The Influence of YouTube Influencer Attributes on Information Credibility and Purchase Intention in Malaysia: The Mediating Effect of Consumer Information Adoption
Abstract
Consumers are placing greater trust in influencers for information about products and services, appreciating the authenticity of their personal experiences. In Malaysia, women are particularly drawn to beauty influencers on YouTube, trusting their recommendations for cosmetic products. This study seeks to examine the impact of influencer characteristics on the perceived credibility of information and how this, in turn, shapes Malaysian women's adoption of information and purchasing decisions regarding cosmetics. Data were gathered through an online survey utilising purposive and snowball sampling techniques, resulting in 393 responses available for analysis. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was conducted utilising IBM SPSS AMOS version 24.0. Findings indicate that the individual traits of influencers significantly influence the credibility of the information they provide. Additionally, information credibility is shown to have a direct effect on both the adoption of information and consumers’ purchase intentions, with information adoption further directly influencing purchase intentions. The study highlights the critical importance of information credibility in connecting influencer attributes with consumers’ willingness to adopt information and make purchases, offering actionable insights for marketers aiming to maximise the effectiveness of social media influencer collaborations.
Keywords
DOI: 10.22146/gamaijb.116340
References
Abdul-Rahim, R., Bohari, S. A., Aman, A., & Awang, Z. (2022). Benefit–Risk perceptions of fintech adoption for sustainability from bank consumers’ perspective: The moderating role of fear of COVID-19. Sustainability, 14(14), 8357. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14148357
Abedi, E., Ghorbanzadeh, D., & Rahehagh, A. (2020). Influence of eWOM information on consumers’ behavioral intentions in mobile social networks: Evidence of Iran. Journal of Advances in Management Research, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1108/JAMR-04-2019-0058
Afifah, N. (2019). The influence of beauty vlogger’s content on the purchase intentions of local brands in Indonesia. GATR Journal of Management and Marketing Review, 4(4), 254–259. https://doi.org/10.35609/jmmr.2019.4.4(4)
Al-Rawabdeh, H. O., Ghadir, H., & Al-Abdallah, G. (2021). The effects of user generated content and traditional reference groups on purchase intentions of young consumers: A comparative study on electronic products. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2021.7.012
Aladhadh, S., Zhang, X., & Sanderson, M. (2019). Location impact on source and linguistic features for information credibility of social media. Online Information Review, 43(1). https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-03-2018-0087
Alalwan, A. A. (2018). Investigating the impact of social media advertising features on customer purchase intention. International Journal of Information Management, 42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.06.001
AlFarraj, O., Alalwan, A. A., Obeidat, Z. M., Baabdullah, A., Aldmour, R., & Al-Haddad, S. (2021). Examining the impact of influencers’ credibility dimensions: attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise on the purchase intention in the aesthetic dermatology industry. Review of International Business and Strategy. https://doi.org/10.1108/RIBS-07-2020-0089
Ali, K., Li, C., Zain-ul-abdin, K., & Zaffar, M. A. (2022). Fake news on Facebook: examining the impact of heuristic cues on perceived credibility and sharing intention. Internet Research, 32(1). https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-10-2019-0442
Andoy, G., Dominique, A., Antonio, J., Beriña, C., Jan, ✉, Querubin, E. S., Jun, A., & Grimaldo, R. (2022). The Effects of Online Reviews on Purchase Intention in the Shopee Fashion Industry. Journal of Business and Management Studies. https://doi.org/10.32996/jbms
Astarini, D., & Sumardi, A. (2022). Drivers and outcomes of credibility and parasocial interaction to purchase intentions. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.3-8-2021.2315150
Awang, Z. (2015). SEM Made Simple: A Gentle Approach to Learning Sructural Equation Modelling. MPWS Rich Publication.
Awang, Z., Hui, L. S., & Zainudin, N. F. (2018). Pendekatan Mudah SEM- Structural Equation Modelling.
Bahtar, A. Z., & Muda, M. (2016). The impact of user – generated content (UGC) on Product reviews towards online purchasing – A conceptual framework. Procedia Economics and Finance. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(16)30134-4
Bakar, R., Fauziyah, N., & Rahmat, A. (2025). Do consumers perceive impulsive buying and pain of payment? E-commerce transactions using pay later, e-wallet, and cash-on-delivery. Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business, 27(1), 31–59.
