How Psychological Antecedents of Perceived Authenticity in Influencer Marketing affects Consumer Loyalty: The Role of Confidence, Social, and Special Treatment Benefits

his study investigates how perceived authenticity in influencer content affects consumer loyalty, focusing on the psychological mechanisms that mediate this relationship. Drawing upon Relationship Marketing Theory, Social Exchange Theory, and Service-Dominant Logic, the research develops and empirically tests a conceptual model linking four psychological antecedents-peace of mind, outcome focus, moments of truth, and product experience-to consumer loyalty, via three key consumer response constructs: confidence benefits, social benefits, and special treatment benefits. The study adopts a quantitative, cross-sectional research design, using a structured online questionnaire administered to 355 active social media users in Pakistan who follow influencers and have made purchase decisions based on influencer recommendations. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze the data and validate the proposed hypotheses. The findings confirm that all psychological antecedents significantly influence consumer response constructs, which in turn strongly predict consumer loyalty. Additionally, the mediating roles of confidence, social, and special treatment benefits were statistically validated, underscoring the importance of emotional and relational mechanisms in loyalty formation. The study contributes to the influencer marketing literature by providing a comprehensive, empirically supported framework and by offering fresh insights from a rapidly digitizing emerging market. Theoretical implications highlight the role of authenticity in value co-creation and long-term consumerbrand relationships, while managerial implications emphasize the need for authentic influencer partnerships, psychological content design, and personalized engagement strategies. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed, including the need for longitudinal and cross-cultural validation.