Academy of Marketing Studies Journal (Print ISSN: 1095-6298; Online ISSN: 1528-2678)

Research Article: 2023 Vol: 27 Issue: 5S

The Influence of Fashion Bloggers and Influencers on Consumer Behavior: Examination of the Impact that Fashion Bloggers and Influencers have on Consumers' Purchasing Decisions, Brand Perception, and Personal Style

Ketan Dhillon, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Panchkula, Haryana, India

Citation Information: Dhillon, K. (2023). The influence of fashion bloggers and influencers on consumer behavior: examination of the impact that fashion bloggers and influencers have on consumers' purchasing decisions, brand perception, and personal style. Academy of Marketing Studies Journal, 27(S5), 1-9.

Abstract

This research investigates how fashion influencers and bloggers affect customer behavior. Samples of 500 people who follow fashion bloggers and influencers on social media were given a survey questionnaire. The survey asked how fashion bloggers and influencers affected consumers’ shopping choices, brand awareness, and fashion preferences. 75% of respondents said that they bought a product after seeing it on a fashion blogger or influencer’s social media account, proving that fashion bloggers and influencers significantly impact consumer behavior, additionally, the findings demonstrated that keeping up with fashion bloggers and influencers raises brand awareness, with 80% of respondents saying they had discovered new companies on social media. The findings also showed that fashion bloggers and influencers significantly affect fashion tastes, with 70% of respondents saying that they had altered their fashion preferences or style as a consequence of advice from fashion bloggers and influencers. This research emphasizes the need to consider these people’s roles in fashion marketing and advertising and the significant effect that fashion bloggers and influencers have on consumer behavior.

Keywords

Fashion Bloggers, Consumer Behavior, Fashion Management Etc.

Introduction

Fashion influencers and bloggers have grown in popularity in recent years, and many people now look to them for fashion advice and inspiration. These bloggers and influencers now have a platform to interact with a broad audience and share their fashion knowledge, thanks to the growth of social media. However, it is still being determined exactly how these people affect consumer behavior. This research investigates how fashion influencers and bloggers affect customer behavior, including buying choices, brand awareness, and fashion preferences. The fashion industry has long acknowledged the importance of celebrity endorsements and influencer marketing, and this study expands this area of research to include fashion bloggers and influencers. Understanding how these people affect customer behavior is vital, given the growing significance of social media in the fashion business. The results of this research will help the fashion industry’s marketing plans and provide insightful information on fashion blogger’s and other influencer’s effects on customer behavior. This research will use a survey questionnaire to collect information from a sample of people who follow fashion bloggers and influencers on social media (Belanche et al., 2021). The findings of this study will add to the body of knowledge on how influencer marketing affects customer behavior and provide the groundwork for further study in this field.

Methods

The study was conducted using a questionnaire distributed to a sample from a population of individuals who follow fashion bloggers and influencers on social media. The survey questionnaire include questions about the influence of fashion bloggers and influencers on consumer behavior, such as purchasing decisions, brand awareness, and fashion preferences (Jacobson and Harrison, 2022). The survey data was collected using online and analyzed using statistical software.

The questionnaire consisted of 25 questions, including both multiple-choice and open ended questions. The multiple-choice questions were used to gather quantitative data on the influence of fashion bloggers and influencers on consumer behavior. In contrast, the open-ended questions were used to gather qualitative data on participants’ experiences and perceptions (Zak and Hasprova, 2020). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis to identify response patterns and trends (Santiago et al., 2020).

Sample was intended to represent the larger population of individuals who follow fashion bloggers and influencers on social media. The sample was diverse in terms of age, gender, and location to ensure that the results would represent a wide range of experiences and perspectives (Jones and Kang, 2020). The data was collected over three months and was analyzed promptly to ensure the accuracy and validity of the results (Pemberton and Takhar, 2021). An ethics committee approved the study, and all participants provided informed consent before participating.

Results

The results showed that fashion bloggers and influencers significantly influence consumer behavior. Approximately 75% of the responders reported purchasing a product after seeing it on a fashion blogger or influencer’s social media account (Nosi et al., 2021). The results also showed that following fashion bloggers and influencers leads to increased brand awareness, with 80% of the respondents reporting that they have learned about new brands through social media (Ye et al., 2021). Furthermore, the results revealed that fashion bloggers and influencers significantly impact fashion preferences, with 70% of the respondents reporting that they have changed their fashion style or preferences based on the recommendations of fashion bloggers and influencers Figure 1.

Figure 1: The Relationship Between The Number Of Dau In Millions And The Corresponding Dates. The Graph Is Observed To Be Increasing From Oct 16 To June 19.

