Influencer Marketing Dimensions and Customer Buying Behaviour of Electronic Products in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria: An Empirical Survey Study

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between influencer marketing dimensions source credibility, brand awareness, and expertise and customer buying behaviour of electronic products in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted, and data were collected from 384 customers of electronic products using a structured online questionnaire administered via Google Forms. The sample size was determined using the Cochran formula, while respondents were selected through convenience sampling due to accessibility constraints. Measurement reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, with coefficients ranging from 0.745 to 0.801, indicating acceptable internal consistency of the study constructs. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression with SPSS version 25. The regression results revealed that source credibility has a strong and statistically significant positive relationship with customer buying behaviour (R = 0.665, R² = 0.660, β = 0.409, p < 0.05). Brand awareness also showed a significant positive relationship with customer buying behaviour (R = 0.668, R² = 0.663, β = 0.661, p < 0.05), indicating a high explanatory power. Similarly, expertise was found to be significantly related to customer buying behaviour (R = 0.564, R² = 0.547, β = 0.647, p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that influencer marketing dimensions are significant predictors of customer buying behaviour in the electronics market. The study concludes that credible, visible, and knowledgeable influencers play an important role in shaping customers’ purchase decisions for electronic products in Akwa Ibom State. However, due to the correlational nature of the study design, the findings indicate associations rather than causal relationships.