Master`s thesis

Master of Science in Business and Economics, 60 credits

The impact of social media influencers on the

purchase intention of Tech gadgets among
Gen Z and Y
Sweden

Major in Business Administration, 15 credits

Halmstad, 2022-06-03

Valentina Meglaj (19910220) & Naqash Zafar (19940218)

Abstract

Background: The interest in and application of influencer marketing (IM)

exponentially grows every year because many companies, including Tech
companies, recognize this type of marketing as an efficient way of achieving
their marketing objectives since the lifestyle of most people has changed over
the last few decades. Social media influencers (SMIs) are not only perceived,
as marketing tools but rather as social assets and opinion leaders who have
the power to influence and shape their followers' opinions, attitudes, and
purchase choices. However, although IM comes with many advantages, such
as lower cost of advertising, raising brand awareness, reaching a significant
number of consumers, and many others, companies are faced with the
challenge of finding the right SMIs for their marketing strategies to achieve
maximum results and avoiding unnecessary risks. To find the right fit,
marketers need to be aware of what they are looking for in SMIs, specifically,
which qualities they should possess to efficiently reach their consumer
targeted market for products/services under their brand. Furthermore, Gen Z
(Generation Z or Zoomers: 1997-2012) and Y (Generation Y or Millennials:
1981-1996) members are known as individuals from all generations who
spend more time online, and based on that, they are considered the best fit for
IM.
Purpose: This study investigates whether or not SMIs qualities, such as
authenticity and credibility in four dimensions (expertise, trustworthiness,
attractiveness, and similarity), affect the Tech gadget purchase intention of
Gen Z and Y in Sweden.
Method: For this study, a quantitative research design has been used, and
data is collected by questionnaire, created on Google forms, and distributed
to various groups on social media platforms among the Swedish population.
The goal was to collect answers from respondents who spend their time on
social media and follow SMIs. In the end, 217 responses were collected; from
that, 196 were valid. Furthermore, collected data was analyzed with the
statistics software SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences).
Result: The results of this study show that perceived expertise,
trustworthiness, and authenticity positively impact purchase intentions of
Tech gadgets among Gen Z and Y.
Conclusion: Tech companies should cooperate with SMIs who are perceived
as experts, trustworthy, and authentic to have an impact on the consumer
purchase intention of Gen Z and Y in Sweden.
Keywords: Social media influencers, Influencer marketing, Gen Y, Gen Z,
Qualities, Authenticity, Credibility, Trustworthiness, Expertise,
Attractiveness, Similarity, Tech gadgets

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 Acknowledgments

To begin with, we would like to show our special gratitude to our supervisor
for this study. Niklas Åkerman from the University of Gothenburg, for
guidance during this whole process and many excellent recommendations
which made this challenge easier. Thank you for your time and invested
effort in us, as finishing this thesis wouldn’t be possible without your
contribution.
We would also like to take this opportunity and give special thanks to our
family and friends who are always there for us, regardless if it is good or
bad, supporting us and believing in us. You are a true inspiration and the
wind in our wings.
Furthermore, we want to deliver sincere appreciation to all anonymous
participants who made this thesis possible by answering our questions in the
survey.

Thank you,
Valentina Meglaj & Naqash Zafar
Halmstad 2022-06-03

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Table of Contents
Abstract ........................................................................................................... i
List of tables and figures ............................................................................... iv
List of Abbreviations...................................................................................... v
1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 1
1.1 Background ..................................................................................... 1
1.1.1 Tech industry (Tech gadgets) ................................................... 3
1.2 Problem Statement .......................................................................... 4
1.3 Purpose ............................................................................................ 5
1.4 Research question ............................................................................ 5
1.5 Thesis structure................................................................................ 6
1.6 Definitions ....................................................................................... 7
2 Conceptual framework ............................................................................ 8
2.1 Generations ...................................................................................... 8
2.1.1 Gen Z........................................................................................ 8
2.1.2 Gen Y ............................................................................................. 9
2.2 Consumer Behavior ....................................................................... 10
2.2.1 Purchase intention .................................................................. 11
2.3 Influencer marketing ..................................................................... 12
2.3.1 Qualities of SMIs ................................................................... 14
2.3.2 Research model ...................................................................... 17
3 Methodology ......................................................................................... 18
3.I Research method ................................................................................. 18
3.2 Survey design and Questionnaire development ................................. 18
3.2.I Questionnaire ................................................................................ 19
3.3 Population and Sampling............................................................... 21
3.4 Data collection ............................................................................... 21
3.5 Data Analysis ................................................................................ 22
3.6 Reliability of data ............................................................................... 22
3.7 Ethics and Confidentiality .................................................................. 23
4 Data analysis and results ....................................................................... 24
4.I Data extraction .................................................................................. 24
4.2 Characteristics of respondents ....................................................... 24

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 4.3 Exploration of the data .................................................................. 28
4.4 Correlation analysis ....................................................................... 29
4.5 Regression analysis ....................................................................... 31
4.5.1 Model Summary and Statistical significance ......................... 31
4.5.2 Coefficients ............................................................................ 32
4.6 Results ................................................................................................ 34
5 Discussion ............................................................................................. 36
6 Conclusions........................................................................................... 38
6.1 Summary of Thesis ........................................................................ 38
6.2 Theoretical Contributions .............................................................. 39
6.3 Practical Contributions .................................................................. 39
6.4 Limitations..................................................................................... 40
6.5 Future research .............................................................................. 40
References .................................................................................................... 41
Appendices ................................................................................................... 48
Appendix 1. Questionnaire ....................................................................... 48
Appendix II. Skewness and Kurtosis ......................................................... 1

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List of tables and figures
Table 1. SMIs by follower count………………………………………………………....12

Table 2. SMIs by content/niche…………………………………………………………..12

Table 3. Measurements…………………………………………………………………...20

Table 4. The social media platforms and number of followed SMIs by respondents…….26

Table 5. Preferred type of social media content regarding promotion of Tech gadgets….26

Table 6. Cronbach's alpha values…………………………………………………………28

Table 7. Pearson Correlation matrix……………………………………………………...30

Table 8. Model summary…………………………………………………………………31

Table 9. ANOVA…………………………………………………………………………32

Table 10. Coefficients of Trustworthiness, Expertise, Similarity, Attractiveness and

Authenticity……………………………………………………………………………….32

Table 11. Hypothesis Validation Summary………………………………………………34

Figure 1. Thesis structure…………………………………………………………………... 6

Figure 2. The determinants of consumer behavior…………………………………………10

Figure 3. Research model…………………………………………………………………...17

Figure 4. Age distribution………………………………………………………………….. 24

Figure 5. Time spent on social media per day……………………………………………….25

Figure 6. Amount of Tech Gadgets bought by respondents based on recommendations

of SMIs in the past 12 months……………………………………………………………….27

Figure 7. Redesigned conceptual model……………………………………………………. 35

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List of Abbreviations
IM Influencer marketing
SMIs Social Media Influencers
SMM Social Media Marketing

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1 Introduction
This chapter aims to clarify the background of this thesis related to Gen Z and Y, SMIs, SMIs
qualities, SMM, IM, consumer behavior, purchase intention, and Tech gadgets. To get a better
understanding of the direction, the purpose and research questions of this study are further
explained.

1.1 Background
Since the emergence of the Internet in 1983 (Leiner, Cerf, Clark, Kahn, Kleinrock, Lynch,
Postel, Roberts & Wolff, 2009), many innovations aroused and evolved, such as social media,
which led to a significant change in private and professional areas of life for the most of people
all around the globe. One of the changes refers to how a big part of the population spends their
time since many individuals spend a particular part of the day online, especially on social media
platforms. For instance, according to published data from Statista Research Department (2022),
the average worldwide internet user spent on average 145 minutes using social media per day
in 2020. While approximately 45% (3.4 billion) of the world's population actively uses social
media (Geyser, 2022), based on this it is seen the extent of social media prevalence in the world
and its influence on the lifestyle of people.
Therefore, many companies engaging in social media benefit or may benefit in the future from
SMM (Social Media Marketing) if they integrate it into their marketing strategies because it
can enable them to reach target consumers to a greater extent which leads to greater profits and
achieving a competitive advantage on the crowded and ruthless markets. Moreover, consumer
trust and interest in traditional advertising via television, radio, or print media, decreased over
the past few decades, (Nielsen, 2015) and increased towards online advertising, mainly social
media (Johnson & Kaye, 2004). Simply because, online advertising empowers consumers and
communication is possible in both directions, unlike traditional advertising (Tuten & Solomon,
2017), of what many companies becoming to be aware and why many of them implemented or
planning to implement IM (Influencer Marketing) into their marketing strategies and cooperate
with SMIs (Social Media Influencers). Further, IM is considered, as art and science of engaging
individuals who are influential online to share messages of brands with their followers in the
form of sponsored content (Sammis, Lincoln & Pomponi, 2015). Thereby, SMIs as such
present a new type of independent third party endorser (Ferberg et al., 2011) but they are not
considered only as marketing tools, rather as social relationship assets, those who have the
power to influence purchase intention and choices of their audience (Geyser, 2022) because of
their expertise, authentic identity, and intimate connections with their audience (Hudders, De
Jans & De Veirman, 2020). However, since this new way of advertising is based on SMIs
communication with audiences, companies are faced with the challenge of finding suitable SMI
to advertise and be associated with their brand because it is not reasonable to choose SMI only
because it is SMI, in order to achieve best results from this type of advertising campaigns
(Deges, 2018).

