Navigating the Digital Landscape: Impact of Instagram Influencers’ Credibility on Consumer Behaviour Among Gen Z and Millennials

Amidst the online advertising revolution, Instagram influencers have risen to power, exercising remarkable authority in shaping consumer behaviour in the digital media landscape. This article aims to provide an impact of Instagram influencers’ credibility on three different forms of consumer behaviour i.e., purchase intention, purchase decision process, and impulse buying. The investigation extends to evaluate the comparison of Generation Z and Millennials in terms of their perceived Instagram influencers’ credibility and consumer behaviour. Furthermore, it seeks to develop an understanding of the role of homophily as a mediator between influencers’ credibility and consumer behaviour. In this study, authors use the Model of Credibility proposed by Ohanian (1990) and the Purchase Decision Process suggested by John Dewey (1910) to gain deeper insights on how digital media is redefining the buying patterns of consumers. For this purpose, the authors employ survey analysis and collect the data from 350 Instagram users through purposive sampling across Pakistan. The finding of this study suggests that Instagram influencers’ credibility has significant positive impact on the consumer behaviour of Gen Z and Millennials. Gen Z is more likely to perceive Instagram influencers as credible and possesses stronger desire to shop or make impulsive buying decisions than Millennials. Moreover, the results elucidate that homophily partially mediates between Instagram influencers’ credibility and consumer behaviour. Furthermore, this study reveals that socioeconomic status and qualification level of the Millennials and Gen Z play a significant role to shape their consumer behaviour and perceived influencers’ credibility. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by shedding light on the changing dynamics of digital advertising within the context of online influencers.