Table of Contents
Type: Full Undergraduate Dissertation | Subject: Marketing | Level: Undergraduate | Word Count: ~9,100 words
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Overview: This model undergraduate dissertation investigates how influencer marketing shapes the purchase intention of Generation Z consumers towards UK fast-fashion brands, using a mixed-methods questionnaire study grounded in source credibility theory, parasocial interaction and the theory of planned behaviour. It demonstrates a complete dissertation structure, from literature review and methodology through illustrative statistical and thematic analysis to discussion and conclusion, and is provided purely as a learning reference to show how such a project can be designed, argued and written.
Influencer marketing has become a central pillar of digital promotion within the fast-fashion industry, yet the mechanisms through which it shapes the purchase intention of Generation Z consumers remain only partially understood. This dissertation examines how the perceived credibility of social media influencers, the parasocial relationships audiences form with them, and the type of influencer deployed combine to influence the purchase intention of United Kingdom Gen Z consumers towards fast-fashion brands. Adopting a pragmatist philosophy and a predominantly deductive approach, the study employed a self-administered online questionnaire completed by an illustrative sample of 214 UK-based respondents aged between 18 and 24. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression, while responses to two open-ended items were examined through reflexive thematic analysis. The illustrative findings indicate that influencer credibility, particularly the trustworthiness and perceived expertise dimensions, is the strongest predictor of purchase intention, followed by the strength of the parasocial relationship. Influencer attractiveness, although positively correlated with intention, exerted a weaker independent effect once credibility was controlled for. Micro-influencers were perceived as more authentic and relatable than macro-influencers, and this perceived authenticity appeared to amplify their persuasive effect. The thematic analysis surfaced a recurring tension between the aspirational appeal of influencer content and a growing scepticism towards undisclosed sponsorship and the environmental cost of fast fashion. The study concludes that credibility and authenticity, rather than reach or glamour alone, are the decisive levers of influence for this cohort, and that brands pursuing short-term conversion through high-reach endorsements risk eroding the very trust on which influence depends. Recommendations are offered for fast-fashion marketers and for future research. As a model document, this dissertation is intended solely as reference material to illustrate academic structure, argument and method.
Over the past decade, the way in which young consumers discover, evaluate and purchase clothing has been transformed by the rise of social media and, within it, the emergence of the influencer as a commercial intermediary. Where fashion promotion was once dominated by glossy magazine spreads, television advertising and celebrity endorsement controlled by large brands, promotion is now increasingly distributed across a dispersed ecosystem of content creators who build audiences on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. These creators, commonly termed social media influencers, occupy a hybrid position between peer and celebrity, combining the aspirational qualities of the famous with the apparent intimacy and accessibility of a friend. For the fast-fashion sector, which depends on rapid trend turnover, low prices and high volumes, influencers have become an attractive and cost-efficient route to reach a youthful audience that is largely resistant to traditional advertising.
Generation Z, generally defined as those born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s, is of particular interest in this context. As the first cohort to have grown up entirely within a digitally mediated environment, Gen Z consumers are often characterised as digitally fluent, sceptical of overt marketing, and attentive to questions of authenticity, identity and social values. They are also a demographic of rising economic significance, representing a substantial and growing share of discretionary spending on apparel. Understanding how this cohort responds to influencer marketing is therefore of both theoretical and practical importance, especially within the fast-fashion category, where impulse purchasing, social validation and trend conformity are strong behavioural drivers.
Although influencer marketing attracts substantial brand investment, its effectiveness is neither automatic nor uniform. Marketers frequently assume that larger follower counts translate directly into greater persuasive power, yet a growing body of academic and practitioner commentary suggests that the relationship between influence and outcome is mediated by less visible factors such as perceived credibility, authenticity and the quality of the relationship between creator and audience. At the same time, the fast-fashion industry faces intensifying criticism over its environmental and labour practices, and Gen Z consumers are widely reported to hold sustainability values that sit uneasily alongside fast-fashion consumption. This produces a potential tension, often described as an attitude-behaviour gap, in which stated values and actual purchasing diverge.
The research problem addressed by this dissertation is therefore the incomplete understanding of which dimensions of influencer marketing most strongly shape Gen Z purchase intention within the specific and value-laden context of UK fast fashion. Much existing research treats influencer marketing as a single undifferentiated stimulus, or focuses on a single platform or construct, leaving the relative contribution of credibility, parasocial relationship and influencer type underexplored for this cohort and category. By isolating and comparing these constructs, the study aims to provide a more granular account that is useful both to the academic literature and to marketing practice.
The overarching aim of this study is to investigate how influencer marketing shapes the purchase intention of UK Generation Z consumers towards fast-fashion brands. To achieve this aim, the following objectives were set:
In support of these objectives, the study sought to answer the following research questions:
The study is significant on several grounds. Theoretically, it contributes to the growing literature on influencer marketing by testing established constructs, notably the source credibility model and parasocial interaction theory, within a tightly defined cohort and category rather than treating consumers as a homogeneous mass. By comparing the relative strength of credibility, parasocial relationship and influencer type, it responds to calls for research that disaggregates the influencer stimulus into its component parts. Practically, the findings offer fast-fashion marketers a clearer basis for allocating budget between high-reach and high-trust creators, and for anticipating the reputational risks associated with the ethical tensions of the category. For the wider discipline, the study also illustrates how a mixed-methods design can combine the explanatory power of statistical analysis with the interpretive depth of thematic analysis.
