Title: Building brand trust via social media influencers: the role of vicarious product experience, perceived influencer credibility and congruence

Authors: Sudhir Bhatia; Nancy Jyani; Harbhajan Bansal

Addresses: Haryana School of Business, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana, India ' Apex Institute of Technology AIT-MBA, Chandigarh University, Mohali, India; Haryana School of Business, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana, India ' Haryana School of Business, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana, India

Abstract: The content posted by social media influencers is a crucial source of product information for the social media users. The study focused on brand trust formation via social media influencer mechanism and its subsequent impact on intent to purchase. We examined the effects of product experience offered via the content posted by the social media influencers, perceived influencer credibility, and congruence over brand trust by drawing a sample of 217 respondents who were active followers of any social media influencer. Findings indicate that vicarious product experience, perceived influencer credibility, and self-influencer congruency are strong predictors of brand trust. It has been demonstrated that brand trust has a significant positive impact on purchase intention. We examined an unexplored dimension of consumer behaviour wherein changing patterns of information acquisition, product evaluation via social media influencers, and vicarious product experience influence brand trust and purchase intention for the promoted product.

Keywords: social media influencer; vicarious product experience; VPE; brand trust; influencer credibility; influencer marketing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEMR.2025.146182

International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 2025 Vol.16 No.3, pp.315 - 335

Received: 21 Nov 2022
Accepted: 12 Feb 2023
Published online: 09 May 2025 *

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