Influencer credibility weighs on purchases — but it does not act alone

What makes a digital recommendation cross the screen and reach the shopping cart? Erzsébet Buglyó-Nyakas, Sándor Kovács and Tímea Gál investigated that question among consumers in Hungary, focusing on products and choices presented as health-related. Rather than merely counting followers, they examined how social-media use, perceived credibility, trust and emotional attachment fit together in decision-making.

The researchers administered an online questionnaire in early 2025 to 506 people aged 18 to 65. The sample was structured to represent Hungary by gender, age and type of settlement. Responses were examined with confirmatory factor analysis, a technique that tests whether several questionnaire items form the proposed concepts. Those concepts were then connected in a hierarchical model to compare the relative roles of social-media use, qualities attributed to influencers and shopping behavior.

In the model, both social-media use and the perceived influence of creators were positively associated with shopping behavior. Among the components examined, influencer credibility was the strongest: greater perceived credibility was linked to more trust, emotional attachment and purchase intention. Because the study measured responses at one point in time, these statistical relationships do not show that credibility caused purchases.

Differences between groups added detail. Younger participants, those with less education and people with more flexible work schedules were more receptive to digital recommendations. Electronic word of mouth — comments and recommendations exchanged among users — and Instagram appeared more influential than TikTok among respondents. The study therefore did not find a uniform effect of every creator on every audience.

A Vogue Business report drawing on industry data and interviews describes a related market shift: brands are placing less weight on raw follower counts and more on engagement quality, creator-community fit and trust. That report does not independently confirm the Hungarian study because it examines commercial practice and different populations; it shows that the issue measured by the researchers is also shaping current marketing decisions.

Data collection was administered through a third-party research panel. Before opening the questionnaire, each participant received information about its purpose, voluntary participation, anonymity and data protection and provided electronic consent; the authors report that no names or email addresses were collected. This procedure reduces exposure of personal data, but it does not change what was measured: the study records what people reported about use, trust and intention, not purchases observed in bank records, stores or platforms.

The clearest conclusion is that reach and popularity alone do not explain commercial influence. In the Hungarian sample, recommendations carried more weight when audiences perceived creators as trustworthy and socially close. For businesses and health communicators, the finding favors transparency and audience fit; for consumers, it is a reminder that familiarity and perceived credibility also enter choices that may feel entirely personal.