Online Registration

ISO 9001:2015

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

Athleisure in the Age of Influence: Analysing the Role of Celebrity and Influencer Endorsement in Shaping Cross-Generational Consumer Behaviour in India's Digital Marketplace

Arzoo Bansal & Dr. Jasvir S. Sura

With increasing health awareness, changes in workstyles and the emergence of digital and social commerce, “athleisure” — clothing that can be worn from gym to workspace to everyday leisure has emerged as one of the hottest trends within India's fashion economy. Brands tend to use celebrity and influencer endorsement as their primary means of gaining consumers' attention, trust and purchase intent for the brands – frequently taking advantage of celebrity and influencer endorsements in both national and digital-first campaigns. The aim of this paper is to explore the interplay between celebrity and influencer endorsement and generational identity (Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X) in the context of brand trust and purchasing in India's athleisure market. Using secondary data, industry reports, as well as literature on source credibility, celebrity – brand congruence and generational consumption, a conceptual model is developed that investigates the relationship between endorsement type, platform behaviour and the characteristics of the generational cohorts and to purchase outcomes. The paper suggests that the Millennial generation is more likely to be influenced by aspirational celebrity association and hybrid endorsement cues; the Generation Z generation more likely to be influenced by micro-influencers who they relate to and short-form content that is authentic; and the Generation X more likely to be influenced by functional attributes and price, and endorsements are mainly used as a legitimacy signal. The findings are part of the themes of the conference – Digital Transformation and Sustainable Business Practice – and are presented as a conceptual framework diagram and comparative tables showing India's Athleisure Market Growth and Generational Response Patterns. Finally, the paper presents recommendations for management and discusses the scope and limitations of a study based on secondary data and suggests some future research avenues for empirical studies on Indian athleisure consumers.

  1. Ao, L., Bansal, R., Pruthi, N., & Khaskheli, M. B. (2023). Impact of social media influencers on customer engagement and purchase intention: A meta-analysis. Sustainability, 15(3), Article 2744. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032744
  2. Bulante, R. J. A., Catalan, J. M., Miranda, N. G. L., Torres, D. T., & Sabaulan, J. S. (2025). The consumer behavior of Generation Z: An impact in modern marketing innovations. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(14), 950–979.

https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.914MG0074

  1. Calvo-Porral, C., Rivaroli, S., & Orosa-González, J. (2021). The influence of celebrity endorsement on food consumption behavior. Foods, 10(9), Article 2224.

https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10092224

  1. 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
  2. Djafarova, E., & Bowes, T. (2021). 'Instagram made me buy it': Generation Z impulse purchases in fashion industry. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 59, Article 102345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102345
  3. Grand View Research. (2026). Athleisure market size, share and trends report, 2026–2033. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/athleisure-market
  4. Guled, A., & Rajkumar, C. (2025). Influencer marketing on brand awareness and purchase decision among Gen Z and Millennials. Journal of Marketing & Social Research, 2(7), 164–170. https://doi.org/10.61336/jmsr/25-07-20
  5. Hapsari, A. Y., Sukandi, P., Dalimunthe, G. P., Lisdayanti, A., Sumadhinata, Y. E., & Nilasari, I. (2024). The impact of social media influencers on consumer behavior: A comparative analysis of Generation Z and Millennials life style. International Journal of Humanities Education and Social Sciences, 3(5), 2559–2563. https://doi.org/10.55227/ijhess.v3i5.988
  6. IMARC Group. (2025). India athleisure market: Size, share, trends and forecast 2025–2033. https://www.imarcgroup.com/india-athleisure-market
  7. Jain, A. (2024). The impact of influence marketing on Gen Z consumer behaviour. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 6(5), 1–17.

https://www.ijfmr.com/papers/2024/5/28252.pdf

  1. Kaur, K. (2025). The impact of influencer marketing on the consumer behaviour of Generation Z and Millennials. Agora International Journal of Economical Sciences, 19(2), 181–193. https://doi.org/10.15837/aijes.v19i2.7321
  2. Ken Research. (2026). India sports wear market, 2024–2030.

https://www.kenresearch.com/india-sportswear-market

  1. Kim, H.-K., Lee, K.-Y., & Baek, W.-Y. (2020). Effect of celebrity athlete endorsement on sporting goods consumers' brand passion and loyalty. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 48(5), e9117. https://doi.org/10.2224/sbp.9117
  2. Market Research Future. (2026). India athleisure market size, share, trends by 2035. https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/india-athleisure-market-46386
  3. Maximize Market Research. (2025). India sports apparel market analysis (2025–2032): Rising activewear consumption, expanding athleisure trends.

https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/market-report/india-sports-apparel-market/77721/

  1. McCracken, G. (1989). Who is the celebrity endorser? Cultural foundations of the endorsement process. Journal of Consumer Research, 16(3), 310–321. https://doi.org/10.1086/209217
  2. Min, J. H., Chang, H. J. J., Jai, T.-M. C., & Ziegler, M. (2019). The effects of celebrity-brand congruence and publicity on consumer attitudes and buying behavior. Fashion and Textiles, 6(1), Article 10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-018-0159-8
  3. Mirabi, V., Fathi, F., Fotouhi-Ardakani, M., & Khojasteh Avorgani, R. (2021). The impact of celebrity endorsement of sporting goods on consumer purchasing behavior. Consumer Behavior Review, 5(3), 373–399. https://doi.org/10.51359/2526-7884.2021.251296
  4. Priporas, C.-V., Stylos, N., & Fotiadis, A. K. (2017). Generation Z consumers' expectations of interactions in smart retailing: A future agenda. Computers in Human Behavior, 77, 374–381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.01.058
  5. Singh, N., & Singh, S. N. (2025). A comparative study on the buying behaviour of Generation Z and Millennials. International Journal of Current Science Research and Review, 8(10), 5174–5180. https://doi.org/10.47191/ijcsrr/V8-i10-29
  6. Spears, N., & Singh, S. N. (2004). Measuring attitude toward the brand and purchase intentions. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, 26(2), 53–66.

https://doi.org/10.1080/10641734.2004.10505164

  1. Statista. (2025). India: Sports and athleisure retail market by type.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1322067/india-sports-and-athleisure-retail-market-by-type/

  1. Surana, R. (2008). The effectiveness of celebrity endorsement in India (Unpublished master's thesis). The University of Nottingham.
  2. Till, B. D., & Busler, M. (2000). The match-up hypothesis: Physical attractiveness, expertise, and the role of fit on brand attitude, purchase intent and brand beliefs. Journal of Advertising, 29(3), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2000.10673613
  3. Wolburg, J. M., & Pokrywczynski, J. (2001). A psychographic analysis of Generation Y college students. Journal of Advertising Research, 41(5), 33–52. https://doi.org/10.2501/JAR-41-5-33-52.

DOI:

Article DOI:

DOI URL:

Download Full Paper:

Download