Balabanis, G., & Chatzopoulou, E. (2019). Under the influence of a blogger: The role of information-seeking goals and issue involvement. Psychology and Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21182
Chakraborty, U. (2019). The impact of source credible online reviews on purchase intention: The mediating roles of brand equity dimensions. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-06-2018-0080
Chakraborty, U., & Bhat, S. (2018). Credibility of online reviews and its impact on brand image. Management Research Review, 41(1). https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-06-2017-0173
Cheah, I., Phau, I., & Liang, J. (2015). Factors influencing consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions of e-deals. Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 33(5). https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-05-2014-0081
Chih, W. H., Hsu, L. C., & Ortiz, J. (2020). The antecedents and consequences of the perceived positive eWOM review credibility. Industrial Management and Data Systems, 120(6). https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-10-2019-0573
Dankwa, D. D. (2021). Social media advertising and consumer decision-making: The mediating role of consumer engagement. International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1504/ijima.2021.112786
Daowd, A., Hasan, R., Eldabi, T., Rafi-ul-Shan, P. M., Cao, D., & Kasemsarn, N. (2020). Factors affecting eWOM credibility, information adoption and purchase intention on Generation Y: a case from Thailand. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 34(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-04-2019-0118
Daugherty, T., & Hoffman, E. (2014). eWOM and the importance of capturing consumer attention within social media. Journal of Marketing Communications. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2013.797764
De Costa, F., & Abd Aziz, N. (2021). The effects of user generated content and firm generated content on millennials’ purchase intention of shariah-compliant stocks. Jurnal Pengurusan 62, 27 – 36
Dedeoglu, B. B. (2019). Are information quality and source credibility really important for shared content on social media?: The moderating role of gender. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(1). https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-10-2017-0691
Dimitriu, R., & Guesalaga, R. (2017). Consumers’ Social Media Brand Behaviors: Uncovering Underlying Motivators and Deriving Meaningful Consumer Segments. Psychology and Marketing, 34(5). https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21007
Dinh, T. C. T., & Lee, Y. (2021). “I want to be as trendy as influencers” – how “fear of missing out” leads to buying intention for products endorsed by social media influencers. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-04-2021-0127
Dwivedi, A., Nayeem, T., & Murshed, F. (2018). Brand experience and consumers’ willingness-to-pay (WTP) a price premium: Mediating role of brand credibility and perceived uniqueness. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.06.009
Erkan, I., & Evans, C. (2014). The impacts of electronic word of mouth in social media on consumers’ purchase intentions. Proceedings of the International Conference on Digital Marketing (ICODM2014).
Erkan, I., & Evans, C. (2016). The influence of eWOM in social media on consumers’ purchase intentions: An extended approach to information adoption. Computers in Human Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.003
Fang, B., Ye, Q., Kucukusta, D., & Law, R. (2016). Analysis of the perceived value of online tourism reviews: Influence of readability and reviewer characteristics. Tourism Management, 52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2015.07.018
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2014). Multivariate Data Analysis (7th ed.). Essex: Pearson Education Limited. https://www.academia.edu/40813533/Sev_enth_Edit_ion_Multivariate_Data_Analysis_Hair_Black_Babin_Anderson
Hajli, N. (2018). Ethical environment in the online communities by information credibility: a social media perspective. Journal of Business Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3036-7
Hlee, S., Lee, J., Yang, S. B., & Koo, C. (2019). The moderating effect of restaurant type on hedonic versus utilitarian review evaluations. International Journal of Hospitality Management. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.06.030
Hopp, T., & Gallicano, T. D. (2016). Development and test of a multidimensional scale of blog engagement. Journal of Public Relations Research, 28(3–4). https://doi.org/10.1080/1062726X.2016.1204303
Hsu, L. C. (2021). Effect of eWOM review on beauty enterprise: a new interpretation of the attitude contagion theory and information adoption model. Journal of Enterprise Information Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-07-2020-0261
Hudson, S., Huang, L., Roth, M. S., & Madden, T. J. (2016). The influence of social media interactions on consumer-brand relationships: A three-country study of brand perceptions and marketing behaviors. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 33(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2015.06.004
Hui, T. X. (2017). The effect of source credibility on consumers ’ purchase intention in malaysia online community. Journal of Arts & Social Sciences, 1(1).