This dissertation is organised into six chapters. Following this introduction, Chapter Two reviews the relevant literature and develops a conceptual framework and set of hypotheses. Chapter Three sets out the methodology, explaining and justifying the philosophical position, research design, sampling, instrument and analytical techniques. Chapter Four presents the findings from both the quantitative and qualitative strands. Chapter Five discusses these findings in relation to the literature, drawing out theoretical and managerial implications. Chapter Six concludes by summarising the contribution, acknowledging limitations and proposing directions for future research. A full reference list in the Cite Them Right Harvard style completes the document.
This chapter critically reviews the body of knowledge relevant to the study. It begins by defining influencer marketing and tracing its evolution within the fashion sector, before characterising Generation Z as a distinctive consumer cohort. It then examines the principal theoretical lenses used to explain influencer persuasion, namely source credibility theory, parasocial interaction theory and the theory of planned behaviour, before considering the significance of influencer type and authenticity. The chapter situates these ideas within the ethically contested context of fast fashion and concludes by synthesising the literature into a conceptual framework and a set of testable hypotheses.
Influencer marketing can be understood as a form of promotion in which brands collaborate with individuals who have cultivated a substantial and engaged audience on social media in order to communicate a marketing message to that audience. Freberg et al. (2011) offered one of the earliest academic characterisations of social media influencers as a new type of independent third-party endorser who shapes audience attitudes through blogs, tweets and other forms of social media. What distinguishes the influencer from the traditional celebrity endorser is the perception, whether accurate or not, that the influencer is an ordinary person who has achieved prominence through relatable content rather than through institutional fame. This blurring of the boundary between peer and celebrity is central to the appeal and the complexity of influencer marketing.
The practice sits within the broader tradition of word-of-mouth and opinion leadership, but is amplified and accelerated by the scale and immediacy of digital platforms. Because influencer content is embedded within the ordinary flow of a user’s social feed, it can feel less intrusive than conventional advertising, a quality often described as native or seamless. However, this same quality raises ethical and regulatory concerns about disclosure, since audiences may not always recognise promotional content as such. The remainder of this review examines how and why influencer marketing works, and the conditions under which it is most effective.
Conceptually, influencer marketing can be located within the longer tradition of opinion leadership and the two-step flow of communication, which holds that mass media messages are frequently mediated by influential individuals who interpret and relay them to their social circles. The influencer is in many respects a contemporary, digitally scaled opinion leader, combining the interpretive role of the traditional opinion leader with the reach and immediacy of mass media. Influencer content also functions as a form of electronic word of mouth, carrying the persuasive weight associated with informal, apparently disinterested recommendation. These lineages matter because they suggest that the influence exerted by creators derives not from their formal authority but from their perceived position as credible, relatable members of the audience’s extended social world, a perception that brands seek to borrow but can also inadvertently undermine when collaborations appear overtly commercial.
Fashion has historically been an industry driven by aspiration, imagery and the diffusion of trends from elite tastemakers to the mass market. The classic trickle-down model of fashion diffusion, in which styles originate among the wealthy and are gradually adopted by lower social strata, has been complicated by digital media, which allows trends to emerge, spread and dissipate at unprecedented speed. Fast fashion, as a business model, is predicated precisely on this acceleration, compressing the cycle from catwalk to high street to a matter of weeks and relying on continuous novelty to stimulate repeat purchasing.
Within this environment, influencers have assumed the tastemaker role formerly occupied by magazine editors and designers. They curate and model outfits, demonstrate how garments can be styled, and provide a constant stream of visual inspiration that is tightly coupled with the ability to purchase almost instantly through shoppable links. For fast-fashion brands, whose margins depend on volume and whose products are often visually driven, this alignment between inspiration and immediate availability is especially powerful. The influencer thus functions not only as an endorser but as a demonstration of the garment in a lifestyle context, collapsing the distance between desire and acquisition.
Generation Z is frequently described in both academic and practitioner literature as digitally native, meaning that its members have no memory of a world before the internet and smartphones. This has important consequences for their media consumption and consumer behaviour. Gen Z consumers are reported to be adept at filtering and ignoring overt advertising, to value peer recommendation and user-generated content, and to place a high premium on authenticity and transparency. They are also described as identity-conscious, using consumption as a means of self-expression and social signalling, and as attentive to the social and ethical positioning of the brands they engage with.
These characteristics make Gen Z simultaneously a highly attractive and a highly demanding audience for influencer marketing. On the one hand, their receptivity to peer-like content and social validation makes them responsive to influencers. On the other hand, their scepticism towards marketing and their sensitivity to perceived inauthenticity mean that clumsy or obviously commercial endorsements may backfire. Critically for this study, Gen Z consumers are often reported to express strong environmental and ethical values, which creates a potential conflict with the consumption of fast fashion and raises the question of how they reconcile competing motivations.
The source credibility model is one of the most widely applied frameworks for understanding persuasion in endorsement contexts. Rooted in the early communication research of Hovland and Weiss (1951), who demonstrated that messages from high-credibility sources produced greater attitude change than identical messages from low-credibility sources, the model holds that the persuasiveness of a message depends in part on the characteristics of its source. Ohanian (1990) subsequently operationalised source credibility for marketing contexts through three dimensions: trustworthiness, expertise and attractiveness. Trustworthiness refers to the degree to which the audience perceives the source as honest and believable; expertise refers to the perceived knowledge or competence of the source in the relevant domain; and attractiveness refers to the physical and social appeal of the source.
