Abstract

With the growth of various social media websites in the past decade, a novel profession, online influencer, emerged and bloomed from numerous social media platforms. The question of could specific characteristics of online influencers further trigger consumer purchase intention arose. This research aims to clarify the connection between specific influencer characteristics and consumer purchase intention with the help of consumer engagement. In addition, consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence, congruence between the brand image and the influencer’s image, and Hofstede’s six dimensions of cultural values were also incorporated as moderated variables further to test the link between influencer characteristics and purchase intention. Two conducted studies revealed that influencer expertise, trustworthiness, and likability positively influence purchase intention and are mediated by online consumer engagement. Moreover, we concluded from the results that people who are highly susceptible to both normative and informative influence were more likely to exhibit consumer engagement behavior with online influencers based on their expertise and trustworthiness than those who are not as influenced by others. The findings may provide some new insights for both consumer behavior research and brands and influencers who needed to bring their career to the next level.