The Influence of Influencer Marketing Exposure and Parasocial Relationships on Impulse Buying Tendencies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11594/Keywords:
Impulse buying tendency, Influencer marketing, Parasocial relationships, Regression analysis, Social-media exposureAbstract
Influencer marketing is a popular form of social media advertising, and it is often targeted toward college students. It was observed that the consumers' purchase behavior was affected by the exposure to the influencer content. But the psychological mechanisms of this relationship, especially parasocial relationships, are still poorly understood. The study used a descriptive-correlational design to determine the relationship of influencer marketing exposure, parasocial relationships and impulse-buying tendencies of 412 university students in Cebu City. Data were collected using a structured survey involving Likert scale questions and analysed using regression techniques. The results showed that participants have a high level of exposure to influencer marketing (M = 3.66, Agree), weak parasocial relationships (M = 2.76, Neutral) and low impulse buying tendencies (M = 2.47, Disagree). Students considered themselves as careful consumers with low impulsive tendencies, but these descriptive findings did not exclude the possibility of behavioral susceptibility. Results of the regression analysis revealed that exposure to influencer marketing was a significant predictor of impulse buying tendencies (R^2 =.12, p < .001) and parasocial relationship strength (R^2 =.11, p < .001). The results show that exposure and parasocial relationships significantly predict impulse buying tendencies. The results suggest that mild low self-reported impulsivity is statistically related to higher tendencies for impulsive buying when perceived familiarity with the influencers is taken together with exposure. The findings reveal the complex but positive effect of influencer marketing on consumer behavior and the importance of ethical marketing, media literacy programs, and transparency in sponsorship disclosures.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mary Rose D. Lastimosa, James Roeberl B. Monton, Monic Lei F. Quimbo, Lorence David D. Descartin, Nhilven Joice Y. Sabellano, Dominique A. Selma, Lalaine O. Narsico, Peter G. Narsico
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