The Impact of Social Media Influencer Credibility on Consumers’ Buying Behavior for Tech Gadget Products: With Special Reference to Nuwara Eliya District of Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study examines the impact of social media influencer credibility on consumer buying behavior for tech gadget products in the Nuwara Eliya District of Sri Lanka. With the rapid growth of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, influencers have become an important source of information for consumers when making purchasing decisions. The main objective of this study is to identify how different factors of influencer credibility namely expertise, attractiveness, authenticity, and trustworthiness affect consumer buying behavior. The study focuses on young consumers aged 18-35 who actively follow social media influencers and purchase tech gadget products. A quantitative research method was used, and data were collected through a structured questionnaire from 200 respondents in the Nuwara Eliya District. The data were analyzed using statistical techniques such as descriptive analysis, correlation, and multiple regression analysis. The findings of the study show that influencer expertise and authenticity have a strong positive impact on consumer buying behavior, while attractiveness has a weaker effect. Trustworthiness shows a mixed or less significant influence. Overall, the results indicate that consumers are more likely to impulsive buying behaviour tech products when influencers are knowledgeable and provide genuine and honest content.