Abstract

In recent years, the popularity of social media influencers (SMI) has grown exponentially. However, there is an increasing suspicious perception of consumers regarding brand promotion messages on websites and social media and the authenticity of SMIs.
This research is about determining the contribution of the SMI authenticity to brand loyalty and identifying the potential mediating role of brand trust in this link.
The results show that only perceived SMI expertise and truthful endorsements positively influence brand loyalty, while only perceived SMI expertise, uniqueness, sincerity, and truthful endorsements positively influence brand loyalty. The findings reported a mediated effect of the brand trust on the relationship between SMI truthful endorsements and brand loyalty.
This study can help marketers in defining how followers perceive authentic Fashion influencers on Instagram and how this perception can affect their trust in the brands endorsed by SMI and Brand loyalty.