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For this reason, many factors should be considered, such as the qualities of SMI, the target
market (Deges, 2018), and the type of product which should be advertised by SMIs (De
Veirman, Cauberghe & Hudders, 2017). Since, according to Kachan (2021), it is impossible to
apply a one-size-fits-all approach to IM, as this depends on a specific niche, consumer needs,
and content consumption habits, why is important to know which impact SMIs have on
different consumers and their purchase intention of products/services from various industries.
Furthermore, there are many studies about IM. Still, there are no (according to our knowledge)
studies related to the impact of SMIs on the consumer purchase intention of Tech gadgets
among Gen Z and Y, which needs to be rectified because companies in the Tech industry are
not an exception when it comes to IM, since, for example, they have around 46 % of IMV
(Influencer Media Value) or advertising value of posts on YouTube (Influencer Marketing
Hub, 2022). On top of that, according to previous studies, authenticity, and credibility, four
dimensions (trustworthiness, expertise, similarity, and attractiveness) are qualities that SMIs
should possess in order to have persuasion power over their audience (Deges, 2018; Munnukka
et al., 2016; Lou & Youn, 2019), for this reason, same will be tested for Tech industry to get a
better understanding what applies on it. Since there is a great need to research and expand
knowledge about IM because the interest of marketers in this type of marketing is growing
exponentially every year, one of the reasons is the lower cost which is a fraction of the cost of
traditional advertising; for instance, for every $1 invested, marketers can earn up to $5.78 in
return (Santora, 2021). Moreover, the expected growth of the IM industry for 2022 is up to
$16.4 Billion (Geyser, 2022).
Nevertheless, it is essential to mention eWoM (Electronic Word of Mouth), as this way of
communication "enables consumers to share their opinions and experiences about goods and
products with a multitude of other consumers on the Internet" (Hennig-Thurau, Gwinner,
Walsh, & Gremler, 2004, p. 39). eWoM, as such, plays an important and critical role in
influencer marketing in how SMIs can engage in it and share information, and experiences on
social media, regarding products and brands to affect consumers' purchase choices and attitudes
(De Veirman et al., 2017).
Furthermore, there is a wide range of social media platforms on which companies can advertise
and which are the SMIs main communication channels, such as Facebook, Instagram,
YouTube, TikTok, and many others. The most globally popular social media channel among
SMIs in 2021 was Instagram, since around 80% of brands that implement IM in their strategy
were engaged in it, followed by TikTok and YouTube (Geyser, 2022). On the other hand, when
it comes to Sweden, the stats show that in January 2021 were 8.32 million social media users
(Kemp, 2021), Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram were the most popular of all channels
(Svenskarna och Internet, 2022).
The reason why this study has in focus Gen Z and Y is because they are the target market that
fits best to criteria of IM, born between 1981-2012 (Dimock, 2019), known as generations that
spent more time on social media platforms than other generations, especially on Instagram,
TikTok, and YouTube (Geyser, 2022).

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1.1.1 Tech industry (Tech gadgets)
The Tech industry is one of the most dynamic sectors. Companies need to be at the forefront
of offering consumers innovative products and services to the latest technology trends. To be
on top or keep up with the challenging competition, since Tech gadgets have a short life cycle
(Davies & Brush, 1997), Tech companies need to react fast and offer their new products to
consumers before the competition to dominate the market because of access to big audiences,
IM is a great way for them to accomplish that.
The significance, greatness, and economic attractiveness of this industry are seen in its value
of $5.2trillion in 2021, with expected growth up to $5.3 trillion in 2022, according to Statista
Research Department (2022). The top five leading companies in the world based on market
capital are (i) Apple; (ii) Microsoft; (iii) Alphabet (Google); (iv) Amazon, and; (v) Tesla
(Companies Market Cap, 2022). The core traits of this sector are technological growth,
development, and manufacturing (Johnston, 2021).
According to Frankefield (2022), the Tech industry offers a broad spectrum of products and
services to customers and businesses. However, as the focus of this paper is on customers,
businesses will be neglected in further elaboration. Furthermore, products or Tech gadgets
offered to customers are classified as consumer goods (ibid) because they are final
goods/products bought from the side of consumers for personal use, not further production or
economic gain (The Investopedia Team, 2022). On the markets, there is a wide range of Tech
gadgets such as (i) mobile phones; (ii) personal computers; (iii) wearable technology; (iv)
televisions; (v) tablets; (vi) home appliances, and; many others (Frankefield, 2022).
In addition, the Tech industry is one of the most popular industries on YouTube because
consumers prefer visual content over traditional written reviews of tech products, which is
recognized by Tech brands that spend over $68 million in 2020 on IM, according to an Industry
report (2020). Moreover, one of the most popular Tech SMIs is Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg from
Sweden, known as PewDiePie, with around 111 million subscribers (Ibid).
The authors of this study hope that this study of the effects of SMIs on the Tech gadget
purchase intention of Gen Z and Y on the e-commerce platform will provide fresh insights for
practitioners and scientists, as IM is a phenomenon that can have a great future if it will be
implemented and used on the right way. Moreover, the goal is to look into which of the factors,
more precisely qualities of SMIs, are most effective in deriving the purchase intention of their
followers.

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1.2 Problem Statement
In the last few years, the popularity and importance of IM have grown exponentially (Lou &
Yuan, 2019), as brands recognized it as an efficient solution for achieving their marketing goals
in this digital era. However, as this is a relatively new phenomenon, they are still many doubts
and unanswered questions regarding this type of marketing (Deges, 2018). For instance,
marketers' main challenge is finding SMIs who are the right fit for a brand and possess specific
qualities necessary to reach their target market in the right way. However, there are studies on
how SMIs persuade and gain their followers differently (Xiao et al., 2018; Munnukka et al.,
2016; Karamustafic et al., 2020) and how this affects purchase intention (Pöyry et al.,2019;
Onu et al., 2019; Braunsberger, 1996; Busler, 2000; Bu et al., 2022). None of them can
guarantee 100% and claim that the presented results apply to all SMIs and followers. After
reviewing published literature within this area, the authors of this paper concluded that it is
necessary to research more in this direction because without proper knowledge, it is time and
money consuming for companies to search for the right SMI. For this reason, the main goal is
to contribute to related literature by investigating the qualities of SMIs, in this case, the
credibility and authenticity features of SMIs and their impact on the consumer behavior of their
followers from Gen Z and Y.
On the other hand, most of the research on IM has been conducted outside of the borders of
Sweden. Thereby this study will have a focus on the Swedish market, as there is a need for
fresh insights to keep up to date since Sweden is considered one of the ten best countries for
business in the world because of GDP (Gross domestic product), tax regulations, innovation
level and workforce regulations (Forbes, 2019). Moreover, according to Schewe and Geoffrey
(2004), demographic cohorts by age do not have to necessarily possess and respect the same
values in each country or part of the world because of the influence of different environmental
events (human rights, war, country wealth fare, economic crisis, etc.). Obviously, this presents
one more challenge for marketers to find the right strategies for reaching their targeted
consumers. Why is it essential to comprehend what applies to Swedish consumers of Gen Z
and Y regarding IM.
Furthermore, most of the published articles and previous research are in the Lifestyle and
Beauty industry since they are most popular on social media platforms (Geyser, 2022), while
other industries are neglected. Consequently, IM can fall behind by ignoring other industries
in the research due to a lack of new and fresh information about opportunities and threats in
that environment. For this reason, this research will have a focus on the implications of Tech
gadgets' purchase intention affected by SMIs, which are consumers' goods of the Tech industry,
as an example to show how modern consumers perceive this sector, in this case, Gen Z and Y
in Sweden. This knowledge is vital for marketers and brands of Tech gadgets, as they need to
develop and implement marketing strategies aligned to the preferences of each demographic
cohort to achieve maximum results. Especially for Gen Z and Y, since, at the moment, these
individuals are the target market for almost every brand in the world.

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1.3 Purpose
This study aims to conduct an inquiry regarding SMIs, precisely about their qualities, such as
authenticity and credibility (expertise, trustworthiness, attractiveness, similarity), to get a better
understanding of how they may or may not affect Tech gadgets purchase intention of their
audiences, in this case, Gen Z and Y on Swedish Market. Furthermore, the purpose is to
contribute IM field and practitioners with new insights regarding which of SMIs qualities need
to be taken into consideration when choosing SMIs for cooperation and promoting products of
Tech brands in order to affect the consumer purchase intention of the targeted market.

1.4 Research question

 Which of SMIs qualities have an effect on the purchase intention of Tech Gadget among
Gen Z and Y?

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1.5 Thesis structure

•Presenting the topic of this research and its short background.

Introduction

•Theoretical foundation based on previous researches.

Conceptual
framework

•Description of used methods and explanation why.

Methodology

•Analysis of gathered data from survey and results.

Data analysis
and results

•Dicussion about hypothesis related to this research.

Discussion

•Summary of thesis, recommendations for future research,

contributions and limitations.
Conclusion

Figure 1. Thesis structure (Created by Authors)

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1.6 Definitions
Brand is a valuable, long-term, and intangible company asset (Wood, 2001). According to
Zalman (2003), the true meaning of a brand lies in the minds of consumers, not in physical
form or brand advertising. Marketers can influence meaning by using metaphors, phrases, and
icons, however, they still cannot control consumers' minds and the creation of meaning (Ibid).

Target market is a specific group of individuals or demographic cohort to whom marketers

aim to sell their products/services (Whittington et al., 2020). To distinguish the target market
from the whole population, factors such as demographics, psychographics, and geography are
considered into consideration (Parment, Armstrong & Kotler, 2011).

Traditional advertising refers to mass media advertising (Huang, Su, Zhou & Liu, 2013) for
reaching mass audiences through channels such as television, radio, print media, and billboards
(Tuten & Solomon, 2017). Push messaging presents one-way communication dispatched to the
targeted audience (Ibid).

Social media are a set of online tools (blogs, microblogs, social sharing services, forums,
virtual worlds, social networking services, etc.) developed for social interaction (Bertot, Jaeger
& Hansen, 2012). Although these tools vary in their approaches, they have the same purpose
of enabling social media users to communicate, interact, edit and share content in the social
environment (Porter, 2008). Social media users are not only private individuals but companies
as well.

SMM presents an application of social media technologies, channels, and software to create,
communicate, deliver, and exchange offerings that have value for companies' stakeholders
(Tuten & Solomon, 2017). Social media plays a significant role in improving consumer service,
maintaining customer relationships, promoting a brand or related special offer, or influencing
attitudes related to the brand (Ibid).

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2 Conceptual framework
In the following chapter, the authors present articles and previous research related to the
research framework of this study, the same as the hypothesis and research model. There are
introduced relevant concepts of Gen Z and Y, then consumer behavior and purchase intention,
as the dependent variable of this study. Last but not least, IM and qualities of SMIs, since they
are independent variables of this study.