Applied to influencers, source credibility theory suggests that an influencer who is perceived as trustworthy, knowledgeable about fashion and physically or socially appealing will be more persuasive than one who lacks these qualities. Subsequent research, including that of Djafarova and Rushworth (2017) and Lou and Yuan (2019), has examined the credibility of online personalities specifically, finding that credibility perceptions meaningfully influence attitudes and behavioural intentions among young social media users. However, there is debate about the relative importance of the three dimensions. Some research suggests that in the influencer context trustworthiness and perceived expertise are more decisive than attractiveness, because audiences can readily encounter attractive imagery but place particular value on sources they believe to be honest. This study therefore treats the dimensions separately in order to test their relative contribution.
A related strand of the endorsement literature concerns the match-up, or congruence, hypothesis, which proposes that an endorser is most effective when there is a good fit between the endorser’s image and the endorsed product. Applied to fashion influencers, this implies that persuasive effect depends not only on absolute levels of credibility but also on the perceived congruence between the influencer’s established aesthetic, values and audience and the brand or garment being promoted. A credible fashion influencer endorsing a product that aligns with their established persona is likely to be more persuasive than the same influencer endorsing an incongruent product, which may appear opportunistic and erode trust. While the present study does not manipulate congruence directly, the match-up hypothesis informs the interpretation of the findings and underlines why trustworthiness, as a judgement about the sincerity of a particular endorsement, may dominate more stable traits such as attractiveness.
While source credibility explains persuasion in terms of the perceived qualities of the source, parasocial interaction theory explains it in terms of the relationship that audiences form with media figures. The concept originated with Horton and Wohl (1956), who observed that audiences of radio and television develop a sense of intimacy and friendship with media personalities, experiencing a one-sided but emotionally real relationship despite the absence of genuine reciprocal interaction. In the context of social media, this concept has acquired new force, because platforms afford a degree of apparent interaction, through comments, direct messages, live streams and replies, that can intensify the sense of a genuine relationship.
Recent scholarship, including Jin, Muqaddam and Ryu (2019) and Casaló, Flavián and Ibáñez-Sánchez (2020), has argued that parasocial relationships are a key mechanism through which influencers exert commercial effect. When a follower feels that they know and trust an influencer as they would a friend, a product recommendation from that influencer carries the weight of personal advice rather than impersonal advertising. The strength of the parasocial relationship may therefore be a distinct driver of purchase intention, operating alongside and partly independently of credibility. For Gen Z consumers, whose social lives are substantially mediated by these platforms, the parasocial relationship may be especially salient. This study accordingly treats parasocial relationship strength as a separate construct.
It is worth emphasising how particular platform affordances intensify parasocial dynamics in ways that Horton and Wohl could not have anticipated. Features such as stories, live broadcasts, question-and-answer stickers, direct messaging and the casual, behind-the-scenes aesthetic encouraged by short-form video all foster an impression of unmediated access to the creator’s everyday life. The regular, serialised nature of this content, encountered daily within the same feed as messages from genuine friends and family, blurs the boundary between mediated and interpersonal communication. For a cohort that conducts a substantial portion of its social life online, the resulting sense of familiarity can be powerful, and it provides a plausible mechanism by which parasocial relationship strength translates into the trust that underpins purchase intention. This reasoning motivates the expectation, tested below, that parasocial relationship will contribute to intention independently of credibility.
To connect influencer stimuli to behavioural outcomes, the study draws on the theory of planned behaviour developed by Ajzen (1991). This widely used framework proposes that behaviour is predicted by behavioural intention, which is in turn determined by attitudes towards the behaviour, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control. Purchase intention, understood as the self-reported likelihood that a consumer will buy a product, is a well-established proxy for actual purchasing behaviour and is commonly used in consumer research where measuring actual purchases is impractical.
Influencer marketing can be understood to operate on each of the antecedents identified by Ajzen. A credible, well-liked influencer may improve attitudes towards a brand or garment; the visible approval of an influencer and their community may strengthen subjective norms, signalling that purchasing is socially endorsed; and the demonstration of a product in a relatable lifestyle context may enhance perceived behavioural control by showing the consumer how the item can be obtained and worn. The theory of planned behaviour therefore provides a coherent rationale for expecting influencer credibility and parasocial relationship to translate into purchase intention, while also reminding researchers that intention is shaped by social and perceptual factors that may be in tension, as in the case of ethical concern.
Influencers are commonly classified by the size of their following. Although thresholds vary across sources, a broadly accepted typology distinguishes mega-influencers and celebrities with audiences in the millions, macro-influencers with audiences typically in the hundreds of thousands, micro-influencers with audiences in the tens of thousands, and nano-influencers with only a few thousand followers. A central debate in the literature concerns the trade-off between reach and resonance. Macro-influencers offer scale and can rapidly place a message before a large audience, but their endorsements may be perceived as more commercial and less personal. Micro and nano-influencers reach smaller audiences but are often perceived as more authentic, relatable and trustworthy, and tend to generate higher engagement rates relative to their audience size.
De Veirman, Cauberghe and Hudders (2017) examined the effect of follower numbers on perceptions of influencers and found that very high follower counts do not uniformly enhance an influencer’s appeal, and may in some circumstances reduce perceived uniqueness. This suggests that the assumption that bigger is better is too simplistic. For fast-fashion brands operating under budget constraints, the choice between a single macro-influencer and a portfolio of micro-influencers is a live strategic decision, and the relative persuasive effect of each is directly relevant to this study. Accordingly, influencer type is incorporated as a variable, with particular attention to perceived authenticity as a possible explanation for any difference in effect.
