Effect of Influencer Marketing on Consumer Buying Behavior in Online Shopping Context

Abstract

This research examines the effect of influencer marketing on consumer purchasing behavior in online shopping environments within the Nepali digital market, specifically in the crowded city like Kathmandu. It investigates the relationship between influencer marketing, influencer advertisement engagement, and influencer-driven online shopping behavior with consumer online shopping preferences. This study used a quantitative, cross-sectional research design. It surveyed a purposive sample of 340 social media users with online shopping experience within Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. A well-structured questionnaire covering most of the aspects of shopping behaviors, was used to collect data, and the research utilized descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis to analyze the relationships between variables and examine the proposed hypotheses. The results show that influencer marketing has a good effect on people's preference for shopping online. Influencer Marketing (IM), Influencer Advertisement Engagement (IAE), and Online Shopping Behavior (OSB) exhibited significant positive correlations with Online Shopping Preference (OSP) (p<0.001). The regression model accounted for 70.8% of the variance in online shopping preference. Consumer purchasing behavior in online shopping contexts is significantly impacted by influencer marketing. There are theoretical and practical ramifications to this paper. In theory, it adds to the expanding body of research on consumer behavior and digital marketing in emerging markets. From a practical standpoint, the results provide marketers, brand managers, and e-commerce platforms with useful information for creating successful influencer marketing campaigns that put content quality, authenticity, and engagement ahead of influencer popularity.