Intansari, D. D., & Roostika, R. (2022). The impact of electronic word-of-mouth on purchase intention in Tripadvisor. Jurnal Mahasiswa Bisnis & Manajemen, 01(01), 123–137. https://journal.uii.ac.id/selma/index
Ismagilova, E., Slade, E., Rana, N. P., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2020). The effect of characteristics of source credibility on consumer behaviour: A meta-analysis. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.01.005
Jiang, G., Liu, F., Liu, W., Liu, S., Chen, Y., & Xu, D. (2021). Effects of information quality on information adoption on social media review platforms: Moderating role of perceived risk. Journal of Information Technology and Data Management, 1(1), 13–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsm.2021.02.004
Keshavarz, H., & Esmaeili Givi, M. (2020). A scale for credibility evaluation of scientific websites: findings from a cross-contextual approach. Online Information Review, 44(7). https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-04-2020-0127
Khamis, S., Ang, L., & Welling, R. (2017). Self-branding, ‘micro-celebrity’ and the rise of social media influencers. Celebrity Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2016.1218292
Khwaja, M. G., Mahmood, S., & Zaman, U. (2020). Examining the effects of ewom, trust inclination, and information adoption on purchase intentions in an accelerated digital marketing context. Information (Switzerland), 11(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/info11100478
Krasnova, H., Veltri, N. F., Eling, N., & Buxmann, P. (2017). Why men and women continue to use social networking sites: The role of gender differences. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 26(4), 261–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2017.01.004
Krishnan, S., Safia Amira, N., Nur Atilla, U., Syafawani, S., & Hafiz, M. (2017). The Usage of Cosmetic in Malaysia: Understanding the Major Factors that Affect the Users. Management, 2017(1).
Leong, C. M., Loi, A. M. W., & Woon, S. (2021). The influence of social media eWOM information on purchase intention. Journal of Marketing Analytics. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41270-021-00132-9
Lim, X. J., Mohd Radzol, A. R. bt, Cheah, J.-H. (Jacky), & Wong, M. W. (2017). The Impact of Social Media Influencers on Purchase Intention and the Mediation Effect of Customer Attitude. Asian Journal of Business Research. https://doi.org/10.14707/ajbr.170035
Lin, H. C., Bruning, P. F., & Swarna, H. (2018). Using online opinion leaders to promote the hedonic and utilitarian value of products and services. Business Horizons. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2018.01.010
Lis, B. (2013). In eWOM we trust: A framework of factors that determine the eWOM credibility. Business and Information Systems Engineering. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12599-013-0261-9
Lou, C., & Yuan, S. (2019). Influencer marketing: How message value and credibility affect consumer trust of branded content on social media. Journal of Interactive Advertising. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2018.1533501
Mallinckrodt, B., Abraham, W. T., Wei, M., & Russell, D. W. (2006). Advances in testing the statistical significance of mediation effects. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(3). https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.53.3.372
Manap, K. A. (2013). The role of user generated content ( UGC ) in social media for tourism sector. 2008, 52–58.
Mayrhofer, M., Matthes, J., Einwiller, S., & Naderer, B. (2020). User generated content presenting brands on social media increases young adults’ purchase intention. International Journal of Advertising, 39(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2019.1596447
Nik Mud, N. N., Hairani, N., Ibrahim@Zakaria, A. N., Kamaruddin, M., & Hasan, H. (2020). Factors influencing young female purchase intention towards local cosmetics product in Malaysia. International Journal of Modern Trends in Social Sciences, 3(11). https://doi.org/10.35631/ijmtss.311001
Pentina, I., Bailey, A. A., & Zhang, L. (2018). Exploring effects of source similarity, message valence, and receiver regulatory focus on yelp review persuasiveness and purchase intentions. Journal of Marketing Communications, 24(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2015.1005115
Pick, M. (2020). Psychological ownership in social media influencer marketing. European Business Review, 33(1). https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-08-2019-0165
Pinda, L., Handoko, K., Halim, S., & Gunadi, W. (2021). The Determinant factors of purchase intention in the culinary business in indonesia that mediated by parasocial interaction and food vlogger credibility. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.17762/turcomat.v12i3.1991
Pixability. (2018). The digital beauty counter: how beauty marketers can connect with consumers through youtube, facebook, and instagram video. 7–22. https://www.pixability.com/insights-reports/digital-beauty-counter/
Purnamaningsih, P., & Rizkalla, N. (2020). The Role of parasocial interaction on consumers’ intention to purchase beauty products *. Revista CEA, 6(12).