The economics of engagement reinforce the strategic relevance of this question. Industry commentary consistently observes that engagement rate, the proportion of an audience that actively likes, comments on or shares content, tends to decline as follower counts rise, so that smaller accounts often generate proportionally more interaction than larger ones. Because engagement is widely treated as a proxy for attention and influence, this inverse relationship means that a cluster of micro-influencers may, in aggregate, deliver more meaningful interaction than a single macro-influencer with an equivalent combined reach. For a fast-fashion brand deciding how to deploy a finite budget, the choice is therefore not merely about reach but about the quality and intensity of the audience relationship purchased. This study contributes to that decision by examining whether the perceived authenticity advantage attributed to smaller creators is reflected in the responses of UK Gen Z consumers.
Authenticity has emerged as a central, if contested, concept in the influencer literature. Broadly, perceived authenticity refers to the audience’s belief that an influencer is genuine, sincere and true to themselves rather than driven primarily by commercial motives. McCracken’s (1989) meaning transfer model offers a useful theoretical anchor, proposing that endorsers carry culturally constituted meanings that are transferred to the endorsed product and then to the consumer. An authentic influencer carries meanings of sincerity and relatability that enhance the value of the transfer, whereas an influencer perceived as inauthentic may transfer unwanted meanings of commercialism or insincerity.
The disclosure of sponsored content complicates this dynamic. Regulatory requirements oblige influencers to label paid partnerships, and while transparency is generally regarded as ethically necessary and legally required, disclosure can also prompt audiences to discount the endorsement as mere advertising. The literature is divided on whether disclosure undermines or, by signalling honesty, actually reinforces trust. For a sceptical cohort such as Gen Z, the handling of disclosure and the maintenance of perceived authenticity may be pivotal. Authenticity is therefore treated in this study both as a quality that may distinguish influencer types and as a theme explored qualitatively in relation to ethical concern.
Fast fashion occupies a distinctive and ethically charged position within retail. Its business model depends on low prices, rapid turnover and high volumes, which have attracted sustained criticism regarding environmental impact, textile waste and labour conditions in supply chains. At the same time, fast fashion remains highly popular among young consumers precisely because it is affordable, trend-responsive and visually appealing, qualities that align closely with the content produced by fashion influencers.
This produces what is often described in the literature as an attitude-behaviour gap, or intention-behaviour gap, in which consumers express pro-environmental and ethical attitudes but continue to engage in consumption that contradicts those attitudes. For Gen Z, who are reported to hold strong sustainability values, this gap is particularly acute and particularly interesting. Influencer marketing sits at the centre of this tension, since influencers both stimulate the desire for new garments and, increasingly, participate in conversations about sustainability, second-hand fashion and conscious consumption. Understanding how Gen Z consumers reconcile these competing pulls is one of the aims of the present study, and is addressed primarily through the qualitative strand of the research.
The ethical dimension is further complicated by the phenomenon of greenwashing, in which brands and, at times, the influencers who represent them make sustainability claims that are vague, unsubstantiated or disproportionate to actual practice. For a cohort attuned to authenticity, perceived greenwashing may be especially damaging, converting a would-be reputational asset into a source of distrust. At the same time, a growing conscious-consumption movement, visible in the popularity of second-hand platforms, clothing rental and repair, offers influencers an alternative register in which to operate. The co-existence of trend-driven fast-fashion content and sustainability-oriented content within the same creators’ feeds is itself a notable feature of the contemporary landscape, and raises the question, explored in this study, of whether the mechanisms that make influencers effective sellers of fast fashion might also make them effective advocates for more responsible consumption.
Drawing the foregoing literature together, the study proposes a conceptual framework in which purchase intention is the dependent variable, influenced by three credibility dimensions, by parasocial relationship strength and, as a grouping variable, by influencer type, with perceived authenticity and ethical concern operating as contextual factors. The framework is also informed by the stimulus-organism-response paradigm (Mehrabian and Russell, 1974), which treats external cues as inputs that act upon an internal state and thereby shape a behavioural response; here influencer content functions as the stimulus, credibility and parasocial perceptions as the organismic state, and purchase intention as the response. On this basis, the following hypotheses were formulated:
These hypotheses are tested quantitatively in Chapters Four and Five, while the broader question of how consumers reconcile appeal and ethical concern (RQ4) is addressed through thematic analysis.
This chapter has reviewed the literature on influencer marketing and located the study within established theories of persuasion and behaviour. It has argued that the effectiveness of influencer marketing cannot be reduced to reach alone, but depends on credibility, parasocial relationship and perceived authenticity, and that these operate within the ethically contested context of fast fashion. The conceptual framework and hypotheses derived from this review provide the structure for the empirical work that follows.
This chapter explains and justifies the methodological choices made in the study, following the logic of the research onion proposed by Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill (2019). It proceeds from the underlying research philosophy through the approach, strategy and design to the specific decisions regarding sampling, instrument design, data collection and analysis. It also addresses validity and reliability, ethical considerations, and the limitations of the chosen design. The intention throughout is to demonstrate a coherent alignment between the research questions and the methods used to answer them.
The study adopts a pragmatist philosophical position. Pragmatism holds that the choice of method should be driven by the research questions rather than by a prior commitment to a single ontological or epistemological stance, and that both objective measurement and subjective interpretation can contribute valid knowledge. This position is well suited to the present study, which seeks both to measure the relationships between defined constructs, an aim aligned with a broadly positivist orientation, and to understand how consumers themselves reason about the tension between appeal and ethics, an aim aligned with an interpretivist orientation. Pragmatism provides the philosophical justification for the mixed-methods design employed.
The study is predominantly deductive in that it derives hypotheses from existing theory and tests them against data. The quantitative strand follows this deductive logic closely, operationalising constructs drawn from the source credibility model, parasocial interaction theory and the theory of planned behaviour, and testing the hypotheses stated in Chapter Two. The qualitative strand, by contrast, is more inductive, allowing themes to emerge from participants’ own words in response to open-ended questions. The combination reflects the pragmatist position and allows the study to benefit from the explanatory precision of deduction and the interpretive openness of induction.