2.1 Generations
Generation is defined as „ a cohort of persons passing through time who come to share a
common habitus, hexis, and culture, a function of which is to provide them with a collective
memory that serves to integrate the cohort over a finite period of time“, (Eyerman & Turner,
1998).
Although there is no exact time frame that defines each generation, according to Dimock
(2019), generations are sorted out in the following order:
i. Silent generation (born between 1928-1945).
ii. Baby Boomers (born between 1946-1964).
iii. Gen X (born between 1965-1980).
iv. Gen Y (born between 1981-1996).
v. Gen Z (born between 1997-2012).
vi. Gen Alpha (born between 2013- until now).
As mentioned earlier, most individuals of Gen Z and Y spend more time online than individuals
belonging to other generations (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2021). Therefore, based on that
fact, this empirical research will focus on these two demographic cohorts, which will be
explained further in the following two sections.

2.1.1 Gen Z
Gen Z, or True Gen, born in 1997, is considered “the first generation of true digital natives
“(Francis & Hoefel, 2018). Individuals of this demographic cohort are born into the digital era.
Moreover, the essential characteristics of the majority of Gen Z are (ibid):
i. „Identity nomads“- do not want to be defined by one stereotype.
ii. „Communaholic “- perceive online and physical world in the same way.
iii. „Dialoguer “- honor and belief in dialogue and different opinions.
iv. „Realistic “- like to be informed.
However, it is necessary to mention that most Gen Z is children of Gen X, from whom they
inherit some characteristics, such as a lack of brand loyalty (Wood, 2013).
Although there are some similarities between Gen Z and Y, it is a distinct generational group
with its own unique set of traits (Gaidhani, 2019). For instance, ways how Gen Z perceives
consumption: (i) access to products and services more important than ownership; (ii)
singularity-expression of individual identity and; (iii) ethics-the importance of value
orientations of a brand (Francis & Hoefel, 2018).

On the other hand, according to Pavlik (2000), Gen Z consumers often make purchasing
choices based on these three elements: (i) the lowest price/best offer; (ii) the presentation of

8
the product; and (iii) user reviews. What is more, while making a purchasing decision, they
often will seek advice from friends and family members (ibid), which indicates that they still
trust and like to engage in WoM, besides the fact social media and influencers have a significant
role in the life of most of the Gen Z who engage in eWoM (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2022).
At the moment, Gen Z is the youngest of all generations presenting potential new consumers
for brands who need to react fast, to generate a great number of new brand loyal consumers
and try to hold them for life (Schewe et al., 2013). Hence, for this reason, brands need to keep
up with new technology trends, as this generation and generations who will come after them
will become more technology savvy. Although these changes could seem like potential barriers
for brands, at the same time, they should be perceived as opportunities for growth (Francis &
Hoefel, 2018).

2.1.2 Gen Y
Gen Y, or Millennials, are individuals born between 1981-1996 (Dimock, 2019), counting
approximately 1.8 billion (148 million in Europe) in the world, which makes up around 23%
of the world's population (Neufeld, 2021). Gen Y, or the "me generation, "whose members are
considered more idealistic, more confrontational, and less willing to accept diverse points of
view (Francis & Hoefel, 2018).
Gen Y is the first generation who grew up with digital technology; accordingly, they can cope,
learn and understand it easier than previous generations, making them digital natives (Black,
2010). From an early age, they have access to the Internet, computers, mobile phones, social
media, and many other technology wonders; why is for them impossible to visualize and know
the world without technology (Frand, 2006), contrary to Silent Generation, Baby boomers and
Gen X who were not raised under same circumstances.
However, although individuals of Gen Y are first of all born with technology, it does not make
them exclusive users of it (Berger, 2017). Still, they developed different consumer behavior
than previous generations, as they spend more time on social media engaging in eWoM by
communicating, sharing their opinions and experiences, creating content, and searching for
information (Bolton et al., 2013). Hence, for this reason, marketers consider them an ideal
candidate for online marketing (Berger, 2014). On the other hand, according to previous
research by Schewe, Debevec, Madden, Diamond, Parment, and Murphy (2013), there are
differences between individuals of Gen Y around the world that arise from different cultural
aspects of each country. Thereby, based on that, marketers should not generalize and conduct
extensive research before carrying out global strategy (ibid).

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2.2 Consumer Behavior
Consumer behavior, consumers expose while searching, purchasing, using, evaluating, and
disposing of products and services to satisfy their needs or wants (Schiffman, O'Cass, Paladino
& Carlson, 2013). Furthermore, it explores the behaviors of individuals, groups (families,
generations), and cultures (Brady et al., 2016).
Consumer behavior incorporates how consumers think, feel, and behave (Schiffman et al.,
2013). There are two types of consumers: personal and organizational (Ibid), but this study,
because of its nature, will focus only on personal consumers. Furthermore, according to Rayma
and Ali (2016), several different factors have an influence on consumer behavior: (i) cultural;
(ii) social; (iii) personal; (iv) psychological, and; (v) economicl. However, it is essential to
mention that since we live in a non-stop changing world driven by social, economic, and
technological changes, in parallel with that, consumer behavior is changing as well. One of the
most important factors is the use of technology in business which has changed how companies
and consumers interact since most of the consumers are online, the same as companies
(Schiffman et al., 2013).

Figure 2. The determinants of consumer behavior (Rayma & Ali, 2016)

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2.2.1 Purchase intention

Purchase intention defines a consumer's preference and willingness to buy a particular product
or service (Younus, Rasheed & Zia, 2015). According to Morwitz (2012), purchase intentions
are one of the primary measures which marketers use to forecast future sales and predict how
their marketing actions or strategies will reflect on consumer purchase behavior. Moreover,
occasionally, purchase intentions are used to measure consumer demand regarding a new
product to predict if a sufficient number of consumers are interested and will buy it (Ibid). That
provides marketers with insights on which they can manage and adapt each element of the
marketing mix (product, price, place, and promotion) to maximize sales (Ibid).

Furthermore, due to globalization and technological advances, how consumers make their
purchase choices and the shop has changed in the past few decades. Hence, thanks to
digitalization, a considerable number of consumers are carrying out their shopping online and
sharing their experiences and reviews about products and services with other consumers,
participating in eWoM (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2004), same as SMIs who are consumers
participating in eWoM as well, but because of their access to wider audiences, resources and
reputation, in many cases their reviews have a more significant impact on other consumers and
their purchase intention (De Veirman et al., 2017).

Moreover, according to Eze, Tao, and Yeo (2012), consumers nowadays are well-educated, as
they know what they want from a product/service and which requirements it needs to meet for
them to have the intention to buy that particular product/service. The big advantage of this
modern and digital era for consumers arises from the fact that they can search for
product/service information online, anytime, and check if it fits their criteria and needs.
Therefore, marketers need to be aware of the importance of channels to deliver information
about their product/service to keep up with the competition (Eze et al., 2012) and attract new
consumers. As one of the channels through which marketers can reach their consumers, IM
carries many advantages but challenges as well (Deges, 2018). In choosing the best marketing
strategies concerning IM for their product/service, marketers need to know which values or
characteristics of SMIs (Munnukka et al., 2016; Deges, 2018) their targeted consumers
perceive the most. They are necessary to awaken their purchase intention, in this case, purchase
intention of Tech gadgets. However, although purchase intention is correlated to consumer
purchase behavior, this measure is considered imperfect, so marketers need to consider the best
time to use it and how (Morwitz, 2012).

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2.3 Influencer marketing
According to De Veirman et al. (2017), SMIs are individuals who created a substantial size
social network of followers (audience) and are perceived as self-made micro-celebrities.
Contrary to celebrities and public figures who were popular through traditional advertising,
SMIs are regular people who become well known based on their shared content (Lou & Youn,
2019) which is considered more organic and authentic than brand- advertising (Talavera,
2015). Furthermore, as mentioned, they are not only considered a marketing tool but key
opinion leaders of the modern age (Shan, Chen, and Lin, 2020) who have the power to shape
followers (audience) attitudes and affect their opinions through social media based on their
knowledge (Ferberg et al., 2011) by regularly posting about a preferred topic from their field
through social media channels. For this reason, in this modern era, when people spend so much
time on social media channels, many marketers (brands) decide to cooperate with SMIs to raise
brand awareness and meet their marketing goals (Dizon, 2015).
There are several SMIs classifications, but the most popular ones are based on follower count
or content/niche (Santora, 2021; Kubbernus, 2021), by classifying SMIs into different
categories makes the process of searching SMIs easier for companies (brands) since there is a
wide range of niches in which SMIs operate and endorse related products/service. On top of
that, SMIs do not have the same number of followers, so it depends on the company (brand) to
which extent they want to reach their targeted market.

Category Number of followers

Nano-influencers 1K-10K
Micro-influencers 10K-100K
Macro-influencers 100K-1M
Mega-influencers 1M+

Table 1. SMIs by follower count (Santora, 2021)

Content/Niche Description
Gamers Game reviews, Tutorials, Game walkthroughs, Montages, Challenges,
Team matchup, and Game type
Sports and fitness Yoga, Running, Weight Lifting, Cross Fit, Weight loss, and more.
Bloggers/Vloggers A most popular type of influencer, leading in their niches.
Photographers One of the best content creators, promoting cameras, lenses, and more.
Travel Travel tips, gear, places to visit, and more.
Beauty Product reviews, beauty tips, and more, more than 43% of consumers
follow them.
Fashion Fashion product reviews, promotion of products, and more.
Parenting Sharing personal parenting experience, promotion of different products,
advice, and more

Table 2. SMIs by content/niche (Santora, 2021)

12
As stated earlier, marketers (brand) need to find the right type of SMIs who covers the target
market regarding their marketing objectives (De Veirman et al., 2017; Kubbernus, 2021).
However, to find the right SMIs, they first need to determine their target goals and group to
know what they need and want to achieve through this type of marketing since the SMIs are an
intermediary between them and the target group (Deges, 2018). As communication occurs
directly between SMIs and its audience where marketers/brands do not have influence, SMIs
recommendations are not perceived as direct advertising but more as neutral from the side of
their audience (ibid). Thereby, it is necessary to find an SMI who perfectly fits into marketing
strategies (Kachan, 2021) and who is well trusted (Lou & Youn, 2019), as advertising through
SMIs can bring a lot of benefits or lead to failure or have adverse effects, such as damage on
reputation (De Veriman et al., 2017) if it is not implemented on proper way.

