Moderated Mediation of Credibility and Affinity on The ‎Impact of Influencer Type and Number of Followers on ‎Consumer Purchase Intention in live-Streaming

  • Authors

    • Lyu Yang INTI International University, Malaysia
    • Wang Zixing Guilin Shanshui Vocational College, China
    • Wong Chee Hoo INTI International University, Malaysia
    • Mohd Rushidi Mohd Amin INTI International University, Malaysia
    • Christian Wiradendi Wolor Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia
    https://doi.org/10.14419/whtmk180

    Received date: November 29, 2025

    Accepted date: December 31, 2025

    Published date: March 6, 2026

  • Consumer Behavior; Live Streaming E-Commerce; Influencer Type; Number of ‎Followers; Trsut; Influencer Affinity; Purchase Intention.

  • Abstract

    Against the backdrop of booming social media platforms, influencer marketing has ‎become a pivotal channel for brands to engage consumers. However, the mechanism by ‎which influencer characteristics in live-streaming e-commerce influence consumer ‎purchase intent remains to be systematically explored. Building upon social influence ‎theory and source credibility theory, this study employs two scenario experiments ‎‎(Study 1 with 200 valid participants, Study 2 with 286 valid participants) to delve into ‎the mechanisms through which influencer type (perfect vs. authentic), follower count ‎‎(many vs. few), and influencer likability influence consumer purchase intent. Findings ‎reveal: First, significant interaction effects between influencer type and follower count ‎emerge for purchase intention. When influencers have large followings, idealized ‎influencers more effectively boost consumers’ purchase intentions; conversely, when ‎follower counts are low, authentic influencers exert stronger positive effects on purchase ‎intention. Moreover, influencer-follower closeness intensifies this moderating role of ‎follower count. Second, trust mediates the influence of influencer type and follower ‎count on purchase intention, with different combinations selectively activating distinct ‎trust dimensions. Third, consumers' perceived influencer affinity moderates these ‎relationships, further shaping the pathways to purchase intention formation. This study ‎not only enriches theoretical understanding of influencer marketing in live-streaming ‎e-commerce but also extends the application boundaries of social influence theory and ‎source credibility theory. It provides practical guidance for brands to optimize influencer ‎collaboration strategies and for influencers to enhance content marketing effectiveness. ‎Additionally, it identifies research limitations, such as the exclusion of cultural context, ‎and points the way for future studies‎.