The results of this study highlight the significant influence of fashion bloggers and influences on consumer behavior from October 16 to January 19. The results suggest that fashion bloggers and influencers significantly impact purchasing decisions, brand awareness, and fashion preferences (?ernikovait?, 2019). This highlights the importance of considering the role of fashion bloggers and influencers in fashion marketing and advertising (Zhang and Caverlee, 2019). However, the results also highlight some limitations of the study, such as the sample size and the limitations of self-reported data (Kim, 2022). Further research is needed to fully understand the influence of fashion bloggers and influence of fashion bloggers and influencers on consumer behavior and to explore the potential drawbacks and limitations of this type of marketing.

The results of this study have important implications for both fashion bloggers and influencers, as well as for the fashion industry. For fashion bloggers and influencers, the results demonstrate the significant impact they can have on consumer behavior (Kurdi et al., 2022). As such, bloggers and influencers should be mindful of their influence on their followers and be responsible for their marketing practices (Halvadia and Menon, 2021). Additionally, bloggers and influencers should be aware of their impact on brand image and reputation and should strive to align themselves with brand that share their values and beliefs Figure 2.

Figure 2: The Percentage Of Bloggers And Influencers On Different Social Media Sites The Relationship Between Marketing Strategies For Different Social Media Sites.

The results demonstrate the importance of incorporating fashion bloggers and influencers into marketing strategies for the fashion industry in different social sites as Linkedin, twitter, snapchat, blogs, Instagram, You Tube and Facebook. The fashion industry should be mindful of the impact that bloggers and influencers can have on consumer behavior and should seek to develop effective partnerships with bloggers and influencers to promote their products and services (Negi and Pabalkar, 2020). Additionally, the fashion industry should be aware of the potential drawbacks of partnering with bloggers and influencers, such as the potential for negative brand associations or the promotion of unethical practices (Foroudi et al., 2020). The fashion industry should proactively address these concerns to ensure their partnerships with bloggers and influencers are mutually beneficial and sustainable. The outcomes express that client mentalities are shaped through experience and learning, and these perspectives can influence the way of behaving of the clients' purchasing propensities (M?odkowska, 2019). The shopper purchasing choice cycle begins with the dynamic cycles in which the purchaser chooses to purchase the labor and products in return for cash in the market previously, during and in the wake of buying labor and products (Kim et al., 2021). The buyer purchasing choice interaction is made of five phases: Issue acknowledgment, Data search, Assessments of options, Buy choice and post-buy conduct Figure 3.

Figure 3: The Relationship Between The Numbers Of Responsible Concerning Social Media Sites Indicates That Instagram Leads With The Highest Number Of Respondents, While Other Sites Are Not Popular With Influencers.

The results of this study demonstrate the significant influence of fashion bloggers and influencers on consumer behavior. The graph show platform where the consumers are influenced by bloggers. The results have important implications for fashion bloggers, influencers, and the fashion industry (Leban and Voyer, 2020). Further research is needed to fully understand the impact of fashion bloggers and influencers on consumer behavior and explore the potential drawbacks and limitations of this type of marketing (Tanwar et al., 2021). This study highlights the need for bloggers, Influencers, and the fashion industry to be mindful.

Discussion

The results of this study suggest that fashion bloggers and influencers strongly impact young consumers’ purchasing decisions. The findings align with previous studies, showing that endorsing a product by a trusted source, such as a fashion blogger or influencer, can lead to increased sales and brand awareness. However, it is essential to note that the limitations of this study, such as the self-reported nature of the data, may have influenced the results (Castillo-Abdul et al., 2021).

More research is needed to fully understand the influence of fashion bloggers and influencers on consumer behavior, including the influence of different bloggers, influencers and platforms. Currently, there are many platforms for sharing and interacting with people, but the most popular is Instagram (Bognar et al., 2019; Yodi et al., 2020). For followers, this craze for sharing photos and videos of their favorite personalities influences social media usage (Bognar et al., 2019). In fact, followers believe that without influencers, their use of social media, especially Instagram, would be lower. This shows that influencers influence the way followers use social networks. Based on the results, interactions between users, brands and followers are more accessible and faster. In our case, followers interact with followers and brands by liking their content, commenting and sharing with others (Casaló et al., 2020). Influencers try to engage many of their followers, even if they do not interact with them directly, because there are many of them. By engaging them, they create engagement, which brands want (Jiménez-Castillo and Sánchez-Fernández, 2019). When consumers are engaged, brands can learn more and adjust their responses and offers Thanks to social media, information is released quickly because there are no geographical or time barriers(Nurfadila and Riyanto, 2020).When influencers post content on Instagram, followers can interact with them and share it with others Followers help spread the word of influencers and brand marketing(Govindan and Alotaibi, 2021). This is the electronic version of word of mouth; people share content with others, and others share content The goal is to spread an idea, opinion, or brand image to as many people as possible to engage them and encourage them to buy (Sesar et al., 2021). Thanks to social media, influencers and brands gain more visibility and reach their sales or engagement goals.