For this reason, when it comes to the selection of influencers, the qualities of SMIs should be
considered since SMIs power of persuasion arises from their personality and positive character
traits, which are base for building the image of an SMI (Deges, 2018). For instance, according
to previous research, credibility has a positive effect on trust in recommendations of SMIs,
even for sponsored ones, as dimensions of credibility: (i) trustworthiness, (ii) expertise, (iii)
attractiveness (likeability), and (iv) similarity help to attract the attention of audience what
reflects on consumer behavior, brand awareness and purchase intentions (Munnukka et al.,
2016; Lou & Youn, 2019). On the other hand, Deges (2018), including with others before
mentioned qualities, proposes authenticity of an SMI as one of the essential factors by which
specific influencers stand out on the market, and their recommendations can boost positive
perception about the brand and affect purchase choices and intention, same as credibility (Lu,
Chang & Chang, 2014). Furthermore, according to Karamustafic et al. (2020) qualities of SMIs
and how followers perceive them are vital to generating brand endorsements and a large
number of followers, therefore, marketers, SMIs, and researchers need to pay special attention
to that direction to improve IM.

To gain a better understanding and importance of the qualities of SMIs, they are elaborated on
in the following section, starting with authenticity, followed by credibility and its four
dimensions, trustworthiness, expertise, similarity, and attractiveness.

13
2.3.1 Qualities of SMIs
Authenticity
Authenticity refers to a specific type of communication and information; when it comes to the
authenticity of SMIs, they have their individual style of giving and sharing information in an
unbiased, original and open manner (Deges, 2018). Nevertheless, SMIs should be passionate
and enthusiastic about being perceived as authentic and use proper language and style since
they are followed by young generations (Ibid). In order to gain followers' trust, SMIs should
be perceived as authentic due to their positive correlation with followers' attitudes towards the
brand (Chu & Kamal, 2008). On top of that, according to a study done by Pöyry et al. (2019),
SMIs are perceived as more authentic than general celebrities since they gained their fame via
social media by sharing details from their private lives with the audience which results with a
higher level of purchase intention. For this reason, they suggest that companies for their
marketing campaigns should select SMIs who are an authentic match to their brand or message
which they want to send to their target market, which means that SMIs content should not
deviate from the usual style of SMI while promoting that brand (Ibid).

H1: Perceived authenticity has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets.

Credibility and its four dimensions (Trustworthiness, Expertise, Attractiveness, and

Similarity)

Credibility is based on SMIs personal and subjective evaluation from which they develop
opinions based on what they share and give their recommendations to their followers (Deges,
2018). On top of that, followers expect that SMIs only recommend products with which they
themselves are convinced and satisfied and use them every day (Ibid). Moreover, according to
Hass (1981), the claim is only credible if a person, in this case, a follower, perceives it as true,
factual, and unbiased. For instance, the high consumer perception of information credibility
was one of the main factors which led YouTube IM to success (Xiao, Wang & Chan-Olmsted,
2018) which is tangible evidence of the importance of credibility.

As mentioned earlier, credibility has four dimensions, according to Munnukka et al. (2016),
which combined influence consumer behavior and purchase choices; however, some
researchers argue that expertise and trustworthiness are central dimensions (Pornpitakpan,
2004; Xiao et al., 2018) because knowledge about matter leads to a higher level of trust. On
the other hand, based on the research results by Lui and Standing (1989), trustworthiness is
more influential and vital than expertise since a trustworthy source is more believable than an
expert one. However, although trustworthiness and expertise are in some cases perceived as
primary, attractiveness and similarity should not be excluded and considered less valued, as
they all together are part of the persuasion process and, as such, have an influence on the
evaluation of individual if or/ not, received information of SMI is credible (Xiao et al., 2018).

14
  Trustworthiness
According to Deges (2018), followers trust SMIs, whom they perceive as neutral and
independent advisors. However, the level of trust could drop if they do not behave and perform
according to their recommendations, for instance, when a big part of the promotional content
of SMIs diverges from their organic content (Helm, 2013), which represents their values and
beliefs. Abidin and Ots (2016) point out that promoted products or brands by SMIs need to be
suitable to the personal values and brand of an SMI; otherwise, it could lead to harmful
consequences for the SMI and brand. Hence, for this reason, both SMIs and brands need to
consider the values which they promote, align, or are in contrast, since trustworthiness
influences the consequent behavior of consumers (Berger, 2014). Furthermore, posts of SMIs
can be commercial and noncommercial (Boerman, Willemsen, and Van Der Aa, 2017).
Commercial posts do not automatically affect or decrease the trust of followers; however, in
the case that they are not marked as such could lead to negative consequences (Deges, 2018).
On the other hand, Xiao et al. (2018) reveal that trustworthiness is one of the factors affecting
consumers perceived information as credible on YouTube, which is correlated with consumer
attitudes towards the brand. Furthermore, according to a study done by Onu et al. (2019) related
to celebrity endorsements for telecommunications companies showed that their trustworthiness
has a positive and significant effect on consumer purchase intention why they propose that
companies should choose endorser who is perceived as trustworthy in order to gain maximum
from their marketing campaigns.

H2: Perceived trustworthiness has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets.

 Expertise
Expertise is based on an individual's knowledge or information, skill, or performance ability
(Goldman, 2016). When it comes to SMIs expertise, the expert status is considered more
credible if the SMI activity is recognizable by profession or passion (Deges, 2018), e.g., a yoga
trainer with a fitness blog or chefs who have a culinary blog. In previous research, the perceived
expertise of the speaker or advocate in advertising is correlated with positive attitudes toward
the ad and purchase intentions (Braunsberger, 1996).

H3: Perceived expertise has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech gadgets.

15
  Attractiveness
Attractiveness is defined as an individual's propensity to be attracted by the speaker's
charisma/persona, the degree of friendliness/approachability of the speaker in the eyes of the
observer or interested party (Xiao et al., 2018), for example, physical attractiveness, social
status, personality, etc. For instance, according to a study by Chu and Kamal (2008), physically
attractive SMIs had a higher rate of likes by blog readers and positively impacted their attitudes
and changes towards products. What is more, Onu et al. (2019) reveal that communicator
physical attractiveness has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of selected
telecommunications companies. Alongside, one more prior research by Till and Busler (2000)
showed that the attractiveness of the communicator has a positive effect on brand attitudes and
consumer purchase intention.

H4: Perceived attractiveness has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets.

 Similarity
Similarity evokes social comparisons; for instance, if a communicator who recommends the
product is perceived as similar from the side of the receiver, it is rational to presume the product
will be good for the receiver as well (O'Keefe, 2016). Furthermore, if an individual considers
that it has and shares the same or similar interests, qualities, or values with an SMI, there is a
high probability that he/she will embrace their behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs (Kelman, 2006).
Besides, it is easier for individuals to identify with SMIs, than with celebrities, as they are
everyday people who share personal details and events from their lives on social media, which
is correlated with a sense of closeness (Deges, 2018). Furthermore, according to Bu, Parkinson,
and Thaichon (2022), the similarity between SMIs and their followers positively affects
customer co-creation behavior, which results in increased expected brand value and purchase
intention. Similarity encourages followers to look for information, share information, and have
personal interactions (Ibid).

H5: Perceived similarity has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech gadgets.

16
2.3.2 Research model
Based on the collected and presented literature in the sections above, the authors of this thesis
suggested a research model under Figure 3. This model presents five independent variables
(authenticity, trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness, and similarity) and one dependent
variable (purchase intention). According to this model, all of these five independent variables
have a positive effect dependent variable. Therefore, to test the relationship between these
variables, five hypotheses have been formed, one for each independent variable (H1, H2, H3,
H4 and H5).

Figure 3. Research model (Created by authors)

17
3 Methodology
In the following section, there is an explanation of the methods which have been applied
throughout the study. The selection of methods has been used in order to answer on research
question and purpose of this paper which has been explained in previous sections.

3.I Research method

“Research approaches are the plans and procedures for research that span the decisions from
broad assumptions to detailed methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation”
(Creswell & Creswell, 2017). Moreover, according to Creswell and Creswell (2017), there are
three approaches of research approach:
i. Quantitative- testing objective theories by examining the relationship among variables
(numerical data) which statistical methods can test.
ii. Qualitative- exploring and understanding the meaning individuals or groups ascribe to
a social or human problem (non-standardized data).
iii. Mixed methods-quantitative and qualitative data.
However, considering that this study used a deductive approach by creating a hypothesis and
research model based on selected theory, collecting and analyzing data for testing this
hypothesis (Bryman & Bell, 2015), for this study have been applied quantitative research
design. Furthermore, since the purpose of this study is to conduct an inquiry into which of SMIs
qualities, authenticity, and credibility four dimensions (trustworthiness, expertise,
attractiveness, and similarity), may or may not impact the consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets, which makes this study explanatory. For this reason, the data was collected by an
online survey, which is a method of collecting data from a selected sample of individuals
(Scheuren, 2004), and interpreted using statistical methods. Moreover, due to the nature of this
study, this is a cross-sectional study since data was collected at one fixed point in time across
a sample population, which is, in this case, consumers of Gen Z and Y in Sweden (Questionpro,
2021).

3.2 Survey design and Questionnaire development

As stated in the previous paragraph, this is a survey-based study aims to provide insights into
how SMIs affect consumer purchase intention of Tech gadgets. According to that, respondents
on the survey will answer questions related to selected SMIs qualities for this study, such as
authenticity and credibility, four dimensions (trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness, and
similarity), and how they affect their purchase intention of Tech gadgets.

