HOW INFLUENCER CHARACTERISTICS INFLUENCE ON GEN Z AUDIENCES’ PURCHASE INTENTIONS THROUGH AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: THE CASE OF VLOGGER KHOAI LANG THANG

This study examines the influence of influencer characteristics including physical attractiveness, social attractiveness, and attitude homophily on Generation Z audiences’ purchase intentions, with a focus on the mediating role of audience participation. First, we investigate the direct effects of these three influencer characteristics on audiences’ purchase intentions. Subsequently, we investigate how audience participation mediates these relationships. Data were collected through an online survey conducted in Ho Chi Minh City, involving 308 Gen Z respondents who follow food industry influencers, particularly the vlogger Khoai Lang Thang. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), the findings reveal that physical attractiveness and attitude homophily have significant positive effects on purchase intentions, whereas social attractiveness does not. Furthermore, audience participation fully mediates the relationship between physical attractiveness and purchase intentions and partially mediates the link between attitude homophily and purchase intentions. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed in the last section.