Online Registration

ISO 9001:2015

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED RESEARCH IN COMMERCE, MANAGEMENT & SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJARCMSS) [ Vol. 9 | No. 3 (I) | July - September, 2026 ]

Impact of Social Media Influencers in Online Impulse Buying Behaviour among Female Consumers

Sonia & Dr. Meenakshi Katyal

The growing prominence of social media influencers (SMIs) has significantly altered consumer decision-making, particularly among female consumers who are highly active in digital marketplaces. This study systematically reviews existing literature to examine the impact of SMIs on online impulse buying behaviour among female consumers using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) approach. A structured search across Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Science Direct identified 95 studies, of which 27 met the inclusion criteria. The review reveals that influencer credibility, attractiveness, trustworthiness, and parasocial interaction strongly contribute to impulse buying tendencies. Moreover, social proof and platform affordances amplify the immediacy of purchase decisions. Findings highlight that female consumers are especially vulnerable to influencer-driven persuasion due to psychological, social, and cultural factors. The study contributes to theory by consolidating fragmented insights and provides practical implications for marketers while raising ethical concerns about consumer manipulation. Future research should focus on cross-cultural differences, longitudinal patterns, and the role of emerging virtual influencers.

Sonia, S. & Katyal, M. (2026). Impact of Social Media Influencers in Online Impulse Buying Behaviour among Female Consumers. International Journal of Advanced Research in Commerce, Management & Social Science, 09(03(I)), 218–230. https://doi.org/10.62823/IJARCMSS/9.3(I).9435
  1. Casaló, L. V., Flavián, C., & Ibáñez-Sánchez, S. (2021). Influencers on Instagram: Antecedents and consequences of opinion leadership. Journal of Business Research, 117, 510–519. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.07.005
  2. Chetioui, Y., Benlafqih, H., &Lebdaoui, H. (2020). How fashion influencers contribute to consumers’ purchase intention. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 24(3), 361–380. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-08-2019-0157
  3. De Veirman, M., Cauberghe, V., &Hudders, L. (2017). Marketing through Instagram influencers: The impact of number of followers and product divergence on brand attitude. International Journal of Advertising, 36(5), 798–828. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2017.1348035
  4. Djafarova, E., &Trofimenko, O. (2019). ‘Instafamous’–Credibility and self-presentation of micro-celebrities on social media. Information, Communication & Society, 22(10), 1432–1446. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2018.1438491
  5. Erkan, I., & Evans, C. (2016). The influence of eWOM in social media on consumers’ purchase intentions: An extended approach to information adoption. Computers in Human Behavior, 61, 47–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.003
  6. Foroughi, B., Iranmanesh, M., & Hyun, S. S. (2021). Understanding the determinants of impulse buying in Instagram social commerce. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 64, 102779. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102779
  7. Jiménez-Castillo, D., & Sánchez-Fernández, R. (2019). The role of digital influencers in brand recommendation: Examining their impact on engagement, expected value, and purchase intention. International Journal of Information Management, 49, 366–376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.07.009
  8. Ki, C. W., Cuevas, L. M., Chong, S. M., & Lim, H. (2020). Influencer marketing: Social media influencers as human brands attaching to followers and yielding positive marketing results by fulfilling needs. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55, 102133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102133
  9. Lee, J. E., & Watkins, B. (2016). YouTube vloggers’ influence on consumer luxury brand perceptions and intentions. Journal of Business Research, 69(12), 5753–5760. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.04.171
  10. Lim, X. J., Radzol, A. R. M., Cheah, J., & Wong, M. W. (2020). The impact of social media influencers on purchase intention and the mediation effect of customer attitude. Asian Journal of Business Research, 10(2), 17–32. https://doi.org/10.14707/ajbr.200087
  11. Lou, C., & Yuan, S. (2019). Influencer marketing: How message value and credibility affect consumer trust of branded content on social media. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 19(1), 58–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2018.1533501
  12. Martínez-López, F. J., Anaya-Sánchez, R., Giordano, M., & Lopez-Lopez, D. (2020). Behind influencer marketing: Key marketing decisions and their effects on followers’ responses. Journal of Marketing Management, 36(7-8), 579–607. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2020.1738525
  13. Omar, N. A., Ramayah, T., Lo, M. C., Sang, T. Y., Siron, R., & Rahman, S. A. (2021). Social media influencers and online impulse buying behavior: The role of materialism. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 63, 102721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102721
  14. Sokolova, K., &Kefi, H. (2020). Instagram and YouTube bloggers promote it, why should I buy? How credibility and parasocial interaction influence purchase intentions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.01.011
  15. Sundar, S. S., Kang, J., &Oeldorf-Hirsch, A. (2021). Social media influencers: The role of parasocial interaction and social presence in shaping purchase intentions. New Media & Society, 23(3), 569–588. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444820917011
  16. Thomas, V. L., &Vinuales, G. (2017). Understanding the role of social influence in impulse buying. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 34(6), 541–552. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-04-2016-1795
  17. Tuncer, I. (2021). The relationship between Instagram influencers and impulse buying: The moderating role of materialism. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 64, 102778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102778
  18. Wang, S., & Yu, C. (2017). Social interaction-based consumer decision-making model in social commerce: The role of word of mouth and observational learning. International Journal of Information Management, 37(3), 179–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2015.11.005
  19. Xiao, M., Wang, R., & Chan-Olmsted, S. (2018). Factors affecting YouTube influencer marketing credibility: A heuristic–systematic model. Journal of Media Business Studies, 15(3), 188–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/16522354.2018.1501146
  20. Zhang, K. Z., Benyoucef, M., & Zhao, S. J. (2020). Building brand loyalty in social commerce: The role of online experience, trust, and value co-creation. Information Technology & People, 33(2), 456–476. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-03-2018-0137.

DOI:

Article DOI: 10.62823/IJARCMSS/9.3(I).9435

DOI URL: https://doi.org/10.62823/IJARCMSS/9.3(I).9435

Download Full Paper:

Download