Cornell (2022) points out that there are advantages and disadvantages of carrying out this type
of research when it comes to an online survey. For instance, some of the advantages are: (i)
more convenience and better response- participants can choose a time when they want to
answer survey; (ii) accessibility from any device; (iii) significant cost-cutting; (iv) flexibility
with design; (v) possibility of selection; (vi) quick data analysis; (vii) respondent anonymity;
(viii) accurate feedback since; (ix) saves time and effort; and (x) maximum reach of participants

18
(Ibid). Since the target of the study were members of Gen Z and Y who spend their time online,
and because of limited resources and short time framework for this thesis, the online survey
was chosen, as the best solution for collecting data. On the negative side of the online survey,
Cornell (2022) suggests (i) inability to access people who do not have Internet; (ii) chances of
survey fraud; (iii) sampling issues; (iv) response bias-participants false answers in order to look
good; (v) survey fatigue-if survey is too long, participants can answer dishonest or drop out;
(vi) increase in errors- due to Internet connection, participants can repeat the survey more than
once with different answers; (vii) unanswered questions; (viii) and there is not possible to see
participants reactions while answering questions. Therefore, the authors of this study created a
questionnaire with scale choice questions, since open-ended questions take a longer time to
answer, to avoid as many as possible disadvantages mentioned above, such as survey fatigue
and unanswered questions, in order to get as much possible correct answer. In order to collect
data, the online survey was conducted via Google Forms. The survey link was shared on
different social media platforms, like Facebook, and Linked, to reach the targeted population
in Sweden.

3.2.I Questionnaire
To better understand how this survey was conducted, the questionnaire is further explained. At
the beginning of the questionnaire, there were questions regarding demographic factors, the
age was taken into consideration (Gen Z and Y), behavioral factors, time spent on social media,
preferred social media platforms (number of SMI), preferred type of social media content, and
frequency of buying Tech gadgets based on recommendations of SMI, in order to see the
background of participants. The participants who did not belong to Gen Z and Y stated that
they do not spend time on social media and do not follow any SMIs needed to be excluded
from further analysis since the focus of this study was members of Gen Z and Y in Sweden,
who spend time on social media and follow SMIs.
Furthermore, the independent variables of this study, authenticity, and credibility, four
dimensions (trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness, and similarity), and dependent variable
purchase intention have been measured with the Likert scale from 1-5, where (1 = Strongly
disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree) see Appendix 1. The
questionnaire questions were created based on previous studies by authors who researched this
area of social media and influencer marketing. Table 3. shows how exactly these independent
and dependent variables have been measured in the questionnaire since, for every variable,
there has been created set of questions. The survey was conducted in English.

19
 Variable Item Adopted from authors
Purchase intention  I will most likely buy Morwitz (2012)
Tech gadget endorsed by Eze et al., 2012,
an influencer I follow.
Deges, 2018
 I often buy Tech gadgets
endorsed by influencer I
follow.
 I plan to buy a Tech
gadget endorsed by an
influencer I follow.
 If influencer gives
positive review about
Tech gadget or brand
with which I had
negative experience, I
will reconsider to buy it
again.
 If influencer gives
negative review about
Tech gadget or brand
which I was thinking to
buy, I will not buy it.
Authenticity  Authentic Deges (2018)
 Has specific style Chu & Kamal (2008)
 Share original content
 Has passion for what
Pöyry et al. (2019)
he/she is doing
 Neutral
Trustworthiness  Trustworthy Xiao et al. (2018)
 Independent Berger (2014)
 Honest
Onu et al. (2019)
Munnukka et al. (2016)
Expertise  Knowledgeable Deges (2018)
 Experienced Braunsberger (1996)
 Skilled Munnukka et al. (2016)
 Expert in its field
Attractiveness  Physical attractive Xiao et al. (2018)
 Friendly Onu et al. (2019)
 Approachable
 Likeable Busler (2000)
 Warm Munnukka et al. (2016)
Similarity  Similar to me O'Keefe (2016)
 Think like me Kelman (2006)
 Share same values and
beliefs as me Bu et al. (2022)
 Behave like me Munnukka et al. (2016)
 Share same interests like
me
Table 3. Measurements (Created by Authors)

20
3.3 Population and Sampling
The sample size for this study was determined and calculated based on the formula which has
been discussed by Green (1991), which states that the minimum sample size (N) for conducting
regression analysis should be N≥ 50+8xm (m= number of independent variables), with words,
same or larger than fifty plus, eight times number of independent variables. This means, in this
case, where there have been five independent variables, N≥ 50+8x5, the sample size (N) for
this study should be the same or larger than 90 to get a typical effect size.
Moreover, according to Uprichard (2011), sampling may be done through probability and
nonprobability samples. In this study, non-probability sampling was performed, implying that
the population elements were chosen based on their availability to the researchers
(convenience) rather than their distribution since the survey was shared on social media, like
Facebook and Linked. Furthermore, snowball sampling has been applied by sharing the links
on social media groups, where targeted generations are active, asking them that they fill out
share further this survey with friends, family, and acquaintances who have similar
characteristics (age and social media habits) to them in Sweden, with the expectation that
sample will grow, as a snowball rolling down the hill and include, as much possible respondents
with characteristics needed for this study (Leavy, 2017).
Participation in this study was completely voluntary. The participants were informed that their
data would be used anonymously to obtain as much relevant information as possible and allow
them to express themselves freely.
In order to fulfill the purpose of this study, the focus was on individuals from Gen Z and Y,
born between 1981-2012, who use social media, follow SMIs, and live in Sweden to measure
the effect of SMIs qualities on purchase intention of Tech gadgets. In the end, 217 individuals
were surveyed for this study.

3.4 Data collection

For this study, data was collected via an online survey created in Google Forms. The link to
the survey was shared on multiply groups on social media, such as Facebook and Linked where
authors of this study expected that the targeted population, members of Gen Z and Y in Sweden,
are active because they would most likely see the post with the survey link and answer on it.
The post with a short explanation of the purpose of this study and survey link was reposted
once per day to get as many possible answers since older posts go on the bottom of the page
on social media. Furthermore, the data collection was conducted from 2022/4/15 to 2022/4/24.
The data gathered through this survey, utilized to assess the impact of SMIs on consumer
purchase intentions considered the primary data source since the authors of this study collected
data. According to Bryman and Bell (2015), a primary source is a direct source from which the
researchers obtain information that has not previously been obtained.

21
3.5 Data Analysis
The collected data was to test formulated hypotheses and investigate connections between
independent and dependent variables. As stated earlier, the independent variables of this study
are authenticity and credibility, four dimensions (trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness, and
similarity, while purchase intention is the dependent variable. The other data collected via
survey, like age, time spent on social media, preferred social media platforms (number of
SMIs), preferred type of social media content, and frequency of buying Tech gadgets based on
recommendations of SMIs, have been taken into consideration for this study. Furthermore, all
gathered data have been subsequently analyzed and interpreted with the help of the statistic
software SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) which is used for quantitative
analysis of complex data (Pallant, 2020).
Before the hypothesis testing, first was checked reliability and validity of data with Cronbach`s
alpha. After that normality test was conducted to check if data is normally distributed to see
which methods will be used for analysis, parametric or non-parametric. Since data were
normally distributed, for this analysis have been used parametric methods. According to that ,
statistical techniques have been used to check connections between independent and dependent
variables, such as Pearson`s correlation (Pearson product moment correlation coefficient r was
presented), multiple regression (relationship between one continuous dependent variable and
set of independent variables) and descriptive statistic measurements mean and standard
deviation, which are two most used statistical measurements (Pallant, 2020).

3.6 Reliability of data

In order to gather reliable data, the first step was creating questionnaire with clear and
straightforward questions to ensure that participants do not have problems with understanding
what they are asked and waste time on unnecessary thinking because there is the risk that they
will not answer one question, answer dishonest or drop out from the survey. For this reason,
the questions are created short as possible using Likert scale from 1-5 (1 = Strongly disagree,
2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree) because this type of scale gives a
wider range of possible scores (Pallant, 2020) which is essential to increase reliability of data,
related to this study.
When questioner was created, it was first checked by the supervisor of this study, who gave
feedback with suggestions that could be applied to make it clearer and closer to the research
question. Afterward, a pilot study was conducted among family and friends who belong to Gen
Z and Y, to check the effect of this survey, how it is interpreted, and how much time it takes to
answer it, aiming to improve it even more. Some of the questions were unclear, redundant, or
too long, that was corrected before distribution to possible participants on social media. The
pilot study was conducted since Brayman and Bell (2015) point out that this is a necessary step
in the research process to make sure that research will meet its purpose. Furthermore, to check
the reliability of the data, Cronbach’s Alpha was conducted, which is one of the most
commonly used indicators of internal consistency of the scales used in survey (Pallant, 2020).

22
3.7 Ethics and Confidentiality
When doing any research, the highest standards of ethics and confidentiality must be strictly
followed (Bryman & Bell, 2015). The assertion made in this thesis is not different. According
to Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill (2015), transparency and honesty on the researcher's side
are essential to gain the cooperation of a research participant. In this thesis, considerations of
ethics and confidentiality were taken into account. Respondents, for example, were informed
of the study's objective, anonymous, and that it was being conducted only for educational
purposes.

23
4 Data analysis and results
The following chapter contains all the essential information associated with this study collected
from the survey, analyzed with the statistics software SPSS and presented in the form of figures
and tables. Firstly, data exploration is elaborated, then characteristics of respondents,
hypothesis testing, followed by results.

4.I Data extraction

Overall, the survey yielded 217 responses analyzed with statistics software SPSS, from which
196 were valid since 21 respondents did not belong under the criteria of this research for
different reasons. For instance, some of them did not belong to Gen Z or Y; others stated that
they do not spend any time on social media, while the rest of the respondents stated that they
do not follow any SMIs. Furthermore, in contemplation of this study, on top of the primary
purpose, a simple characterization of respondents was conducted based on demographic and
behavioral factors, which will be analyzed and presented in the following sections.
4.2 Characteristics of respondents
When it comes to age distribution, 93 (47.4%) respondents belong to Gen Z, and 103 (52.6%)
respondents belong to Gen Y in Sweden (Figure 4.). The sample size for this study which was
calculated based on the formula suggested by Green (1991), should be the same or larger than
90 subjects to get a typical effect; therefore, by collected 196 responses, this study is in good
range to accumulate more accurate results.

