INFLUENCER COMMUNICATION STYLES ON SOCIAL MEDIA AFFECTING CONSUMER PURCHASING DECISIONS: A CASE STUDY OF DONGFANG CITY, CHINA

Abstract

This research aims to study 1) To study the characteristics of influencer content in social media that affect the purchasing decision of Chinese consumers. 2) To study the attitudes of consumers towards influencers that affect the purchasing decision. This research is a quantitative research. The sample consisted of 400 Chinese consumers residing in Dongfang City who use social media platforms Weibo and WeChat to shop online. The sample was randomly selected using a convenience sampling method, calculated proportionally to the population size, using the Taro Yamane formula. The research tools used were online questionnaires, collected through the WeChat platform. Statistics used for data analysis included percentages, means, standard deviations, and inferential statistics. The research results found that 1) The characteristics of the content in the influencer's social media have a high influence on the decision to purchase the product, with an average of 4.14, i.e. the presentation of the content is interesting, indicating the benefits and quality of the product, which presents more emphasis on product images than text. The decision to purchase products from influencers who present content from their own real experiences. 2) The characteristics of social media influencers have an influence on the decision to purchase products. Consumers place importance on influencers' reputation, credibility, and expertise in product reviews and usage. Statistical analysis found that: influencer social media content characteristics significantly influenced Chinese consumers' purchasing decisions at a statistically significant level of 0.05, reflecting the important role of influencers, to influence consumer purchasing behavior in the digital age