  • References

    1. Abdul Talib, Y. Y., & Mat Saat, R. (2017). Social proof in social media shopping: An experimental design research. SHS Web of Conferences, 34, 02005. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20173402005.
    2. Abidin, N. H. Z., Fauzi, M. A., Wider, W., Daud, W. M. N. S. M., & Musa, R. (2025). Metaverse in tourism and hospitality industry: science map-ping of the current and future trends. Journal of Tourism Futures. https://doi.org/10.1108/jtf-05-2024-0089.
    3. Ahmed, S., Islam, T., & Ghaffar, A. (2024). Shaping Brand Loyalty through Social Media Influencers: The Mediating Role of Follower Engagement and Social Attractiveness. Sage Open, 14(2), 21582440241242928. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241242928.
    4. Andonopoulos, V., Lee, J. (Jiyeon), & Mathies, C. (2023). Authentic isn’t always best: When inauthentic social media influencers induce positive con-sumer purchase intention through inspiration. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 75, 103521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103521.
    5. Ao, L., Bansal, R., Pruthi, N., & Khaskheli, M. B. (2023). Impact of Social Media Influencers on Customer Engagement and Purchase Intention: A Meta-Analysis. Sustainability, 15(3), 2744. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032744.
    6. Ardley, B., Craig, C., Hunt, A., & May, C. (2022). Product Endorsements on Instagram: Consumer Perceptions of Influencer Authenticity. Open Journal of Business and Management, 10(03), 1196–1214. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojbm.2022.103065.
    7. Argyris, Y. A., Wang, Z., Kim, Y., & Yin, Z. (2020). The effects of visual congruence on increasing consumers’ brand engagement: An empirical in-vestigation of influencer marketing on instagram using deep-learning algorithms for automatic image classification. Computers in Human Behavior, 112, 106443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106443.
    8. Audrezet, A., De Kerviler, G., & Guidry Moulard, J. (2020). Authenticity under threat: When social media influencers need to go beyond self-presentation. Journal of Business Research, 117, 557–569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.07.008.
    9. Chen, N., & Yang, Y. (2023). The Role of Influencers in Live Streaming E-Commerce: Influencer Trust, Attachment, and Consumer Purchase Inten-tion. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 18(3), 1601–1618. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer18030081.
    10. Chen, Y., Qin, Z., Yan, Y., & Huang, Y. (2024). The Power of Influencers: How Does Influencer Marketing Shape Consumers’ Purchase Intentions? Sustainability, 16(13), 5471. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135471.
    11. Claeys, P., Charry, K., & Tessitore, T. (2024). To be real or not to be real? The effect of genuine (vs. nongenuine) depictions of social media influenc-ers on followers’ well‐being and brand purchase intention. Psychology & Marketing, 41(1), 203–222. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21920.
    12. Conde, R., & Casais, B. (2023). Micro, macro and mega-influencers on instagram: The power of persuasion via the parasocial relationship. Journal of Business Research, 158, 113708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113708.
    13. Das, G., Spence, M. T., & Agarwal, J. (2021). Social selling cues: The dynamics of posting numbers viewed and bought on customers’ purchase in-tentions. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 38(4), 994–1016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2021.01.001.
    14. Fletcher, K.-A., & Gbadamosi, A. (2024). Examining social media live stream’s influence on the consumer decision-making: A thematic analysis. Electronic Commerce Research, 24(3), 2175–2205. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-022-09623-y.
    15. Gao, W., Jiang, N., & Guo, Q. (2023). How do virtual streamers affect purchase intention in the live streaming context? A presence perspective. Jour-nal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 73, 103356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103356.
    16. Gran, A.-B. (2025). Performing Not-Not-Me in SoMe: A New Theatrical Typology of Self-Presentation Online. Social Media + Society, 11(1), 20563051251315256. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051251315256.
    17. Gupta, S., & Mahajan, R. (2020). Role of Micro-Influencers in Affecting Behavioural Intentions. International Journal of Recent Technology and En-gineering, 8(4S5), 189–192. https://doi.org/10.35940/ijrte.D1045.1284S519.
    18. Han, L. (2023). Study on the “Performative” Live Learning Phenomenon from the perspective of Dramaturgical Theory. SHS Web of Conferences, 168, 02027. https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/202316802027.
    19. He, W., & Jin, C. (2024). A study on the influence of the characteristics of key opinion leaders on consumers’ purchase intention in live streaming commerce: Based on dual-systems theory. Electronic Commerce Research, 24(2), 1235–1265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-022-09651-8.
    20. Hocevar, K. P., Metzger, M., & Flanagin, A. J. (2017). Source Credibility, Expertise, and Trust in Health and Risk Messaging. In K. P. Hocevar, M. Metzger, & A. J. Flanagin, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.287.
    21. Holmberg, C., Berg, C., Hillman, T., Lissner, L., & Chaplin, J. E. (2018). Self-presentation in digital media among adolescent patients with obesity: Striving for integrity, risk-reduction, and social recognition. DIGITAL HEALTH, 4, 2055207618807603. https://doi.org/10.1177/2055207618807603.