Gen Z Gen Y

47.4%
52.6%

Figure 4. Age distribution (Created by Authors)

24
Respondents who stated that they do not spend any time on social media per day (0 hours) have
been excluded in the first analysis as invalid answers since people who do not spend time on
social media cannot follow SMIs. In consideration have been taken respondents who stated that
they spend 1 hour or more. The result of the conducted analysis showed that the respondents
of this study are high social media users, since 25% of them spend 2 hours, while 23.5% spend
3 hours per day using social media. Moreover, 18.4% of respondents spend 4 hours, followed
by 12.8% of respondents who spend 1 h and 7.1% who spend 5 hours per day. The rest of the
respondents stated that they spend 6/7/8/10 or more than 10 hours on social media per day
(Figure 5.).

Respondents( Percentage)

25%
23.50%

18.40%

12.80%

7.10%

3.10% 3.10% 3.10% 2.60%

1.50%
0.00%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10<
Hours

Figure 5. Time spent on social media per day (Created by Authors)

25
 Regarding preferred social media platforms where respondents follow the highest number of
SMIs, Instagram is first with a mean of 5.69 and a standard deviation of 3.895, second is
Facebook, and in third place is YouTube (Table 4.). The lowest score has Twitter and Pinterest.

Number of
SMI Mean Std. D.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10< N

Instagram 17 16 15 30 16 13 10 1 14 9 15 40 196 5.69 3.895

YouTube 32 21 17 32 11 16 7 6 4 10 13 27 196 4.63 3.873

TikTok 77 19 9 13 13 7 7 7 8 13 10 13 196 3.46 3.885

Facebook 37 17 28 18 11 9 11 4 7 6 13 35 196 4.77 4.109

Twitter 118 12 15 11 8 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 196 1.88 3.100

Pinterest 153 13 11 4 1 3 4 0 2 3 1 1 196 .79 2.024

Table 4. The social media platforms and number of followed SMIs by respondents (Created
by Authors)

Respondent's preferences regarding the type of social media content related to the promotion
of Tech gadgets can be seen and interpreted in Table 5. Based on this table, we can see that
videos are most preferred from all types of content since the two most common answers of
respondents were strongly agree and agree, with a mean of 4.16 with a standard deviation of
0.934 for all respondents of the survey, followed by images and live streams. Stories and
written posts, articles, and blogs share the same level of preference from respondents.

Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Valid Mean Std.

N
Type of social media Disagree Agree Devi
content (Total)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Videos 6 2 30 75 83 196 4.16 .934

Live Streams 7 11 68 57 53 196 3.70 1.040

Images 2 7 56 81 50 196 3.87 .873

Stories 4 19 63 88 22 196 3.54 .891

Written posts, articles, 196 3.48 1.148

10 16 62 62 40
blogs

Table 5. Preferred type of social media content regarding promotion of Tech gadgets (Created
by Authors).

26
The 32.7% of respondents stated that they did not buy any (0) Tech gadgets based on
recommendations of SMIs in the past 12 months. On the other hand, 24% of respondents
bought 2, and 19.9% bought 1 Tech gadget, while the rest of the respondents stated that they
purchased 3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10 or more than 10 Tech gadgets (Figure 6.). Based on the analysis
result, it is shown that there is a higher percentage (67.3% in total) of those who bought Tech
gadgets based on recommendations of SMIs than those who did not, which shows the positive
influence and effect of SMI.

Respodents (Percentage)

32.70%

24%

19.90%

10.20%

4.10% 4.60%
1.50% 1%
0.50% 0.50% 0.50% 0.50%

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10<
Tech gadgets

Figure 6. Amount of Tech Gadgets bought by respondents based on recommendations of

SMIs in the past 12 months (Created by Authors)

27
4.3 Exploration of the data
In order to check the internal consistency (reliability), which shows the extent to which all
items in the test measure the same concept (Tavakol & Dennick, 2011), the Cronbach`s alpha
test was conducted for every set of items in the study, which has been used as a measure for all
six variables of this study (purchase intention, authenticity, trustworthiness, expertise,
similarity, and attractiveness). There was a combination of multiple items in the survey for
measuring each variable. Furthermore, Table 6 shows Cronbach`s alpha value range from the
highest (0.894) for similarity to the lowest (0.770) for purchase intention. Since all values of
variables are above 0.7, they fit under Cronbach`s alpha reliability criteria, which is, according
to Tavakol and Dennick (2011), between 0.7-0.9. Therefore, they suggest that if alpha is below
0.7 because of low correlation between items, the items which are a cause of low correlation
should be discarded (Ibid).

Variable Cronbach`s Alpha Number of items

Similarity .894 5

Expertise .884 4

Authenticity .850 5

Attractiveness .849 5

Trustworthiness .815 3

Purchase Intention .770 5

Table 6. Cronbach`s alpha values (Created by Authors)

Furthermore, to analyze if collected data is normally distributed, Skewness and Kurtosis have
been checked by dividing Skewness/Kurtosis value by Standard error of Skewness/ Kurtosis .
After conducting analysis, it has been concluded that Likert scale data is normally distributed
since calculated, Skewness and Kurtosis z- values of variables belonged under the acceptable
range of normality, between -1.96 and 1.96 (Tabachnick & Fidell. 2007), which meant that
parametric methods, such as Pearson Correlation, ANOVA and multiple regression could be
applied for this analysis (Appendix 2).

28
4.4 Correlation analysis
Moreover, as in this study are five independent variables (authenticity, trustworthiness,
expertise, similarity, and attractiveness) and one dependent variable, purchase intention; it is
necessary to check how independent variables correlate with the dependent variable. Thereby
in order to investigate these correlations, the Pearson Correlation analysis has been conducted.

The Pearson correlation measures the strength of the linear relationship between two variables
(Nettleton, 2014). It has a value between -1 to 1, meaning a positive relationship between the
variables if the results of correlation analysis indicate a number that is close to or equal to +1.
On the other hand, when the correlation value is close to -1 or equal to -1, this indicates a
negative relationship between tested variables (Ibid). On top of that, if the correlation value is
0, there is no correlation between variables (Ibid). A statistical method known as correlation is
utilized to ascertain how two variables are related to one another or associated (James, 2019).
However, when discussing the correlation between variables, a statistically significant
correlation does not have to be essentially interpreted as strong (Akoglu, 2018) since values of
coefficients below ±0.3 indicate weak positive/negative correlation, between ±0.3 and ±0.7
indicate moderate positive/negative correlation and between ±0.7 and ± 1 strong
positive/negative correlation, while ± 1 considers as perfect positive/negative correlation
(Ratner, 2022).

In this case, Table 7. shows that the correlation between all the independent (authenticity,
trustworthiness, expertise, similarity, and attractiveness) and dependent variables (purchase
intention) is positive. The strongest positive correlation is between SMIs expertise (r =.458)
and consumer purchase intention, followed by SMIs trustworthiness (r =.396) and SMIs
authenticity (r = .392), which are considered moderate since they belong to a range between
0.3 and 0.7. The weakest positive correlation with consumer purchase intention has SMIs
attractiveness (r =.265) below 0.3, followed by SMIs similarity (r=.356), which is moderate
positive correlated with purchase intention, belonging to a range between 0.3 and 0.7.

29
 Variables Purchase Trustworthiness Expertise Similarity Attractiveness Authenticity
Intention

Purchase Pearson 1 .396** .458** .356** .265** .392**

Intention Correlation

Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000

N 196 196 196 196 196 196

Trustworthiness Pearson .396** 1 .536** .338** .274** .301**

Correlation

Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000

N 196 196 196 196 196 196

Expertise Pearson .458** .536** 1 .473** .336** .403**

Correlation

Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000

N 196 196 196 196 196 196

Similarity Pearson .356** .338** .473** 1 .420** 387**

Correlation

Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000

N 196 196 196 196 196 196

** ** ** **
Attractiveness Pearson .265 .274 .336 .420 1 .381**
Correlation

Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000

N 196 196 196 196 196 196

Authenticity Pearson .392** .301** .403** .387** .381** 1

Correlation

Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000 .000

N 196 196 196 196 196 196

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Table 7. Pearson Correlation matrix (Created by Authors)

30
4.5 Regression analysis
Regression analysis is a statistical technique that aims to predict the value of one variable
(dependent) by utilizing values of other variable/s, it enables us to assess how exactly the
independent variable predicts the dependent variable (Allen, 2004). For this reason, for this
study, multiple regression analysis have been conducted since there are five independent
variables (trustworthiness, expertise, similarity, attractiveness, and authenticity) and one
dependent (purchase intention). Multiple regression analysis evaluates the relationship of a set
of independent variables/ predictors to one continuous dependent variable/criterion (Aiken,
West & Pitts, 2003). According to the general rule of thumb, if the number is more than 5
percent, the relationship is statistically insignificant. If the percentage is lower than five
percent, it is significant.
4.5.1 Model Summary and Statistical significance

Model R R Square Adjusted R Std. Error of

Square the Estimate

1 .542a .294 .275 2.84602

a. Predictors: (Constant), Trustworthiness, Expertise, Similarity, Atractiveness, Authenticity

Table 8. Model Summary

In order to be aware of how strong relationship is between the model and the dependent
variable, consumer purchase intention, it is important to check the Model Summary (Table 8.).
Furthermore, value R represents multiple correlations between dependent and independent
variables (Jain & Chetty, 2019), in this case, R=0.542, meaning that this model is a relatively
good predictor of outcome. R-Square shows how much of the variance in the dependent
variable is explained by the model (Pallant, 2020), R2=.294, meaning that 29.4% of the variance
in purchase intention can be predicted from SMIs trustworthiness, expertise, similarity,
attractiveness, and authenticity. Moreover, to investigate if the relationship between
independent and dependent variables is statistically significant, the p-value needs to be less
than 0.05 (Jain & Chetty, 2019; Pallant, 2020). Sig/ p-value can be seen from ANOVA
(Analysis of Variance) Table 9., which is, in this case, p < .000, meaning that the relationship
between independent and dependent variables is statistically significant, in this case, SMIs
trustworthiness, expertise, similarity, attractiveness, and authenticity can predict purchase
intention of Tech gadgets.

