From Credibility to Conversion: The Role of Consumer Digital Trust in Influencer-Based Digital Marketing
Keywords:
Influencer Credibility, Digital Trust, Purchase Intention, Social Media Marketing, Developing CountriesAbstract
Digital transformation in marketing within developing countries has reshaped consumer decision-making by shifting influence from traditional promotion to social media engagement. Influencers now play a central role in shaping consumption patterns; however, high engagement does not consistently translate into purchase behaviour. This gap indicates that the psychological mechanism linking persuasion to intention remains insufficiently explained. While prior research highlights the role of influencer credibility, it does not fully clarify why credibility alone often fails to drive purchasing decisions. Addressing this limitation, the present study examines consumer digital trust as a mediating mechanism between influencer credibility and purchase intention. Data were collected from 200 digital consumers in Bali who actively follow SME influencer promotions and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings reveal that although influencer credibility directly influences purchase intention, its effect becomes substantially stronger when mediated by digital trust. Consumers do not move directly from attraction to intention; rather, they first establish confidence in the reliability of the recommendation and the security of the transaction. These results position digital trust as a critical determinant of conversion, suggesting that SMEs should prioritise trust-building strategies alongside credibility to enhance marketing effectiveness. Future studies may extend this model by incorporating emotional, social, and cross-platform dynamics across different cultural contexts.
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