Impact of Social Media Influencer Credibility and Authenticity on Brand Trust and Purchase Intention

Abstract: This study investigates the impact of social media influencer credibility and authenticity on brand trust and purchase intention among active social media users in India. With the rapid growth of influencer marketing as a mainstream digital strategy, understanding how influencer-related attributes shape consumer behaviour has become increasingly important for both researchers and practitioners. A structured questionnaire-based survey was administered to 152 respondents, and the data were analysed using Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression. The findings reveal that both influencer credibility and authenticity exhibit significant positive relationships with brand trust. Brand trust, in turn, emerges as the strongest predictor of purchase intention, underscoring its central role as a mediating mechanism in the influencer-consumer relationship. While influencer credibility shows a direct positive effect on purchase intention, authenticity appears to operate indirectly through brand trust rather than independently influencing purchase decisions. These results highlight the importance of selecting credible and authentic influencers to build lasting brand trust and drive consumer purchase intention in the digital marketplace.

Keywords: Influencer Credibility, Influencer Authenticity, Brand Trust, Purchase Intention, Social Media Marketing.