Influencer Marketing in Digital Commerce: The Effects of Expertise, Personality, Fame, and Advertising Clutter on Consumer Trust and Purchase Intentions

The rapid transformation of influencer marketing has redefined consumer trust and purchase decision-making processes in internet ecosystems. This study analyzes the interactive impacts of influencer expertise, personality, fame, and ad clutter on consumer trust and purchase intention in social media marketing. The quantitative approach was used with a sample of 300 social media users through an adapted structured questionnaire based on measured scales. Linear regression analysis found influencer expertise (β = 0.412, p < 0.001) and personality (β = 0.358, p < 0.001) as the best predictors of consumer trust, with these predictors explaining 68.2% of the variance (R² = 0.682). Similarly, influencer fame (β = 0.421, p < 0.001), knowledge (β = 0.384, p < 0.001), and popularity (β = 0.309, p < 0.001) significantly influence purchase intentions, accounting for 73.1% of the variance (R² = 0.731). Advertising clutter, in contrast, negatively affects trust and purchasing behavior, i.e., elevated levels of promotion exposure decrease message believability and consumer response. The findings underscore the twin roles of cognitive credibility and emotional relatability in building trust and encouraging consumer action. In application, the research suggests that brands engage with empathetic, knowledgeable influencers and manage advertising frequency to keep interaction ongoing and optimize marketing effectiveness. The findings contribute to the growing literature on electronic commerce by explaining how influencer attributes and advertising environments shape consumer trust and purchase intentions in social media–based digital markets.