A survey strategy was selected as the most appropriate means of collecting standardised data from a relatively large number of respondents efficiently and economically. The specific design was a cross-sectional, self-administered online questionnaire incorporating both closed Likert-type items and two open-ended questions. This convergent mixed-methods design gathered quantitative and qualitative data within a single instrument, enabling the statistical testing of hypotheses and the thematic exploration of consumer reasoning in parallel. A cross-sectional design, capturing data at a single point in time, was considered suitable given the time constraints of an undergraduate project and the exploratory nature of the research questions.
The target population was UK-based consumers belonging to Generation Z, operationalised for this study as those aged between 18 and 24, who use at least one social media platform and follow at least one fashion influencer. Because a complete sampling frame for this population does not exist, a non-probability approach combining convenience and snowball sampling was used. The questionnaire was distributed through university networks and social media, and respondents were encouraged to share the link with peers who met the criteria. Screening questions at the start of the questionnaire ensured that only eligible respondents proceeded. An illustrative total of 214 usable responses was obtained after the removal of incomplete or ineligible submissions. The use of non-probability sampling is acknowledged as a limitation on generalisability and is discussed further below.
The achieved sample size was considered adequate for the planned analysis. A commonly cited rule of thumb for multiple regression recommends a minimum of around ten to fifteen cases per predictor, and with four predictors the achieved sample comfortably exceeds this threshold, supporting the stability of the regression estimates. A larger sample would further reduce the standard errors and increase statistical power, but the figure obtained is sufficient to detect moderate effects and is consistent with comparable undergraduate dissertation studies using survey methods. The sample is nonetheless skewed towards younger, university-affiliated and digitally engaged respondents, a feature that is revisited when the findings are interpreted.
The questionnaire was structured into four sections. The first screened for eligibility and gathered demographic information. The second presented established multi-item scales measuring the three credibility dimensions, adapted from Ohanian’s (1990) source credibility scale. The third measured parasocial relationship strength and purchase intention using items adapted from the relevant literature, together with items on perceived authenticity and a brief manipulation in which respondents were asked to answer with reference to, in turn, a macro-influencer and a micro-influencer they followed. The fourth section posed two open-ended questions inviting respondents to describe a time when an influencer had encouraged them to buy fast fashion, and to reflect on how they felt about buying fast fashion given its environmental impact. All closed items used a five-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The table below summarises the principal constructs and example items.
| Construct | Items | Example Item |
|---|---|---|
| Trustworthiness | 4 | The influencers I follow are honest about the products they promote. |
| Expertise | 4 | The influencers I follow are knowledgeable about fashion and style. |
| Attractiveness | 3 | The influencers I follow have an appealing personal style. |
| Parasocial relationship | 5 | I feel as though I know the influencers I follow personally. |
| Perceived authenticity | 4 | The influencers I follow come across as genuine rather than purely commercial. |
| Purchase intention | 4 | I am likely to buy a fast-fashion item after seeing it recommended by an influencer I follow. |
Before full distribution, the questionnaire was piloted with a small group of fifteen respondents drawn from the target population. The pilot served to test the clarity of wording, the logical flow of the instrument, the functioning of the screening and branching logic, and the approximate completion time, which averaged around nine minutes. Minor revisions were made in response to pilot feedback, including the rewording of two items that respondents found ambiguous and the addition of a progress indicator. Pilot responses were not included in the final dataset.
The finalised questionnaire was administered online over a four-week period. The opening page presented a participant information statement and obtained informed consent before any questions were displayed. Respondents could withdraw at any point simply by closing the browser, and no personally identifying information was collected. On completion, respondents were thanked and provided with signposting to information on sustainable fashion. Responses were stored securely and exported for analysis once collection had closed.
The quantitative data were analysed using standard statistical software. Analysis proceeded in stages. First, descriptive statistics summarised the sample and the central tendency and dispersion of each construct. Second, the internal consistency of each multi-item scale was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. Third, Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the bivariate relationships between the independent variables and purchase intention. Fourth, multiple linear regression was used to assess the combined and relative predictive power of the credibility dimensions and parasocial relationship on purchase intention. A paired comparison was used to examine the difference in perceived authenticity between macro and micro-influencer conditions. The qualitative data from the open-ended questions were analysed using the six-phase reflexive thematic analysis procedure described by Braun and Clarke (2006), involving familiarisation, coding, theme generation, review, definition and reporting.
Prior to the inferential analysis, the data were screened and the assumptions underlying the statistical tests were checked. Missing values were examined and cases with substantial incompleteness were removed. The distribution of each composite variable was inspected for normality using skewness and kurtosis values, which fell within conventionally acceptable bounds. For the regression, multicollinearity was assessed using variance inflation factors, all of which were well below the threshold that would indicate a problem, and the assumptions of linearity, homoscedasticity and independence of residuals were examined through residual plots. These checks provided reasonable confidence that the parametric techniques were appropriately applied, although the illustrative nature of the dataset should again be borne in mind.
Several steps were taken to enhance the validity and reliability of the study. Content validity was supported by adapting established, previously validated scales rather than devising new measures, and by the pilot study. Construct reliability was assessed through Cronbach’s alpha, with all scales expected to exceed the conventional threshold of 0.70. The use of multi-item scales reduced the measurement error associated with single-item measures. For the qualitative strand, reliability and trustworthiness were supported by maintaining a clear audit trail of codes and themes and by reflexive attention to the researcher’s own assumptions. Nonetheless, the self-report nature of the data and the reliance on purchase intention rather than actual behaviour impose limits on validity that are acknowledged below.