    22. Horton, D., & Richard Wohl, R. (1956). Mass Communication and Para-Social Interaction: Observations on Intimacy at a Distance. Psychiatry, 19(3), 215–229. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.1956.11023049.
    23. Hovland, C. I., & Weiss, W. (1951). The Influence of Source Credibility on Communication Effectiveness*. Public Opinion Quarterly, 15(4), 635–650. https://doi.org/10.1086/266350.
    24. Jin, Y., Tian, Y., & Wu, H. (2022). The Presentation of Self on Online Social Network Platforms from the Perspective of Dramaturgical Theory: Tak-ing WeChat Moments and Anonymous Question Platform “Tape” as Examples. 2021 International Conference on Social Development and Media Communication (SDMC 2021), Sanya, China. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220105.204.
    25. Kapoor, K. (2023). Comparative Analysis between Micro and Macro Fashion Influencers of Instagram in India. International Journal of Communica-tion and Media Science, 10(2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.14445/2349641X/IJCMS-V10I2P101.
    26. Kelman, H. C. (1961). PROCESSES OF OPINION CHANGE. PUBLIC OPINION QUARTERLY. https://doi.org/10.1086/266996
    27. Klucarova, S., & He, X. (2023). Cash is the king: Conspicuous consumption and preference for cash payment in restaurants. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 54, 357–360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2023.01.010.
    28. Krisnawati, E. (2020). Dramaturgical Analysis of Vlogger’s Impression Management on Social Media. Komunikator, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.18196/jkm.121035.
    29. Leung, F. F., Gu, F. F., & Palmatier, R. W. (2022). Online influencer marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 50(2), 226–251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-021-00829-4.
    30. Li, M., & Hua, Y. (2022). Integrating Social Presence with Social Learning to Promote Purchase Intention: Based on Social Cognitive Theory. Fron-tiers in Psychology, 12, 810181. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.810181.
    31. Li, W., Cujilema, S., Hu, L., & Xie, G. (2025). How Social Scene Characteristics Affect Customers’ Purchase Intention: The Role of Trust and Priva-cy Concerns in Live Streaming Commerce. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 20(2), 85. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer20020085.
    32. Liu, X., & Zheng, X. (2024). The persuasive power of social media influencers in brand credibility and purchase intention. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02512-1.
    33. Long, J., Zaidin, N., & Mai, X. (2024). Social media influencer streamers and live-streaming shopping: Examining consumer behavioral intention through the lens of the theory of planned behavior. Future Business Journal, 10(1), 80. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-024-00370-0.
    34. Lou, C., & Kim, H. K. (2019). Fancying the New Rich and Famous? Explicating the Roles of Influencer Content, Credibility, and Parental Mediation in Adolescents’ Parasocial Relationship, Materialism, and Purchase Intentions. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2567. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02567.
    35. Lou, C., & Yuan, S. (2019). Influencer Marketing: How Message Value and Credibility Affect Consumer Trust of Branded Content on Social Media. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 19(1), 58–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2018.1533501.
    36. Lu, B., & Chen, Z. (2021). Live streaming commerce and consumers’ purchase intention: An uncertainty reduction perspective. Information & Man-agement, 58(7), 103509. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2021.103509.
    37. Lyu, B. (2021). How is the Purchase Intention of Consumers Affected in the Environment of E-commerce Live Streaming?: 2021 International Con-ference on Financial Management and Economic Transition (FMET 2021), Guangzhou, China. https://doi.org/10.2991/aebmr.k.210917.009.
    38. Mang, V., Fennis, B. M., & Epstude, K. (2024). Source credibility effects in misinformation research: A review and primer. Advances.in/Psychology, 2(1), e443610. https://doi.org/10.56296/aip00028.
    39. Masuda, H., Han, S. H., & Lee, J. (2022). Impacts of influencer attributes on purchase intentions in social media influencer marketing: Mediating roles of characterizations. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 174, 121246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121246.
    40. Merunková, L., & Šlerka, J. (2019). Goffman’s Theory as a Framework for Analysis of Self Presentation on Online Social Networks. Masaryk Uni-versity Journal of Law and Technology, 13(2), 243–276. https://doi.org/10.5817/MUJLT2019-2-5.
    41. Moon, S., & Yoo, S. (2022). Are More Followers Always Better? The Non-Linear Relationship between the Number of Followers and User Engage-ment on Seeded Marketing Campaigns in Instagram. Asia Marketing Journal, 24(2), 62–77. https://doi.org/10.53728/2765-6500.1589.
    42. Moussaïd, M., Kämmer, J. E., Analytis, P. P., & Neth, H. (2013). Social Influence and the Collective Dynamics of Opinion Formation. PLoS ONE, 8(11), e78433. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0078433.
    43. Naegele, K. D., & Goffman, E. (1956). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. American Sociological Review, 21(5), 631. https://doi.org/10.2307/2089106.