The size of an influencer’s following can be important for brands looking to increase visibility, but it doesn’t necessarily guarantee quality content or trustworthiness(Guerreiro et al., 2019; Hung, 2020). Influencers can strongly influence the purchasing behavior of teenagers and young adults, but this influence isn’t always beneficial for the consumer. Brands can benefit from using influencers as part of their marketing strategy, as it can bring in new customers and sales, and help to improve their image. Influencers can also benefit from increased visibility and partnerships with more brands (Arif et al., 2020; Chu and Seock, 2020; Masuda et al., 2022; Sokolova and Kefi, 2020; Zou and Peng, 2019).

As per the results, influencers on purchase choices are one of the critical ways fashion bloggers and other influencers affect consumer behavior. According to research, people are more inclined to buy a product if they see a reliable influencer or blogger using or recommending it. For instance, a McKinsey & Company survey revealed that over 60% of customers were affected by influencer content while choosing a product (Johnstone and Lindh, 2022). This demonstrates the effect fashion bloggers and other industry leaders have on customer behavior and the ability of fashion firms and stores to increase sales.

As dependable sources of knowledge and advice, fashion bloggers and influencers significantly affect what shoppers buy. Their followers value their comments and product suggestions, which may increase sales for clothing manufacturing and stores(Casaló et al., 2020). This is so because people are more inclined to buy a product if they have seen it utilized or come highly recommended by a reliable influencer (Quelhas-Brito et al., 2020). Additionally, influencer material often offers a more realistic and accurate picture of things, which helps customers make more informed judgments about what to buy.

The findings demonstrate that customers now have access to thousands of people through online discussion boards, social networking sites, online communities, review websites, and blogs as opposed to only a limited number of people as they might with traditional WOM (Zhou et al., 2021). Blogs are an example of user-generated content because they contain content that was written by an individual rather than an organization. We would say that brand managers should initially focus on the blogs at the top of the “blog hierarchy” since they are more likely to be influential owing to their popularity and attractiveness to early adopters and innovators(Gupta et al., 2020). Additionally, brand managers should focus on various blogs inside the network since our results imply that fashion blogs have more impact as a group than as an individual (Y?ld?r?m, 2021). Several participants mentioned that they would only follow a new trend if they saw it on many blog sites. Nothing like this has ever been thought of before.

Consumers may make better-educated judgments about whether a product is suited for them by using influencer content, which can provide a more detailed look into the quality and fit of apparel. Consumers may get inspiration from influencer material by seeing many ways to dress and wear a product, which can boost its attractiveness and sales (Gomes et al., 2022). Customers may communicate with the business and other customers via blogs. Online venues like blogs serve as social hubs where users may interact and express their opinions on the brand and its vogue. As a result, blogs have emerged as a critical channel for luring existing and potential customers to a fashion business. Customers follow fashion bloggers because they believe they are approachable and like their friends (Gunawan and Iskandar, 2020). Like women who launch, bloggers are the buddy you meet down with for coffee and ask about all the new items they got. One of the reasons fashion bloggers have been so well-linked recently because they give you, an ordinary person, a sense of inclusion in this fascinating and because world of fashion (Croes and Bartels, 2021). Furthermore, they provide a platform where you can speak your ideas and have a voice when you previously would not have the opportunity to.

Conclusion

It’s clear that influencers have a significant impact on consumer behavior, especially among younger generations. However, further research is needed to fully understand the complex relationships between influencers, brands, and consumers. This includes understanding the impact of different types of influencers as well as the effectiveness of influencer marketing as a whole. Moreover, it’s essential to consider the potential negative effects of influencer marketing on consumer behavior, such as encouraging impulsive purchases or promoting unrealistic beauty standards. Brands and influencers need to be mindful of their responsibility to promote products that the ethical and align with the values of their audience. In conclusion, hile influencer marketing has become a powerful tool for brands to reach new customers and increase sales, it’s important to approach it with a critical eye and consider the potential impact on consumer behavior and overall well-being.

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Received: 02-Mar-2023, Manuscript No. AMSJ-23-13287; Editor assigned: 03-Mar-2023, PreQC No. AMSJ-23-13287(PQ); Reviewed: 13-Mar-2023, QC No. AMSJ-23-13287; Revised: 21-Mar-2023, Manuscript No. AMSJ-23-13287(R); Published: 04-Jun-2023

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