📄 Abstract
The rapid expansion of social media has shifted marketing influence away from traditional, high-production advertising and toward individual content creators who cultivate parasocial, trust-based relationships with their audiences. This study examines the impact of influencer marketing on purchase decisions among social media users, with particular attention to the gap between purchase intention and actual purchase conversion, the role of short-form content (such as Reels and Facebook Shop-style features) in driving impulse buying, and the growing “authenticity crisis” associated with influencer fatigue, de-influencing, and AI-generated influencers. Adopting a descriptive and analytical research design, primary data were collected through a structured online questionnaire administered on a Likert-scale basis to 102 active social media users selected through convenience sampling, supplemented by secondary analysis of recent academic literature and industry market reports. Responses were examined using percentage analysis and frequency distribution. The findings indicate that trust and perceived authenticity, rather than follower count alone, are central to whether influencer content translates into an actual purchase, that a substantial share of users engage in impulse buying after exposure to influencer content, and that consumers increasingly discount generic sponsorship disclosures while still valuing transparency, genuine reviews, and relatable, niche-level creators over mega-celebrities. The study contributes a locally grounded “trust blueprint” for marketers and adds to the growing academic literature on digital consumer psychology in the short-form content era.
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📚 How to Cite:
Dr Divya Thankom Varghese, Evelyn Marapawno , IMPACT OF INFLUENCER MARKETING ON PURCHASE DECISIONS AMONG SOCIAL MEDIA USERS , Volume 13 , Issue 7, July 2026, EPRA International Journal of Economics, Business and Management Studies (EBMS) , Pages: 274 - 290 ,