    44. Nistor, C., Selove, M., & Villas-Boas, J. M. (2025). Influencer Authenticity: To Grow or to Monetize. Management Science, 71(6), 5251–5267. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.03479.
    45. Ohanian, R. (1990). Construction and Validation of a Scale to Measure Celebrity Endorsers’ Perceived Expertise, Trustworthiness, and Attractiveness. Journal of Advertising, 19(3), 39–52. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.1990.10673191.
    46. Pan, M., Blut, M., Ghiassaleh, A., & Lee, Z. W. Y. (2025). Influencer marketing effectiveness: A meta-analytic review. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 53(1), 52–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-024-01052-7.
    47. Peng, C. (2023). Influencer Marketing: Statistics and Skepticism. Open Journal of Business and Management, 11(02), 744–754. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojbm.2023.112040.
    48. Rahayu, F., Siregar, R., Risde, K. R., Nurulita, D. A., Wijarnako, F. R., Wijarnako, K. F., & Ying, L. (2024). Building brand credibility to increase consumer purchase intention: The role of influencer emotional attachment. Jurnal Manajemen Dan Pemasaran Jasa, 17(2), 293–306. https://doi.org/10.25105/v17i2.19970.
    49. Rahman, K. T. (2022). Influencer Marketing and Behavioral Outcomes: How Types of Influencers Affect Consumer Mimicry? SEISENSE Business Review, 2(1), 43–54. https://doi.org/10.33215/sbr.v2i1.792.
    50. Rajput, A., & Gandhi, A. (2024). The branding power of social media influencers: An interactive marketing approach. Cogent Business & Manage-ment, 11(1), 2380807. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2380807.
    51. Ren, L., Lee, S. K., & Chun, S. (2023). The effects of influencer type, regulatory focus, and perceived authenticity on consumers’ purchase intention. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 47(4), 1241–1255. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12898.
    52. Singer, M. F., Callendar, C. L., Ma, X., & Tham, S. M. (2023). Differences in perceived influencer authenticity: A comparison of Gen Z and Millen-nials’ definitions of influencer authenticity during the de-influencer movement. Online Media and Global Communication, 2(3), 351–378. https://doi.org/10.1515/omgc-2023-0038.
    53. Sokolova, K., & Kefi, H. (2020). Instagram and YouTube bloggers promote it, why should I buy? How credibility and parasocial interaction influence purchase intentions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.01.011.
    54. Song, Y., Liu, J., Zhang, W., & Li, J. (2023). Blockchain’s role in e-commerce sellers’ decision-making on information disclosure under competition. Annals of Operations Research, 329(1–2), 1009–1048. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-021-04276-w.
    55. Soto-Vásquez, A. D., & Jimenez, N. (2022). A Dramaturgical Analysis of Latina Influencers Use of Props and Settings to Signal Identity. Journalism and Media, 3(3), 407–418. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia3030029.
    56. Ünalmış, E., Dirsehan, T., & Erdoğmuş, İ. E. (2024). Consequences of influencer-created content on influencers’ authenticity in the beauty and per-sonal care industry. Journal of Marketing Communications, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2024.2371833.
    57. Valsesia, F., Proserpio, D., & Nunes, J. C. (2020). The Positive Effect of Not Following Others on Social Media. Journal of Marketing Research, 57(6), 1152–1168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243720915467.
    58. Veirman, M. D., Cauberghe, V., & Hudders, L. (2017). Marketing through Instagram influencers: The impact of number of followers and product di-vergence on brand attitude. International Journal of Advertising, 36(5), 798–828. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2017.1348035.
    59. Wang, R., & Chan-Olmsted, S. (2024). Brand Communication Through Social Media Influencers: Trust Building and Trust Transfer Mechanisms. International Journal of Business Communication, 23294884241255911. https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884241255911.
    60. Wies, S., Bleier, A., & Edeling, A. (2023). Finding Goldilocks Influencers: How Follower Count Drives Social Media Engagement. Journal of Mar-keting, 87(3), 383–405. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429221125131.
    61. Zhang, W., Zhang, W., & Daim, T. U. (2023). Investigating consumer purchase intention in online social media marketing: A case study of Tiktok. Technology in Society, 74, 102289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2023.102289.
    62. Zhao, X., Xu, Z., Ding, F., & Li, Z. (2024). The Influencers’ Attributes and Customer Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Customer Attitude Toward Brand. Sage Open, 14(2), 21582440241250122. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241250122.
    63. Zniva, R., Weitzl, W. J., & Lindmoser, C. (2023). Be constantly different! How to manage influencer authenticity. Electronic Commerce Research, 23(3), 1485–1514. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-022-09653-6.

  • Downloads

  • How to Cite

    Yang , L. ., Zixing , W. ., Hoo , W. C. ., Amin , M. R. M. ., & Wolor , C. W. . (2026). Moderated Mediation of Credibility and Affinity on The ‎Impact of Influencer Type and Number of Followers on ‎Consumer Purchase Intention in live-Streaming. International Journal of Accounting and Economics Studies, 13(2), 403-413. https://doi.org/10.14419/whtmk180