Rahim, R. A., Sulaiman, Z., Chin, T. A., Zaidin, N., & Zakuan, N. (2015). E-WOM review adoption and green purchase intention: The application of source credibility theory (SCT). In Advanced Science Letters. https://doi.org/10.1166/asl.2015.6238
Saima, & Khan, M. A. (2020). Effect of social media influencer marketing on consumers’ purchase intention and the mediating role of credibility. Journal of Promotion Management, 27(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/10496491.2020.1851847
Shaari, H., Hamid, S. N. S.A., & Mabkhot, H. A. (2022). Millennials’ response toward luxury fashion brands: The balance theory’s perspective. Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business, 24(1), 101–126.
Sokolova, K., & Kefi, H. (2020). Instagram and YouTube bloggers promote it, why should I buy? How credibility and parasocial interaction influence purchase intentions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.01.011
Saleem, A., & Ellahi, A. (2017). Influence of electronic word of mouth on purchase intention of fashion products on social networking Websites. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences, 11(2), 597–622.
Schouten, A. P., Janssen, L., & Verspaget, M. (2020). Celebrity vs. Influencer endorsements in advertising: the role of identification, credibility, and product-endorser fit. International Journal of Advertising, 39(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2019.1634898
Smith, S. (2013). Determining sample size: How to ensure you get the correct sample size. In Qualtrics. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0894-1130(12)80119-0
Sokolova, K., & Kefi, H. (2020). Instagram and YouTube bloggers promote it, why should I buy? How credibility and parasocial interaction influence purchase intentions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101742. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.01.011
Sun, X. (2021). Research on the influence of video marketing of social media influencers on consumers purchase intention of beauty products—Taking YouTube as an example. Academic Journal of Business & Management, 3(2).
Tien, D. H., Amaya Rivas, A. A., & Liao, Y. K. (2018). Examining the influence of customer-to-customer electronic word-of-mouth on purchase intention in social networking sites. Asia Pacific Management Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2018.06.003
Tor-Kadioglu, C., & Bozyigit, S. (2025). Celebrity endorsement on gender-based conspicuous consumption. Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business, 27(1), 121–148.
Tran, A., Rosales, R., & Copes, L. (2020). Paint a Better Mood? Effects of Makeup Use on YouTube Beauty Influencers’ Self-Esteem. SAGE Open, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020933591
Visentin, M., Pizzi, G., & Pichierri, M. (2019). Fake news, real problems for brands: the impact of content truthfulness and source credibility on consumers’ behavioral Intentions toward the advertised brands. Journal of Interactive Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2018.09.001
Wang, S. W., & Scheinbaum, A. C. (2017). Enhancing brand credibility via celebrity endorsement trustworthiness trumps attractiveness and expertise. Journal of Advertising Research. https://doi.org/10.2501/JAR-2017-042
Weismueller, J., Harrigan, P., Wang, S., & Soutar, G. N. (2020). Influencer endorsements: How advertising disclosure and source credibility affect consumer purchase intention on social media. Australasian Marketing Journal, 28(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ausmj.2020.03.002
Wiedmann, K. P., & von Mettenheim, W. (2020). Attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise – social influencers’ winning formula? Journal of Product and Brand Management, 30(5). https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-06-2019-2442
Xu, W., Sun, J., Ma, J., & Du, W. (2016). A personalized information recommendation system for R&D project opportunity finding in big data contexts. Journal of Network and Computer Applications. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnca.2015.01.003
Yang, L., & Mao, M. (2014). Antecendents of online group buying behavior: From price leverage and crowd effect perspectives. Proceedings - Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems, PACIS 2014.
Yin, C., Sun, Y., Fang, Y., & Lim, K. (2018). Exploring the dual-role of cognitive heuristics and the moderating effect of gender in microblog information credibility evaluation. Information Technology and People, 31(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-12-2016-0300
Yıldırım, S. (2021). Do green women influencers spur sustainable consumption patterns? Descriptive evidences from social media influencers. Ecofeminism and Climate Change, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.1108/efcc-02-2021-0003
Yuan, S., & Lou, C. (2020). How social media influencers foster relationships with followers: The roles of source credibility and fairness in parasocial relationship and product interest. Journal of Interactive Advertising. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2020.1769514
Yuksel, H. F. (2016). Factors Affecting purchase intention in Youtube Videos. Youtube Videolarinda Satin AlNi̇yeti̇ni̇Etki̇leyen Faktörler., 11(2).
Zhang, W., Wang, S., Wan, L., Zhang, Z., & Zhao, D. (2022). Information perspective for understanding consumers’ perceptions of electric vehicles and adoption intentions. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2021.103157.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Email the author 
