Influencer credibility and purchase intention: a proposed conceptual model integrating the mediating role of attitude toward the influencer

Positioned at the intersection of digital marketing, consumer behavior, and persuasive communication, this conceptual article examines how influencer credibility shapes purchase intention in social-media environments. Despite the growing importance of influencer marketing in corporate communication strategies, the mechanisms through which perceptions of influencer characteristics translate into behavioral intentions remain insufficiently integrated within a unified theoretical framework. To address this limitation, the article combines Source Credibility Theory with the attitude-intention logic derived from the Theory of Planned Behavior. Influencer credibility is conceptualized as a reflective-formative higher-order construct: expertise, attractiveness, and trustworthiness are reflectively specified first-order dimensions that jointly form overall credibility. The model assumes that these dimensions contribute positively to credibility, which is expected to influence purchase intention directly by reducing uncertainty associated with the recommendation and indirectly by fostering a favorable attitude toward the influencer. Attitude therefore constitutes the psychological mechanism linking source evaluation to behavioral intention. Six hypotheses structure the proposed relationships, whereas mediation results from the combined relationships among credibility, attitude, and purchase intention. Future empirical validation using variance-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) will enable assessment of the hierarchical measurement model and the structural relationships across different social-media platforms, product categories, influencer profiles, and cultural contexts.