Millets and Gen Z: Exploring the Impact of Influencer Marketing on Purchase Decision towards Millets

The growing popularity of the influencer role in shaping consumer behaviour is significant among the younger generation, particularly Gen Z, a prime target for influencer-driven campaigns. This study aims to examine the influencer characteristics like credibility, content relevance, and customer engagement activities towards Gen Z purchase decisions mediated through purchase intention toward millets, which are gaining popularity due to their health and nutritional benefits. Drawing on the Theory of Planned Behaviour, this research studies the underlying factors that influence Gen Z individuals’ approaches, personal norms, and perceived behavioural control, as well as Gen Z's buying intention towards the decision to purchase millet-based products. Based on the results from the proposed hypotheses, the research demonstrates that influencer characteristic credibility has a substantial influence on purchase intention and plays a key role as a mediator, which in turn impacts the purchase decision. Additionally, content relevance and consumer engagement demonstrate a positive association with purchase intention, though this effect is not statistically significant. This study aims to understand how influencer credibility influences purchase decisions and suggests that marketers identify reliable influencers to maximize purchasing actions. Further, the study provided valuable insights for marketers on leveraging influencer strategies to promote millet products among Gen Z.