Understanding the impact of influencers on social media upon consumer purchasing decisions

The purpose of this dissertation is to understand the role that influencers play in relation to consumer purchasing decisions and consumer attitudes towards this. In order to understand this, influencers have been separated and identified as either traditional influencers; those who have amassed a following through traditional media such as television or music; or non-traditional influencers; those who have gained a following primarily through the increasing popularity of social media. Qualitative data methods have been used in the form of semi-structured interviews. This has allowed for participants to speak freely about their experiences, attitudes and perception towards different issues as raised by the interviewer. A total of 12 interviews have been conducted in order to research consumer attitudes towards different types of influencer online, and identify the main factors which impact purchasing intent. From the data gathered, the credibility and relatability of influencers has been identified as one of the main factors which can affect this intent along with impacting consumer perceptions towards different influencers, bringing in elements of scepticism which also surrounds different influencers online today. In addition to this, themes such as platforms and their features for use, self-esteem and validation and the act of purchasing in terms of persuasive power and awareness have also been raised and discussed in order to understand more about consumer perceptions, attitudes and influences in order to answer the research question at hand