The study was designed and conducted in accordance with standard research ethics principles and received the appropriate institutional ethical approval before data collection commenced. Participation was voluntary and based on informed consent, with a clear statement of the study’s purpose and the participant’s right to withdraw. Anonymity was preserved by collecting no identifying information, and confidentiality was maintained through secure data storage. Because the topic touched on consumption and sustainability, care was taken to avoid any content that might induce discomfort, and signposting to balanced information was provided. No participants were under the age of 18, and no incentives were offered that might unduly influence participation.
The methodology carries several limitations. The non-probability sampling approach constrains the generalisability of the findings to the wider Gen Z population, as the sample may over-represent university-affiliated and digitally active individuals. The cross-sectional design captures relationships at a single point in time and cannot establish causation. The reliance on self-reported purchase intention, rather than observed behaviour, means that the intention-behaviour gap discussed in the literature may apply to the findings themselves. Finally, the use of an online questionnaire excludes those who do not use social media, although this exclusion is consistent with the study’s focus. These limitations are considered when interpreting the findings and are revisited in the conclusion.
This chapter presents the illustrative findings of the study. It begins with a profile of the sample, before reporting descriptive statistics, scale reliabilities, correlation and regression results, and a summary of the hypothesis tests. It then presents the themes generated from the thematic analysis of the open-ended responses. All numerical values reported here are illustrative, generated for this model dissertation to demonstrate the analytical process, and should not be read as real-world statistics.
The final sample comprised 214 respondents, all aged between 18 and 24 and resident in the United Kingdom. The gender distribution was 63 per cent female, 34 per cent male and 3 per cent who identified in another way or preferred not to say, broadly reflecting the greater engagement of young women with fashion influencer content. In terms of platform use, Instagram and TikTok were the most commonly cited platforms for following fashion influencers, used by 81 per cent and 74 per cent of respondents respectively, followed by YouTube at 46 per cent. A substantial majority, 88 per cent, reported having purchased a fast-fashion item in the previous three months, confirming the relevance of the category to the sample.
The descriptive statistics for the principal constructs are summarised in the table below. Mean scores are reported on the five-point scale. Purchase intention recorded a moderate mean, indicating a generally positive but not uniform disposition to purchase following influencer recommendation. Among the credibility dimensions, attractiveness recorded the highest mean, while trustworthiness recorded somewhat lower and more dispersed scores, consistent with the scepticism attributed to the cohort in the literature.
| Construct | Mean | Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|
| Trustworthiness | 3.21 | 0.94 |
| Expertise | 3.68 | 0.81 |
| Attractiveness | 3.94 | 0.72 |
| Parasocial relationship | 3.07 | 1.02 |
| Perceived authenticity | 3.33 | 0.89 |
| Purchase intention | 3.42 | 0.86 |
The internal consistency of each multi-item scale was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha. All scales exceeded the conventional threshold of 0.70, indicating acceptable to good reliability. Specifically, trustworthiness returned an alpha of 0.84, expertise 0.79, attractiveness 0.76, parasocial relationship 0.88, perceived authenticity 0.81 and purchase intention 0.85. These values support the use of the scales as reliable measures of their intended constructs and permit the computation of composite scores for the subsequent analyses.
Pearson correlation analysis revealed statistically significant positive correlations between purchase intention and each of the independent variables. Trustworthiness showed a strong positive correlation with purchase intention, as did parasocial relationship strength. Expertise showed a moderate positive correlation, while attractiveness showed a weaker, though still significant, correlation. Perceived authenticity was also positively correlated with purchase intention. The pattern of correlations is consistent with the theoretical expectation that trust-based and relationship-based factors are more strongly associated with intention than appearance-based factors. The correlation coefficients are summarised below.
| Variable | Correlation with Purchase Intention (r) |
|---|---|
| Trustworthiness | 0.61 |
| Parasocial relationship | 0.57 |
| Expertise | 0.44 |
| Perceived authenticity | 0.39 |
| Attractiveness | 0.28 |
To assess the combined and relative predictive power of the independent variables, a multiple linear regression was conducted with purchase intention as the dependent variable and the three credibility dimensions and parasocial relationship as predictors. The model was statistically significant and explained an illustrative 48 per cent of the variance in purchase intention, an adjusted R-squared of 0.48, which represents a substantial proportion for a behavioural model of this kind. Examination of the standardised coefficients indicated that trustworthiness was the strongest individual predictor, followed by parasocial relationship strength and expertise. Attractiveness, although positively correlated with intention in the bivariate analysis, did not make a statistically significant independent contribution once the other variables were included, suggesting that its apparent effect operates largely through its association with the other, more decisive factors. The standardised coefficients are reported below.
| Predictor | Standardised Beta | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Trustworthiness | 0.37 | p < 0.001 |
| Parasocial relationship | 0.29 | p < 0.001 |
| Expertise | 0.18 | p < 0.01 |
| Attractiveness | 0.06 | not significant |
Two supplementary comparisons were conducted to explore whether the central relationships varied across sub-groups. First, mean purchase intention was compared across the principal platforms on which respondents followed fashion influencers. Respondents who primarily followed influencers on short-form video platforms recorded marginally higher mean purchase intention than those who primarily used image-led platforms, an illustrative difference consistent with the immersive and demonstrative nature of video content, although the difference was modest. Second, a comparison by gender found that female respondents reported slightly higher purchase intention and stronger parasocial relationships than male respondents, in keeping with the greater overall engagement of young women with fashion influencer content noted in the sample profile. These supplementary results are exploratory and are not central to the hypotheses, but they indicate potentially fruitful avenues for more targeted future research.
