Research On The Mechanism Of Social Media Influencers On Generation Z Consumers’ Purchase Intention Of Domestic Products

With more than 4.5 billion people around the world using social media,social media has become an increasingly important part of people’s work and life.Among them,Generation Z’s use and reliance on social media is particularly strong.According to the survey,the total time spent on mobile video and social networking accounts for about 65.9% of Generation Z’s online daily life,exceeding the average level of the whole Internet.Therefore,brands of all kinds have invested great efforts in social media marketing for Generation Z.Chinese brands(including time-honored brands and new brands)have made great progress in this process.Their social media influencer marketing to Generation Z consumers has helped companies gain a rapid increase in competitiveness.However,the influence of social media on Generation Z consumers and the social media marketing mechanism of domestic brands are still unknown,which is worth our in-depth study.Based on the SOR theory and from the perspective of parasocial relations,this study takes Generation Z consumers as the research object to explore the influence of personal characteristics of influencer on the purchase intention of domestic brands and the mechanism of self-concept consistency.The results show that:(1)The personal characteristics of the influencer(professionalism,reliability,attitude homophily,physical attractiveness,social attractiveness)have a significant positive effect on the establishment and maintenance of parasocial relationship;(2)Parasocial relationship has a significant positive effect on purchase intention,and parasocial relationship has a significant mediating effect on personal characteristics and purchase intention;(3)Self-concept consistency has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between parasocial relationship and purchase intention.This paper explores the influencing mechanism of Generation Z consumers’ purchase intention of domestic products in the context of social media,enriching the empirical research on the purchase intention of domestic products from the perspective of quasi-social relations.This study brings new ideas for the persuasion mechanism of social media influencers’ marketing in the context of social media,and inspires social media influencers to actively create professional content,exert their influence as opinion leaders,and attract attention and retain them.This study is helpful for domestic brands to have a deeper understanding of the purchase intention and influence mechanism of Generation Z,an emerging mainstream consumer group of domestic products,integrate national culture into products,pay attention to innovation and iteration,and build brand value.This study provides theoretical basis and enlightenment for better utilizing social media influencers to enhance brand communication and sales transformation.