialism, hedonic enjoyment, perceived trust, and need to belong. Social Media Society, 7(3), 20563051211038306. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051211038306
Klostermann, J., Meißner, M., Max, A., & Decker, R. (2023). Presentation of celebrities’ private life through visual social media. Journal of Business Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113524
Kovács, P., Szalárdy, O., Winkler, I., & Tóth, B. (2023). Two effects of perceived speaker similarity in resolving the cocktail party situation – ERPs and functional connectivity. Biological Psychology, 182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108651
Kumar, B. V., & Shailaja, N. (2024). Social Exchange Theory: Exploring Reciprocity, Equity, and Relationship Management in Diverse Contexts. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research. https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i06.32850
Kumar, R., Kaushal, S. K., & Kumar, K. (2022). Does source credibility matter in promoting sustainable consumption? Developing an integrated model. Social Responsibility Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/srj-07-2021-0257
Lee, F., & Tiedens, L. Z. (2001). 2. Is it lonely at the top?: The independence and interdependence of power holders. Research in Organizational Behavior, 23, 43–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-3085(01)23003-2
Lin, X., Wang, X., & Hajli, M. (2019). Building E-Commerce Satisfaction and Boosting Sales: The Role of Social Commerce Trust and Its Antecedents. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 23, 328–363. https://doi.org/10.1080/10864415.2019.1619907
Liu, C., Zhao, Q., Gursoy, D., & Zheng, H. (2024). Livestreamed tourism shopping: Consumers’ attitudes and behaviors. Tourism Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/tr-01-2024-0040
Lou, C., & Kim, H. K. (2019). Fancying the New Rich and Famous? Explicating the Roles of Influencer Content, Credibility, and Parental Mediation in Adolescents’ Parasocial Relationship, Materialism, and Purchase Intentions. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2567. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02567
Lou, C., & Yuan, S. (2019a). Influencer Marketing: How Message Value and Credibility Affect Consumer Trust of Branded Content on Social Media. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 19(1), 58–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2018.1533501
Madden, T. J., Allen, C. T., & Twible, J. L. (1988). Attitude toward the Ad: An Assessment of Diverse Measurement Indices under Different Processing “Sets.” Journal of Marketing Research, 25(3), 242–252. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378802500302
Mallipeddi, R. R., Kumar, S., Sriskandarajah, C., & Zhu, Y. (2020). A Framework for Analyzing Influencer Marketing in Social Networks: Selection and Scheduling of Influencers. Decision-Making in Operations Research eJournal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3255198
Mandiri, L. N. P., Jamhari, J., & Darwanto, D. H. (2022). Influencer Marketing Affect Consumer Purchase Decisions On Cimory Product. Agro Ekonomi, 33(2), 80. https://doi.org/10.22146/ae.73195
Mc Guire, I. E. (1968). The Origin of Newton’s Doctrine of Essential Qualities. Centaurus, 12(4), 233–260. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0498.1968.tb00096.x
McNutt, L. (2021). 5 influencer marketing predictions for 2021. PR Daily. https://www.prdaily.com/5-influencer-marketing-predictions-for-2021/
Molm, L. D. (2010). The Structure of Reciprocity. Social Psychology Quarterly, 73, 119–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/0190272510369079
Molm, L. D., Collett, J. L., & Schaefer, D. R. (2007). Building Solidarity through Generalized Exchange: A Theory of Reciprocity. American Journal of Sociology, 113(1), 205–242. https://doi.org/10.1086/517900
Molm, L. D., Schaefer, D. R., & Collett, J. (2007). The Value of Reciprocity. Social Psychology Quarterly, 70, 199–217. https://doi.org/10.1177/019027250707000208
Molm, L. D., Whitham, M. M., & Melamed, D. (2012). Forms of Exchange and Integrative Bonds. American Sociological Review, 77, 141–165. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122411434610
Nitzl, C., Roldan, J. L., & Cepeda, G. (2016). Mediation analysis in partial least squares path modeling: Helping researchers discuss more sophisticated models. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 116(9), 1849–1864. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-07-2015-0302
Nunes, J. C., Ordanini, A., & Giambastiani, G. (2021). The Concept of Authenticity: What It Means to Consumers. Journal of Marketing, 85, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242921997081
Ohanian, R. (1990). Construction and Validation of a Scale to Measure Celebrity Endorsers’ Perceived Expertise, Trustworthiness, and Attractiveness. Journal of Advertising, 19(3), 39–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.1990.10673191
Onofrei, G., Filieri, R., & Kennedy, L. (2022). Social media interactions, purchase intention, and behavioural engagement: The mediating role of source and content factors. Journal of Business Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.12.031
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Malhotra, A. (2005). E-S-QUAL: A Multiple-Item Scale for Assessing Electronic Service Quality. Journal of Service Research, 7(3), 213–233. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670504271156
Pasupathi, M., & Billitteri, J. (2015). Being and Becoming through Being Heard: Listener Effects on Stories and Selves. International Journal of Listening, 29, 67–84. https://doi.org/10.1080/10904018.2015.1029363
Petruzzi, D. (2024, December 9). Topic: Skincare industry worldwide. Statista. https://www.statista.com/topics/3137/cosmetics-industry/
Phua, J., Jin, S. V., & Kim, J. (Jay). (2017). Gratifications of using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat to follow brands: The moderating effect of social comparison, trust, tie strength, and network homophily on brand identification, brand engagement, brand commitment, and membership intention. Telematics and Informatics, 34(1), 412–424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2016.06.004
Poyraz, E. (2020). Interpersonal Communication and Social Exchange Theory. International Journal of Social and Economic Sciences, 10(1), 1-14.