On the basis of the correlation and regression results, the hypotheses were evaluated as follows. H1, concerning trustworthiness, was supported, with trustworthiness emerging as the strongest predictor of purchase intention. H2, concerning expertise, was supported, albeit with a weaker effect. H3, concerning attractiveness, was only partially supported; attractiveness was positively correlated with intention but did not retain a significant independent effect in the regression. H4, concerning parasocial relationship, was supported. H5, concerning influencer type and authenticity, was supported, as discussed below, with micro-influencers rated as significantly more authentic than macro-influencers in the paired comparison, and perceived authenticity positively associated with intention. The paired comparison recorded an illustrative mean perceived authenticity of 3.71 for micro-influencers against 2.98 for macro-influencers, a statistically significant difference.
The reflexive thematic analysis of the open-ended responses generated three principal themes, which together illuminate the reasoning behind the quantitative patterns and directly address the fourth research question.
Theme One: Trust Built Through Perceived Honesty. Many respondents described being more willing to purchase when they believed the influencer was being honest, for instance by showing a garment’s flaws, acknowledging that a product was sponsored, or recommending items they had genuinely bought themselves. Clear and early disclosure of sponsorship was generally described not as a deterrent but as a reassurance, with several respondents indicating that they trusted influencers more when sponsorship was openly acknowledged. This theme supports the quantitative finding that trustworthiness is the dominant driver.
Theme Two: Relatability and the Sense of a Friend. Respondents repeatedly framed their favoured influencers in terms of relatability, describing them as being like a friend whose taste they shared or whose body type or budget resembled their own. This relatability was strongly associated with micro-influencers, who were described as more down to earth and believable than larger accounts, which were sometimes perceived as remote or purely promotional. This theme corresponds with the quantitative evidence on parasocial relationship and influencer type.
Theme Three: The Guilt and Rationalisation of Fast Fashion. The third theme captured the ethical tension at the heart of the fourth research question. Respondents frequently expressed an awareness of, and discomfort about, the environmental cost of fast fashion, yet described continuing to buy it, offering a range of rationalisations such as affordability, the social pressure to keep up with trends, the occasional nature of their purchases, or intentions to buy more sustainably in the future. Some reported that influencers had begun to shape this tension in the other direction, promoting second-hand or more sustainable options, which a minority found genuinely persuasive. This theme vividly illustrates the attitude-behaviour gap discussed in the literature.
This chapter interprets the findings in relation to the literature reviewed in Chapter Two and the research questions set out in Chapter One. It discusses the role of credibility and parasocial relationship, the significance of influencer type and authenticity, and the ethical paradox surfaced by the qualitative analysis, before drawing out the theoretical and managerial implications of the study.
The finding that trustworthiness is the strongest predictor of purchase intention offers clear support for source credibility theory and, more specifically, for the strand of literature that prioritises trust over appearance in the influencer context. The result aligns with the arguments of Lou and Yuan (2019) and Djafarova and Rushworth (2017) that the credibility of online personalities is central to their persuasive effect, and it refines the general source credibility model of Ohanian (1990) by indicating that, for this cohort and category, the three dimensions are not equally weighted. Expertise contributed a smaller but meaningful effect, consistent with the idea that Gen Z consumers value evident fashion competence, while the weak independent effect of attractiveness is particularly instructive. It suggests that in an environment saturated with attractive imagery, visual appeal has become a baseline expectation rather than a point of differentiation, and that its correlation with intention is largely absorbed by the stronger, trust-based constructs. This nuance is a useful corrective to the common practitioner assumption that glamorous presentation alone drives conversion.
The prominence of trustworthiness also resonates with the match-up hypothesis introduced earlier. If persuasion depends on the perceived fit and sincerity of a particular endorsement, then the audience’s judgement about whether an influencer genuinely believes in a product, rather than the influencer’s general glamour, becomes decisive. The qualitative evidence that respondents valued the acknowledgement of flaws and the open disclosure of sponsorship supports this reading, since these behaviours are precisely the signals by which audiences infer sincerity. For a cohort schooled to detect and discount marketing, trust functions less as one attribute among several and more as a gatekeeper that determines whether any other attribute is allowed to exert influence at all.
The strong and independent effect of parasocial relationship strength confirms the growing emphasis in the literature on relationship-based mechanisms of influence, echoing the work of Jin, Muqaddam and Ryu (2019) and Casaló, Flavián and Ibáñez-Sánchez (2020). The qualitative theme of relatability and the sense of a friend provides a rich interpretation of this statistical result, showing how the feeling of personal connection transforms a commercial recommendation into something closer to peer advice. For Gen Z, whose social interactions are substantially mediated through the same platforms on which they encounter influencers, the parasocial relationship appears to be an especially potent route to influence. This finding reinforces the view that influence is relational rather than merely transactional, and that the cultivation of genuine-feeling connection is strategically significant.
The finding that micro-influencers were perceived as significantly more authentic than macro-influencers, and that authenticity was positively associated with intention, supports the hypothesis derived from De Veirman, Cauberghe and Hudders (2017) that larger follower counts do not straightforwardly enhance persuasive power. The qualitative data clarify the mechanism: micro-influencers were valued precisely because they seemed relatable, honest and similar to the respondents themselves, qualities that larger accounts were sometimes seen to have lost. Interpreted through McCracken’s (1989) meaning transfer model, the micro-influencer transfers meanings of sincerity and accessibility that enhance the value of the endorsement, whereas the macro-influencer may transfer meanings of distance and commercialism. For fast-fashion brands, this points towards the strategic value of distributed micro-influencer portfolios rather than exclusive reliance on high-reach endorsements.
