Abstract:
For decades, influencer marketing has been a growing phenomena worldwide; this contemporary marketing phenomenon has played a vital role for marketers and communicators of brands in various organizations. Despite the prominent growth of marketers and communicators using social media influencers to endorse products, there was limited evidence showing these influencers’ role in consumer decision-making. This study aims to determine the role of social media influencers on consumer decision-making in the Kenyan cosmetic industry. The study focuses on social media influencers based in Nairobi and cosmetic users, specifically on Instagram. The objectives of this study is to determine what consumers search for in social media influencers for believability in product efficacy, to establish the techniques used by social media influencers on Instagram in persuading social media users to buy cosmetics in Kenya, and to establish the communication attributes that cause a social media influencer on Instagram to be persuasive among consumers. The sample population for this study was Instagram users in Nairobi who use cosmetic products and Nairobi-based influencers of cosmetic brands. The research approach employed was a mixed research approach because it gave an all-rounded perspective of the subjects for a more in-depth conclusion. Findings revealed that communication attributes, influencer techniques, and believability played an essential role in determining product purchases from a consumer standpoint. Further in-depth interviews revealed that communication techniques such as announcements and recommendations/reviews influence customer decision-making. The study exposes the glaring need for organizations to take feedback from the influencer and their audience to improve the product and increase its market reach. The study recommends an in-depth evaluation of other industries and social media sites to determine whether the findings will be consistent.
