Drivers of sponsored fashion haul viewers’ purchase intentions: a mixed-methods study of post characteristics, social media influencer characteristics, and haul viewers’ attributes

Fashion hauls are a widely consumed content format on social media, yet research on their effectiveness in driving consumer purchase intentions for the presented products remains limited. This study employs a mixed-methods approach to examine the key drivers of purchase intentions in fashion hauls. A qualitative study explores factors that shape consumers’ purchase intentions in response to fashion hauls and informs a quantitative survey that investigates post characteristics (inspiration, informational value, monetary cues), influencer characteristics (expertise, trustworthiness, authenticity), and haul viewers’ attributes (attachment to the influencer, product needs). The findings reveal that inspiration is the primary driver of purchase intentions, particularly impulse-driven purchases, while informational value is more relevant when product needs are high. Influencer characteristics and influencer attachment play only a minor role in driving purchases. These insights contribute to research by highlighting the dominance of inspirational content in fashion hauls and questioning the relevance of influencer characteristics.