31
 Model Sum of df Mean F Sig.
Squares Square
1 Regression 639.500 5 127.900 15.790 .000b
Residual 1538.969 190 8.100
2178.469 195
Total

a. Dependent Variable: Purchase intention

b. Predictors: (Constant), Trustworthiness, Expertise, Similarity, Attractiveness, Authenticity

Table 9. ANOVAa

4.5.2 Coefficients

Model Unstandardized Standardized t Sig.

Coefficients Coefficients

B Std. Error Beta

(Constant) 4.697 .968 4.852 .000

Trustworthiness .249 .106 .172 2.349 .020
Expertise
.252 .088 .229 2.877 .004
Similarity
.087 .063 .103 1.389 .167
Attractiveness
.018 .059 .021 .305 .760
Authenticity
.171 .061 .200 2.830 .005
a. Dependent Variable: Purchase intention

Table 10. Coefficients of Trustworthiness, Expertise, Similarity, Attractiveness and Authenticity

Table 10. presents the significance of each independent variable, trustworthiness, expertise,
similarity, attractiveness, and authenticity in the model and the extent to which each impacts
the dependent variable, consumer purchase intention (Jain & Chetty, 2019). When it comes to
hypothesis testing, according to Pallant (2020), the most important value for interpretations is
Sig./p-value, meaning if Sig./p-value is less than 0.05, the independent variable has a
significant unique contribution to the prediction of the dependent variable. On the other hand,
if Sig./p-value is above 0.05, the independent variable does not have a significant unique
contribution to the prediction of a dependent variable (Ibid). Furthermore, the second important
value is the unstandardized B coefficient, which presents the magnitude of the effect of each
independent variable on the dependent variable, the amount of change in dependent variable
caused by one unit change in the independent variable (Tabachnick, & Fidell, 2007)

32
H1: Perceived authenticity has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets.
The independent variable, authenticity, has a significant unique contribution to the prediction
of the dependent variable, consumer purchase intention, due to Sig. value =.005, which is less
than the acceptable p-value of 0.05. Followed by a B-value of .171, meaning that by one unite
change in authenticity, consumer purchase intention will increase by 0.171 units. Since,
according to analysis, perceived authenticity has a positive effect on purchase intention of Tech
gadgets, H1 is accepted.

H2: Perceived trustworthiness has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets.
The independent variable, trustworthiness, has a significant unique contribution to the
prediction of the dependent variable, consumer purchase intention, due to Sig. value .020,
which is less than acceptable p-value 0.05. Followed by a B-value of .252, meaning that by one
unite change in expertise, consumer purchase intention will increase by 0.249 units. Since,
according to analysis, perceived trustworthiness has a positive effect on purchase intention of
Tech gadgets, H2 is accepted.

H3: Perceived expertise has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets.
The independent variable, expertise, has a significant unique contribution to the prediction of
the dependent variable, consumer purchase intention, due to Sig. value .004, which is less than
acceptable p-value 0.05. Followed by, B-value of .252, meaning that by one unite change in
expertise, consumer purchase intention will increase by 0.252 units. Since, according to
analysis, perceived expertise has a positive effect on purchase intention of Tech gadgets, H3 is
accepted.

H4: Perceived attractiveness has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets.
The independent variable, attractiveness, does not have a significant unique contribution to the
prediction of the dependent variable, consumer purchase intention, due to Sig. value .760,
which is greater than the acceptable p-value of 0.05. Followed by a B-value of .018, which will
not cause any change in consumer purchase intention because there is no significant
relationship between attractiveness and purchase intention. Since, according to analysis,
perceived does not have a positive effect on purchase intention of Tech gadgets, H4 is rejected.

H5: Perceived similarity has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets.
The independent variable, similarity, does not have a significant unique contribution to the
prediction of the dependent variable, consumer purchase intention, due to Sig. value .167,
which is greater than the acceptable p-value of 0.05. Followed by a B-value of .087, which will
not cause any change in consumer purchase intention because there is no significant
relationship between similarity and consumer purchase intention. Since, according to analysis,

33
perceived similarity does not have a positive effect on purchase intention of Tech gadgets, H5
is rejected.

4.6 Results
After testing all hypotheses, it is possible to see which of SMIs qualities of authenticity and
credibility four dimensions (trustworthiness, expertise, similarity and attractiveness), actually
have a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech gadgets among Gen Z and Y
(Table 11). The Pearson correlation indicated that all independent variables have a positive
correlation with consumer purchase intention, from what expertise (r=.458), trustworthiness
(r=.396), authenticity (r=.392), and similarity (r=.356) had the strongest positive but moderate
(range between 0.3 and 0.7) correlation to consumer purchase intention. In contrast,
attractiveness (r=.265) had the weakest positive correlation (range below 0.3). Furthermore,
the results of multiple regression confirmed that expertise (B=.252) and trustworthiness
(B=.249) have the highest impact on consumer purchase intention, followed by authenticity
(B=.171). When on the other side, attractiveness (B=.018) and similarity (B=.087) are excluded
since they do not have a significant relationship (Sig/p > 0.05) with consumer purchase
intention. Therefore, based on this new knowledge, an initial conceptual model was redesigned,
presenting independent variables expertise, trustworthiness, and authenticity, which have
significant value, while insignificant independent variables, such as attractiveness and
similarity, are excluded since they do not add any value to this model (Figure 7.)

Hypothesis r B P Decision
value value
H1: Perceived authenticity has a positive .392 .171 .005 Accepted
effect on consumer purchase intention of
Tech gadgets.
H2: Perceived trustworthiness has a .396 .249 .020 Accepted
positive effect on consumer purchase
intention of Tech gadgets.
H3: Perceived expertise has a positive .458 .252 .004 Accepted
effect on consumer purchase intention of
Tech gadgets.
H4: Perceived attractiveness has a positive .265 .018 .760 Rejected
effect on consumer purchase intention of
Tech gadgets.
H5: Perceived similarity has a positive .356 .087 .167 Rejected
effect on consumer purchase intention of
Tech gadgets.
Table 11. Hypothesis Validation Summary (Created by Authors)

34
Figure 7. Redesigned conceptual model (Created by Authors). B= unstandardized B coefficient

35
5 Discussion
The following chapter has in-focus discussion on the hypotheses of this research and how they
are connected with prior conducted studies.

H1: Perceived authenticity has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets.
The first hypothesis has been accepted, meaning that SMIs authenticity positively affects
consumer purchase intention of Tech gadgets among members of Gen Z and Y in Sweden.
These findings indicate that respondents who consider that SMIs have an original style, share
information openly, and live an impression as passionate and enthusiastic (Deges, 2018) will
perceive SMIs as authentic and are more likely to have purchase intention to buy a Tech gadget
based on their recommendations.
Furthermore, according to findings of the study by Pöyry et al. (2019), SMIs authenticity has
an influence on purchase intention of their followers, and that companies should cooperate with
SMIs whose authenticity match to their brand, which means, in this case, that Tech companies
while targeting Gen Z and Y in Sweden for their marketing strategies should take into
consideration if a personal brand of SMI is the right fit to their brand. Otherwise, they risk that
their targeted market does not perceive their sent message as authentic, which could cause
lower interest in the product/service which they want to promote.

H2: Perceived trustworthiness has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets.
The second hypothesis has been accepted, meaning that SMIs trustworthiness positively affects
consumer purchase intention of Tech gadgets among members of Gen Z and Y in Sweden. The
findings indicate that respondents who see SMIs, as neutral and independent advisors (Deges,
2018) will perceive SMIs as trustworthy and more likely to have purchase intention to buy a
Tech gadget based on their recommendation. However, there is the risk if SMIs share content
that does not follow their personal brand, recommendations, or values (Abidin& Ots,2016;
Berger, 2014) can cause a negative impact on perceived trustworthiness, which is why Tech
companies need to cooperate with SMIs, whose values and shared content align with their
values and brand, in order that their promotion of Tech gadgets is perceived as trustworthy
which could lead to higher purchase intentions.
Furthermore, according to Onu et al. (2019), SMIs trustworthiness has a positive and
significant effect on consumer purchase intentions. The same was proven in this study, meaning
that Tech companies need to seek SMIs who are perceived as trustworthy, to be an endorser
for Tech gadgets, and how they would increase the purchase intention of their target market, in
this case, members of Gen Z and Y, which could lead to higher sales.

36
H3: Perceived expertise has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets.
The third hypothesis has been accepted, meaning that SMIs expertise positively affects
consumer purchase intention of Tech gadgets among members of Gen Z and Y in Sweden. The
findings indicate that respondents who see SMIs, as knowledgeable, skilled, professional
individuals (Deges, 2018) will perceive SMIs as experts and more likely they will have
purchase intention to buy a Tech Gadget based on their recommendations. Therefore, Tech
companies should search and cooperate with SMIs who are in their niche, such as Gamers or
Bloggers/Vloggers whose main interest or expertise is in the Technology field, depending on
the product which they are planning to promote by SMIs, to reach their target market with a
message which will be perceived, as a recommendation from an expert, increasing the
probability of purchase intention. Furthermore, based on this study, expertise has a positive
correlation with consumer purchase intention, same as in the previous study done by
Braunsberger (1996), which indicates the importance of expertise in marketing strategies.

H4: Perceived attractiveness has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets.
The fourth hypothesis has been rejected, meaning that SMIs attractiveness does not have a
positive effect (or negative effect, according to analysis) on consumer purchase intention of
Tech gadgets among members of Gen Z and Y in Sweden.
The findings indicate that for respondents, it is not important SMIs physical attractiveness,
personality, friendliness, or charisma to have purchase intention to buy a Tech gadget based on
their recommendations. Moreover, this study showed the opposite results to previous studies
(Onu et al., 2019; Till & Busler, 2000), which demonstrated that the attractiveness of a speaker
has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention. This can be for a simple reason when
consumers search for recommendations of Tech gadgets; their focus is not on the personality
or attractiveness of the source but on expertise, trustworthiness, or authenticity; the reason why
H1, H2, and H3 are accepted.