Reer, F., Tang, W. Y., & Quandt, T. (2019). Psychosocial well-being and social media engagement: The mediating roles of social comparison orientation and fear of missing out. New Media & Society, 21(7), 1486–1505. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444818823719
Robertson, L. (2020). Who will win the influencer marketing game in 2020? The Drum. https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2020/01/09/who-will-win-the-influencer-marketing-game-2020
Ross, C., Orr, E. S., Sisic, M., Arseneault, J. M., Simmering, M. G., & Orr, R. R. (2009). Personality and motivations associated with Facebook use. Computers in Human Behavior, 25(2), 578–586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2008.12.024
Ruvio, A., Gavish, Y., & Shoham, A. (2013). Consumer’s doppelganger: A role model perspective on intentional consumer mimicry: Consumer’s doppelganger. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 12(1), 60–69. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1415
Ryu, S., Min, S., & Park, J. E. J. (2014, October). The Moderating Role of Trust in Determining Inter-Firm Governance Mechanism and Perceived Performance. In Marketing, Technology and Customer Commitment in the New Economy: Proceedings of the 2005 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference (pp. 27-27). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11779-9_12
Sanders, R. E. (2013). The duality of speaker meaning: What makes self-repair, insincerity, and sarcasm possible. Journal of Pragmatics, 48(1), 112–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2012.11.020
Scheer, L. K., & Stern, L. W. (1992). The effect of influence type and performance outcomes on attitude toward the influencer. Journal of marketing research, 29(1), 128-142. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224379202900111
Shintel, H., & Keysar, B. (2007). You said it before and you’ll say it again: Expectations of consistency in communication. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33 2, 357–369. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.33.2.357
Statista. (2025a). Cosmetics—Pakistan | Statista Market Forecast. Statista. http://frontend.xmo.prod.aws.statista.com/outlook/cmo/beauty-personal-care/cosmetics/pakistan
Statista. (2025b). Cosmetics—Worldwide | Statista Market Forecast. Statista. http://frontend.xmo.prod.aws.statista.com/outlook/cmo/beauty-personal-care/cosmetics/worldwide
Statista. (2025c). Skin Care—Pakistan | Statista Market Forecast. Statista. http://frontend.xmo.prod.aws.statista.com/outlook/cmo/beauty-personal-care/skin-care/pakistan
Tang, J., Gao, H., Hu, X., & Liu, H. (2013). Exploiting homophily effect for trust prediction. Proceedings of the Sixth ACM International Conference on Web Search and Data Mining. https://doi.org/10.1145/2433396.2433405
Tartaglia, S., & Rollero, C. (2015). The Effects of Attractiveness and Status on Personality Evaluation. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 11, 677–690. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v11i4.896
Treat, T. (2013). Understanding psychological bonds between individuals and organizations: The coalescence model of organizational identification. European Journal of Training and Development, 37(6), 598–600.
Umeogu, B. (2012). Source Credibility: A Philosophical Analysis. Open Journal of Philosophy, 02, 112–115. https://doi.org/10.4236/OJPP.2012.22017
V. Wangenheim, F., & Bayón, T. (2004). The effect of word of mouth on services switching: Measurement and moderating variables. European Journal of Marketing, 38(9/10), 1173–1185. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560410548924
Venciute, D., Mackeviciene, I., Kušlys, M., & Correia, R. (2023). The role of influencer–follower congruence in the relationship between influencer marketing and purchase behaviour. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103506
Vrontis, D., Makrides, A., Christofi, M., & Thrassou, A. (2021). Social media influencer marketing: A systematic review, integrative framework and future research agenda. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 45(4), 617–644. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12647
Wang, D., Fu, H., & Fang, S. (2019). The efficacy of trust for the governance of uncertainty and opportunism in megaprojects. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-09-2018-0409
Wang, R., & Chan-Olmsted, S. (2024). Brand Communication Through Social Media Influencers: Trust Building and Trust Transfer Mechanisms. International Journal of Business Communication. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884241255911
Yilmazdogan, O. C., Doğan, R., & Altıntaş, E. (2021). The impact of the source credibility of Instagram influencers on travel intention: The mediating role of parasocial interaction. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 27, 299–313. https://doi.org/10.1177/1356766721995973
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Laiba Khan, Dr. Sohaib Uz Zaman, Syed Hasnain Alam
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
