HOW INFLUENCER QUALITIES SHAPE YOUNG CONSUMERS’ PURCHASE INTENTION: THE MEDIATING ROLES OF PARASOCIAL RELATIONSHIP, TRUSTWORTHINESS, AND PERCEIVED EXPERTISE

Abstract

Background. Social-media influencer marketing has become a primary channel for reaching Generation Z, yet the psychological mechanism that converts influencer qualities into purchase intention and the relative weight of competing mediators remains contested. Objective. Drawing on the theory of persuasion, this study examines how three influencer qualities (mental homophily, physical attractiveness, social attractiveness) shape young consumers’ purchase intention through three characterizations (trustworthiness, perceived expertise, and parasocial relationship). Method. Survey data from 159 young social-media users in Pakistan were analysed with partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The reported model was extended with specific indirect-effect estimation (Sobel tests), total effects, structural f² effect sizes, and a renewed discriminant-validity assessment. Results. The measurement model met reliability and convergent-validity thresholds (composite reliability .85–.91; AVE .52–.73). The three influencer qualities explained 44–49% of variance in the mediators, and the full model explained 52% of variance in purchase intention. Parasocial relationship was by far the dominant driver of purchase intention (β = .561, f² = 0.24, medium), trustworthiness contributed modestly (β = .178), and perceived expertise had no significant effect (β = .046, p = .53; f² ≈ 0.00). Mediation analysis absent from the original study showed that influencer effects on purchase intention flow almost entirely through parasocial relationship: all three parasocial indirect paths were significant, the trustworthiness paths were weak-to-marginal, and every perceived-expertise path was non-significant. Social attractiveness exerted the largest total effect on purchase intention (.266), ahead of physical attractiveness (.186) and mental homophily (.178). A discriminant-validity concern emerged between perceived expertise and parasocial relationship (HTMT = .90 > .85). Conclusion. For young consumers, influencer marketing persuades by building relationship, not by signalling expertise. Brands should prioritise socially attractive, relatable influencers who cultivate genuine parasocial bonds. Theoretically, the findings refine persuasion-based accounts of influencer marketing and caution against treating perceived expertise and parasocial relationship as fully distinct constructs.