Providing a Model of Influencers’ Position in the Social Media Purchase Process (Case Study: Instagram Social Network)
Keywords:
Influencer marketing, influencer marketing strategy, consumer behavior, purchase process, social networks, InstagramAbstract
Influencer marketing has emerged as a critical component of digital marketing that significantly shapes consumer behavior and online purchase preferences. This study was conducted with the aim of developing a model of influencers’ position in the social media purchase process. Given the study’s objective to expand the body of knowledge surrounding influencer activities, increase purchasing in social networks, and design and propose a model in this domain, it falls within exploratory–applied research. In terms of purpose, it is applied research, and in terms of data collection, it is descriptive and categorized as qualitative research using the grounded theory approach. Data collection was performed through semi-structured interviews with 12 active Instagram influencers and experts in the field of digital marketing, achieving theoretical saturation. The research data were analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding, which are specific to the grounded theory methodology, to produce an integrated model of all determining factors emerging from the interviews and field notes. The identified factors were further examined using the Delphi method. The findings indicated that Instagram influencers, by utilizing strategies such as content marketing and value creation and relying on their personality traits and professional ethics, play a central role in facilitating the purchase process. This role, embedded within social, economic, and technological contexts, leads to improved sales and increased brand awareness. Ultimately, influencers have emerged as key agents in enhancing the efficiency of the purchase process compared to traditional methods.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Mohammad Khazami (Author); Ghanbar Amirnejad; Maryam Darvishi, Mohammad Hemmati (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
