“THE EFFECT OF THE PERCEIVED USEFULNESS OF INSTAGRAM BEAUTY INFLUENCER ON THE ATTITUDE AND PURCHASING INTENTION OF YOUNG FEMALES”

Abstract

There is an increasing interest about the topic of eWOM among marketing scholars. However, most of the studies focused on western contexts and there is a lack of studies about the impact of eWOM on consumers’ attitude and intentions in the Gulf region and Qatar specifically. Hence, this study aims to focus on a specific social media channel; Instagram, and examine the effect of influencers’ recommendations on women consumption of cosmetics products in Qatar. Two hundred and seven women completed an online questionnaire. PROCESS has been used to analyze data. Results indicate that, unlike what has been established in other contexts, the perceived usefulness of influencers and trust did not have a significant effect on brand attitude and only positively affected Purchase Intention. Therefore, this study adds the to the existing body of knowledge in this area and could guide social media managers use of Instagram influencers and help marketing professionals develop more efficient online advertising strategies.