The Influence of Internet Marketing on Consumer Purchasing Decisions

Internet marketing is one of the most glaring trends in influencing consumer behaviour, in which the perpetuated use of technology has dictated the association of the consumer with a brand. A vital topic seen with this phenomenon is the research of the influence of social media marketing on the consumer purchasing decision. Some of the strategies that businesses have used to gain trust and make sales using their brands include influencer partnerships, live streaming, and interactive content. Nonetheless, most business researchers and analysts lack a good understanding of the existing scholarly literature that deals with the topic, failing to fully comprehend the impacts of such strategies on consumers under different circumstances. The use of an annotated bibliography gives the possibility to find, summarise, and critically analyse relevant studies, highlighting mechanisms, strengths, and weaknesses that authors have found throughout the literature. The research papers introduce the influence of social media on buying behaviour and indicate the areas that future studies can contribute to the topic.

Annotated Bibliography

Duffett, R., and Mxunyelwa, A., 2025. Instagram mega-influencers’ effect on Generation Z’s intention to purchase: A technology acceptance model and source credibility model perspective. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 20(2), pp. 1-22.

The article evaluates how mega-influencers on Instagram often impact Generation Z consumers’ buying behaviour through the use of the “Technology Acceptance Model” (TAM) and the “Source Credibility Model” (SCM). The researchers utilised a quantitative approach by carrying out an online survey among 497 South African Generation Z participants. They then analysed the data using structural equation modelling (SEM), revealing that usefulness, expertise, ease of use, and attractiveness positively influenced purchase intention. Ease of use mediated the influence of attractiveness and expertise, and usefulness had no mediating influence. The article is trustworthy, reliable, peer-reviewed, and published in a well-known open-access journal. Its strengths are the bigger sample size, SEM use, and clever utility of TAM and SCM. It also has weaknesses as it only applies to South African Generation Z consumers and mega-influencers. This source makes valuable contributions as to credibility and technology acceptance in internet marketing and proposes directions for future cross-market and influencer-type research.

Han, K., and Jo, H., 2025. What drives consumer engagement and purchase intentions in fashion live commerce? Sustainability, 17(13), pp. 1-20.

The paper discusses the environmental and psychological factors that affect consumer engagement, satisfaction, continued use, and purchase intention in the context of fashion live commerce. The authors aimed to explain how credibility, influencer traits, shop atmosphere, and money saving affect consumer action. They employed a quantitative approach, distributing a standard online survey to 300 South Korean consumer customers of fashion live commerce platforms. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was applied to the analysis. The results showed that all predictor variables significantly influenced satisfaction or current use, which strongly predicted purchase intention. Satisfaction was the primary facilitator of the consumer decision-making process. The article is original, reliable, and peer-reviewed, printed in a recognised open-access journal. Its strengths are that it uses the stimulus–organism–response paradigm, a large sample, and advanced analysis. However, its focus on South Korea and the fashion industry limits generalisability beyond these areas. The study is important, attesting that the rational dimensions and affective feelings combined influence purchasing behaviours in online business. It also supports the observation that real-time and interactive forms of social media marketing significantly influence shopping behaviour among consumers.

Hanaysha, J.R., 2022. Impact of social media marketing features on consumers’ purchase decision in the fast-food industry: Brand trust as a mediator. International Journal of Information Management Data Insights, 2(2), pp. 1-10.

This study explores how four social media marketing features, including informativeness, perceived relevance, interactivity, and entertainment, affect consumer purchase decisions in the fast-food sector. The research took into account how brand trust serves as a mediator in these associations. The investigator used a quantitative design in the shape of an online survey of UAE fast-food café consumers, and tested data using AMOS-21. Outcomes showed that informativeness, relevance, and interactivity directly had a positive impact on purchase decisions, but entertainment did not have any impact. Brand trust was a mediating variable between interactivity, informativeness, and purchase decisions. The article is peer-reviewed, trustworthy, and credible, has been online since 2022, and therefore reasonably current. Its strengths are the effective use of brand trust as a mediator, the application of rigorous statistical methods, its focus on the understudied fast-food sector, and the inclusion of a Middle Eastern sample. Its limitations are that it is a cross-sectional study, has lower generalisability, and a tight focus on only four features. This source is beneficial, as it describes how marketing characteristics shape purchasing behaviour via trust and demonstrates how context in an industry will decide what characteristics are most effective.

Jayasingh, S., Sivakumar, A., and Vanathaiyan, A.A., 2025. Artificial intelligence influencers’ credibility effect on consumer engagement and purchase intention. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 20(1), pp. 1-24.

