The impact of influencers' credibility and consumer involvement on attitudes and purchase intention: a comparison before and after the pandemic

Purpose Grounded in source credibility and the elaboration likelihood model (ELM), the current study examines the impact of influencers' credibility and consumer involvement on consumer attitudes and purchase intention, exploring potential changes in consumer behaviour before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the mediating role of consumer involvement was examined. Design/methodology/approach A repeated cross-sectional research design was applied to compare consumer behaviour at two different time points. Two sets of data (pre-pandemic, consisting of 297 participants and post-pandemic, consisting of 307 participants) were collected through an online survey among female consumers of beauty products. Findings The findings confirm the positive effect of influencers' credibility on attitudes and consumer involvement. Moreover, the findings highlight the direct impact of consumer involvement on consumer attitudes and purchase intention. In addition, the mediating role of consumer involvement is supported. The comparison between pre- and post-pandemic periods revealed that influencers' credibility demonstrated a weaker effect on attitudes towards influencer-endorsed products after the pandemic. Conversely, consumer involvement had a strong influence on attitudes toward influencer-endorsed products after the pandemic. Practical implications The findings, along with the comparison of the two data sets, provide theoretical and practical implications regarding the relationship between influencers' credibility and consumer involvement. Originality/value This study provides empirical evidence on consumer behaviour before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, using a repeated cross-sectional design to identify and compare changes in habits and attitudes across two distinct time periods.