Unveiling the Black Box of Influencer Marketing: The moderating role of Parasocial interaction and persuasion knowledge

The digital era has significantly transformed the manner in which consumers perceive and interact with brands, primarily due to the emergence of influencer marketing. This study examines the complex relationship between influencer attributes—attractiveness, trustworthiness, and familiarity—and customer-perceived quality. Furthermore, it explores the moderating role of parasocial and persuasion knowledge on the relationship between customer-perceived quality and purchase intention. The study employed a quantitative research design, utilizing survey questionnaires to collect data from 390 consumers across a diverse range of consumers. Data analysis was conducted using Smart PLS. The results revealed that influencer familiarity, customer-perceived quality, and the moderating effects of parasocial and persuasion knowledge were all found to be significant. However, Influencer attractiveness and Influencer trustworthiness were insignificant. This study examines how parasocial interaction and persuasion knowledge moderate the influencer marketing-purchase intention relationship on social media. This research may help influencer marketers build more effective ads that consider parasocial interaction and persuasion knowledge in generating purchase intention. The study makes a valuable contribution to the developing area of influencer marketing by providing insights into the relationship between influencer characteristics, customer-perceived quality, and purchase intention. The results provide valuable insights for marketers seeking to enhance influencer selection and campaign strategies in a practical manner. Moreover, by an examination of the moderating effects of parasocial contact and persuasion knowledge, this study offers a more elaborate understanding of influencer marketing, thereby increasing its significance and efficacy within the contemporary digital marketplace.