H5: Perceived similarity has a positive effect on consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets.
The fifth hypothesis has been rejected, meaning that SMIs similarity does not have a positive
effect (or negative effect, according to analysis) on consumer purchase intention of Tech
gadgets among members of Gen Z and Y in Sweden. The findings indicate that it is not
important for respondents to share similar interests, qualities, or values with SMIs to have
purchase intention to buy Tech gadgets based on their recommendations. On the other hand,
this study showed the opposite result to the previous study by Bu et al. (2022), that similarity
results in increased expected brand value and purchase intention. Again, this can be interpreted
similarly, as for attractiveness, that when consumers searching for recommendations of Tech
gadgets, their focus is not on similarities with source but on expertise, trustworthiness, and
authenticity, the reason why H1, H2, and H3 are accepted.

37
6 Conclusions
In this chapter, the final and overall thoughts are synthesized about the effect of SMIs on the
purchase intention of Tech gadgets. Moreover, the theoretical and practical contributions are
presented, the same as limitations and future research.

6.1 Summary of Thesis

Over the last few decades, most of the global population's lifestyle has changed due to
technological advances. That caused changes in how consumers think and behave; basically,
they know what they want and need, where to find information regarding desired
product/service, and where to get it (Eze et al., 2012). However, with changes in consumer
behavior, to keep up, companies are forced to adapt their marketing strategies to the new age.
Furthermore, with the emergence of social media, online advertising has become more popular
and wanted, than traditional advertising, since social media empowers the consumer through
two-way communication (Tuten & Solomon, 2017), opposite to traditional one-way
communication. Thereby, IM has exponentially grown rate in the past few years because
companies recognized the potential of this type of marketing in raising brand awareness,
affecting the purchase intention and choices of their consumer, and achieving other marketing
objectives.
On the other hand, due to its nature, IM has one more vital advantage over traditional
advertising, and that is a lower cost of advertising why IM is even more appealing to
companies. However, since nothing in life is perfect and easy, the same goes for IM. Although
IM has many advantages mentioned earlier in the text, it still comes with one big challenge for
companies and marketers: finding the right SMIs for their marketing strategies. To find the
perfect fit, they first need to know who is their target market and what they are their preferences
(Deges, 2018). Therefore, it is essential to know what drives a specific target market for a
specific company.
For this reason, this study intended to conduct an inquiry into how SMIs impact the consumer
purchase intention of Tech gadgets and what are the SMIs qualities (authenticity,
trustworthiness, expertise, attractiveness, and similarity) have a stronger influence on the
purchase intention of Tech gadgets among Gen Z and Y, to expand knowledge about IM. On
the grounds of previous studies, five hypotheses were formed for this study. One hypothesis
for each of the selected SMIs quality was guidance for creating questioner for collecting data,
which have been used to test if our hypotheses are valid or not. The main criteria for valid
responses were social media users who follow SMIs and belong to Gen Z or Y; if respondents
did not fulfill one of these criteria, the response was considered invalid. After the data was
collected, all responses were analyzed with SPSS, and hypothesis testing was conducted.
Hypothesis testing showed that expertise has the greatest influence on consumer purchase
intention of Tech gadgets, followed by trustworthiness and authenticity, while attractiveness
and similarity do not influence consumer purchase intention. Meaning that if SMIs is perceived
as an expert, trustworthy and authentic from the side of a consumer of Gen Z and Y, it is more
likely that they will have purchase intention of Tech gadgets. On the other hand, SMIs

38
perceived as similar or attractive from the side of a consumer of Gen Z and Y will not affect
the consumer purchase intention of Tech gadgets. Thereby, the Tech companies, while
selecting SMIs for target consumers belonging to Gen Z and Y in Sweden, should select SMIs
who are experts in this field, trustworthy and authentic; for their marketing strategies, the lower
focus should be on similarity and attractiveness, since these two qualities do not have an impact
on consumer purchase intention, according to this study.
6.2 Theoretical Contributions
As stated earlier in our problem statement, many previous studies have been conducted
regarding IM and the qualities of SMIs; however, since this is a relatively new phenomenon,
there are still research gaps in the literature regarding of effect of SMIs on consumers' purchase
intention in the context of the Tech industry, since most of the studies have in focus on other
industries outside the borders of Sweden. By doing so, this study is an addition to previous
research and provides a theoretical contribution based on its findings which show that SMIs
expertise, trustworthiness, and authenticity have an impact on consumer purchase intention of
Gen Z and Y who are known, as the most tech savvy generations from all generations. From
that perceived SMIs expertise was the strongest factor affecting consumer purchase intention,
followed by perceived SMIs trustworthiness and perceived SMIs authenticity. Even though
same as previous studies, this research does not present results which give an ultimate answer
on this topic due to limitations listed in section 6.4; it can be a good starting point for future
research, especially for researchers in Sweden.
6.3 Practical Contributions
This research contributes in multiple ways to practice in the field of the Tech industry for the
managers and professionals in the marketing area. Firstly, based on the findings of this
research, there are provided new insights for practitioners in understanding how SMIs impact
the purchase intention of their followers belonging to Gen Z and Y and that expertise,
trustworthiness and authenticity are most appreciated by these consumers. Furthermore, based
on this knowledge, it is easier for them to choose the right SMIs for their marketing strategies
to achieve the maximum from their marketing objectives since this is one of the biggest
challenges while implementing IM.
Secondly, this research shows that members of Gen Z and Y in Sweden are heavy social media
users, which is one of the indicators to practitioners that it is possible to reach this target market
with IM and that they should integrate it into their marketing strategies. Moreover, Instagram,
Facebook, and YouTube are the most used social media platforms where are followed most of
SMIs by these demographic cohorts, so based on this, practitioners are aware of where to find
and which channels to use if their target market are these individuals. Nevertheless, Gen Z and
Y members prefer visual social media content related to reviews of Tech gadgets, such as
videos, live streams, and images, which needs to be considered while creating marketing
strategies for this kind of products. On the other hand, gained knowledge from this research is
not essential only for practitioners but for SMIs as well, in order to keep up with the tough
competition by improving themselves and adapting to the needs and preferences of their
followers.

39
6.4 Limitations
Even though this study provided a few valuable theoretical and practical contributions to the
field of IM, it still had several limitations. The first limitation refers to the fact that the
collection of data was limited only to Sweden, which means that the applicability of the
findings of this study to other countries can be questioned since the same demographic cohort
by age in a different part of the world can perceive different values because of cultural
differences.
The second limitation refers to a limited number of SMIs qualities (authenticity,
trustworthiness, expertise, similarity, and attractiveness) due to the limited time framework
selected for this study to investigate the impact on consumer purchase intention because there
is a wide range of other SMIs qualities, as popularity, interactivity, argument quality, and many
others which could have an impact on consumer purchase intention of Tech gadgets.
The third limitation of this study is related to the Tech industry since the findings of this study
may be cannot apply to other industries because of different advertisement requirements.
However, it is necessary to mention that this does not present any limitations to the Tech
industry.
The fourth limitation of this study is using only data collected via an online survey, which,
according to Cornell (2022), can have negative sides, such as sampling issues, increase in
errors, survey fatigue, etc.
6.5 Future research
To get a deeper understanding of the effects of SMIs on purchase intention, future research
should investigate other SMIs qualities, not only the selected ones for this study. The qualities
that can be considered are popularity, interactivity, argument quality, and many others to get
the whole picture of how consumers perceive SMIs. Furthermore, since this study investigated
the purchase intention of Tech gadgets and products of the Tech industry, the findings might
not be applicable to other industries. For this reason, future research needs to be conducted for
all industries if this kind of research is not done since not all industries not have exact
advertising requirements.

40
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Appendices
Appendix 1. Questionnaire

1. Which generation do you belong to?

 Generation Y (born between 1981-1996)

 Generation Z (born between 1997-2012)

2. How much time (on average) do you spend on social media per day?

Hours spent on social media per day

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10<

3. Do you follow any influencers on the following social media platforms? If yes, how many?
The number of influencers
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10<

Instagram

YouTube

TikTok

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

4. Preferred type of social media content (Reviews, promotion of Tech gadgets)?

Strongly Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree
Disagree Agree

Videos
Live Streams

Images

Stories

Written posts, articles, blogs

5. Have you ever bought something of any Tech gadgets based on the marketing of social media influencers? If yes,
how many in the past 12 months (year)?

Amount of Tech gadgets

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10<

48
6. Select the level on which you agree or disagree with the following statements

Strongly Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree Agree
Disagree
I will most likely buy Tech gadget endorsed by an influencer I
follow.

I often buy Tech gadgets endorsed by influencer I follow.

I plan to buy a Tech gadget endorsed by an influencer I follow.

If influencer gives positive review about Tech gadget or brand

with which I had negative experience, I will reconsider to buy
it again.

If influencer gives negative review about Tech gadget or brand

which I was thinking to buy, I will not buy it.

7. You feel that influencers who you follow are…Select the level on which you agree or disagree with the following
statements:

Strongly Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree
Disagree Agree

Trustworthy
Independent

Honest

8. You feel that influencers who you follow are…Select the level on which you agree or disagree with the following
statements:

Strongly Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree
Disagree Agree

Knowledgeable
Experienced

Skilled

Expert in its field

9. You feel that influencers who you follow are…Select the level on which you agree or disagree with the following
statements:

Strongly Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree
Disagree Agree

Similar to me
Think like me

Share same values and beliefs as me

Behave like me

Share same interests like me

49
10. You feel that influencers who you follow are…Select the level on which you agree or disagree with the
following statements:

Strongly Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree
Disagree Agree

Physical attractive
Friendly

Approachable

Likeable

Warm

11. You feel that influencers who you follow are…Select the level on which you agree or disagree with the following
statements:

Strongly Strongly
Disagree Neutral Agree
Disagree Agree

Authentic

Has specific style

Share original content

Has passion for what he/she is doing

Neutral

50
Appendix II. Skewness and Kurtosis

Skewness Kurtosis
Variables
Statistic Std. Error z-value Statistic Std. Error z-value

Purchase -.268 .174 -1.54 -.321 .346 -.92

Intention
Trustworthiness -.115 .174 -.66 -.630 .346 -1.82
Expertise -.331 .174 -1.90 -.388 .346 -1.12
Similarity -.283 .174 -1.62 -.315 .346 -.91
Attractiveness -.320 .174 -1.83 -.288 .346 -.83
Authenticity -.301 .174 -1.72 -.544 .346 -1.60