I like celebrity #endorsement: Assessing the influence of social media influencers (SMIs) on the online purchase intention of the gen Z market in Metro Manila and the mediating role of credibility

Social Media Influencers have been making a buzz in the past few years as they have the ability to impact consumers’ Online Purchase Intention. Companies draw attention to SMIs because they can effectively promote a product, and are relatable and transparent which consumers like. The study aims to assess the influence of Social Media Influencers (SMIs) on the Online Purchase Intention of the Gen Z market in Metro Manila and the mediating role of Credibility. The desired responses of a sample size of 100 respondents that was needed for the study was not only achieved, but also exceeded to 409 respondents. The respondents were the followers of Bella Racelis, whose age ranges from 18 to 24 years old, which is the bracket of Gen Z. Correlational analysis, causal analysis, and mediation analysis were all used to analyze the quantitative data. To analyze the data, the authors of the study used a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 5%. The result from the study showed that Social Media Influencers’ attributes play a significant role in directly affecting their Credibility and that Credibility directly affects the consumers Online Purchase Intention (OPI). Therefore, the study concluded that Credibility plays a mediating role between Social Media Influencers and Online Purchase Intentio