This research discusses the effect of artificial intelligence influencers, also known as virtual influencers, on consumer engagement and buying behaviour. This study aimed to test characteristics such as credibility, value of information, humanity, attractiveness, and entertainment to see their impact on consumer behaviour. The authors applied a quantitative approach, utilising a questionnaire survey in which 414 people participated. Statistical software and AMOS 29 were utilised to analyse the data. The findings show that human-likeness, informativeness, and believability significantly influence engagement and purchase intention. Attractiveness and entertainment drive engagement but do not impact purchase intention. The article is a recent peer-reviewed 2025 paper in a prestigious open-access journal and is thus trustworthy. Its strengths lie in addressing the new theme of virtual influencers and distinguishing engagement from purchase intention. Its limitations are its limited scope in only focusing on AI influencer types, not being long-term in insights, and little exploration of trust. This source augments depth to the topic by adding a virtual influencer component, highlighting that not all influencer features result in purchase. It also points towards a potential research area in the future on virtual influencers across cultures.

Kilumile, J.W., and Zuo, L., 2024. The nexus of influencers and purchase intention: Does consumer brand co-creation behaviour matter? Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 19(4), pp. 3088-3101.

This paper examines the effect of influencer congruence and social presence on consumer purchase intention through consumer brand co-creation behaviour (CBCB). The researchers surveyed 422 consumers who have active engagement with social media influencers. They used partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyse the data. Results show that the congruence of influencers positively affects CBCB, while social presence affects CBCB but does not directly affect purchase intention. Instead, CBCB acts as the mediator for both relationships, thus being the focal path through which influencers affect purchasing behaviour. The paper is a recent peer-reviewed paper in 2024 of a valid open-access journal supported by robust methodology. It possesses the strengths of having a sufficient sample size, setting CBCB as a relatively under-exploited mechanism, and using a developing nation’s data, thereby enhancing geographic scope. The research is cross-sectional, which constrains causality, and its context-specific sample may not apply to other markets. This source proves to be beneficial when applying influencer attributes indirectly through co-creation. It supports the topic by focusing on mechanisms and intermediary behaviours and provides a space for future research on consumer participation in influencer marketing.

Migkos, S.P., Giannakopoulos, N.T., and Sakas, D.P., 2025. Impact of influencer marketing on consumer behaviour and online shopping preferences. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 20(2), pp. 1-41.

This study examines the effects of influencer advertising on consumer purchasing behaviour and decisions when buying online, focusing on measures of engagement, marketing effectiveness, and decision-making in the Greek market. The authors utilised an ordered approach that integrated questionnaire survey, statistical modelling, and Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (FCM) scenarios. The study concluded that influencer advertising enhances brand engagement as well as sales. Effectiveness depends on authenticity, transparency, and consumer trust, while social media visibility, personalised approaches, and usability of platforms influence purchase decisions significantly. This article, published in 2025 and being open access and peer-reviewed, ensures its credibility. The article’s strengths are the broader range that extends beyond purchase intention, strict methodology, and analyses of multiple dimensions of consumer behaviour. Limitations are due to the regional sample, the cross-sectional design, and the lack of differentiation by influencer type. The source is relevant as it provides evidence that influencer marketing is not always effective. It also shows how consumers’ reactions, like annoyance, can affect shopping habits, proving the limitations of the effectiveness of influencer marketing.

Xia, L., Xu, Y., Zhang, Y., Jiang, H., and Cui, B., 2024. Impact of airline social media marketing on purchase intention: Evidence from China using PLS-SEM. Transport Economics and Management, 2(1), pp. 249-262.

The study examines the effect of social media marketing on Chinese airline consumer purchase intention using perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness of information, and marketing strategies. The objective was to find out which elements of social media marketing have the highest impact on consumer behaviour. The authors applied a quantitative survey of 384 participants and performed their hypothesized model testing with PLS-SEM. Results revealed that social media marketing was significantly related to purchase intention, and perceived value was a mediating variable. Perceived usefulness of information was the single most critical factor in developing perceived value, and marketing strategy had the most significant impact on purchase intention. In being published in 2024 as an open-access peer-reviewed journal article, the paper is rigorous and properly methodological. Despite its strength being its use of PLS-SEM and focus on perceived value, it has weaknesses in being based on self-reported measures, having a context of a confined airline, and the usual data distribution assumptions. This source is important, demonstrating that perceived value drives intentions across service industries and the imperative of cross-sector and cultural comparisons.