The third qualitative theme directly addresses the fourth research question and illuminates one of the most theoretically interesting aspects of the study: the attitude-behaviour gap. The respondents’ simultaneous expression of environmental concern and continued fast-fashion consumption, mediated by rationalisations such as affordability and social pressure, exemplifies the intention-behaviour gap discussed in the literature. Importantly, the data suggest that influencers are implicated on both sides of this gap. They stimulate the desire for new garments that drives consumption, yet some have begun to model more sustainable behaviours that a minority of respondents found persuasive. This dual role positions the influencer as a potentially pivotal actor in any shift towards more sustainable consumption, and suggests that the credibility and parasocial mechanisms identified in this study could, in principle, be harnessed for pro-environmental as well as commercial ends.
It is important, however, not to overstate the readiness of this cohort to translate concern into changed behaviour. The rationalisations offered by respondents functioned to preserve existing consumption while managing the discomfort it produced, a pattern consistent with cognitive dissonance reduction. This implies that sustainability messaging delivered through influencers may be most effective when it lowers the perceived cost of acting on values, for example by making affordable second-hand or durable alternatives aspirational and easy to obtain, rather than when it relies on exhortation alone. The same trust and relatability that drive fast-fashion purchasing would need to be mobilised behind genuinely accessible alternatives for the gap to narrow, and any perception of greenwashing would be likely to undermine the attempt.
Theoretically, the study makes three contributions. First, it demonstrates the value of disaggregating the source credibility construct, showing that its dimensions are not equally influential and that trustworthiness dominates in the Gen Z fast-fashion context. Second, it provides empirical support, within a tightly defined cohort, for the integration of source credibility theory and parasocial interaction theory, suggesting that the two mechanisms operate in parallel and together explain a substantial proportion of variance in purchase intention. Third, by linking these mechanisms to the theory of planned behaviour and to the ethical tensions of fast fashion, it situates influencer persuasion within a broader behavioural and moral context, highlighting the relevance of the attitude-behaviour gap to the study of influencer marketing.
For practitioners, the findings carry several implications. First, because trustworthiness is the decisive driver, brands should prioritise partnerships with influencers who have earned audience trust, and should support rather than suppress transparent disclosure, which this study suggests reinforces rather than undermines credibility. Second, the strategic value of micro-influencers, grounded in their perceived authenticity and relatability, suggests that budget allocated to a portfolio of smaller, well-matched creators may yield greater persuasive return than the same budget concentrated in a single high-reach endorsement. Third, brands should recognise the ethical sensitivity of the cohort and the reputational risk of being seen to encourage unsustainable overconsumption; aligning influencer partnerships with credible sustainability messaging may both mitigate this risk and, given the persuasive power of trusted creators, contribute to more responsible consumption. These implications are offered with due caution given the illustrative nature of the data.
This dissertation set out to investigate how influencer marketing shapes the purchase intention of UK Generation Z consumers towards fast-fashion brands. Drawing on source credibility theory, parasocial interaction theory and the theory of planned behaviour, and using an illustrative mixed-methods questionnaire study, it found that perceived influencer credibility, and in particular trustworthiness, is the strongest predictor of purchase intention, followed by the strength of the parasocial relationship. Influencer expertise contributed a smaller effect, while attractiveness, though positively correlated with intention, did not retain an independent effect once other factors were controlled. Micro-influencers were perceived as more authentic than macro-influencers, and this authenticity was associated with greater persuasive effect. The qualitative analysis revealed that trust is built through perceived honesty, that relatability underpins the parasocial connection, and that consumers reconcile the appeal of fast fashion with ethical concern through a range of rationalisations.
The four objectives set at the outset were addressed in turn. The first, to review the relevant literature, was met in Chapter Two. The second, to measure the relationships between the key constructs and purchase intention, was met through the correlation and regression analysis in Chapter Four. The third, to examine the role of authenticity and ethical concern, was met through the comparison of influencer types and the thematic analysis. The fourth, to develop recommendations for marketers, was met in the managerial implications of Chapter Five. The study therefore achieved its stated aim.
The principal contribution of the study is its demonstration that, for UK Gen Z consumers of fast fashion, the persuasive power of influencers rests chiefly on trust and relationship rather than on reach or glamour. By disaggregating credibility and comparing it with parasocial relationship and influencer type within a single model, the study offers a more granular account than much of the existing literature, and by situating these mechanisms within the ethical tensions of fast fashion it connects influencer research to the wider debate on sustainable consumption. In doing so it responds to calls to move beyond treating the influencer as an undifferentiated stimulus, and provides a template that could be extended to other cohorts, categories and national markets.
The limitations of the study must be restated. The use of non-probability sampling limits the generalisability of the findings, and the cross-sectional design precludes causal inference. The reliance on self-reported purchase intention rather than observed behaviour means that the very attitude-behaviour gap discussed in the study may affect its own measures. The data reported are illustrative and generated for this model dissertation, and should not be interpreted as empirical findings about the real-world population. These limitations temper the conclusions and define the boundaries within which they should be read.
Several avenues for future research follow from the study. Longitudinal or experimental designs could be used to establish causal relationships and to track how influence operates over time, including whether purchase intention translates into actual behaviour. Probability-based or more diverse samples would improve generalisability. Future work could also examine platform-specific differences, for instance between the short-form video environment of TikTok and the image-led environment of Instagram, and could investigate whether the trust and parasocial mechanisms identified here can be harnessed to promote more sustainable consumption. Finally, cross-cultural comparison would clarify the extent to which the patterns observed among UK Gen Z consumers hold in other national contexts.
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