The influence of Instagrammers’ recommendations on healthy food purchase intention: The role of consumer involvement

Abstract

This article examines the impact of digital influencers´ recommendations, especially Instagrammers, on the purchase intention of healthy food. In addition to the direct influence of source credibility on behavioral intention, the study also examines the influence of self-brand congruence and consumers’ involvement with healthy food on purchase intention. To test research hypotheses, a quantitative study was conducted with 221 Portuguese consumers. High and low involvement with healthy food groups were classified by K-Means Clustering, and the analysis of the structure and the measurement models was performed by using Smart-PLS software. The results confirmed that Instagrammers’ credibility drives self-brand congruence and purchase intention for healthy food. It was also confirmed that the involvement with healthy food moderates the influence of self-brand congruity and Instagrammers’ credibility on consumers’ intention to purchase healthy food, and that brand self-congruence partially mediates the influence of Instagrammers’ credibility on purchase intention. Overall, this work offers relevant insights for both marketing managers and researchers, as it demonstrates the importance of considering the indirect effects of source credibility on purchase intention of healthy food and of comparing consumers with high and low product involvement to effectively evaluate the impact of digital influencers’ in healthy food endorsement.