argument

Diffusing fashion information by social media fashion influencers:

understanding antecedents and consequences

Pedro Quelhas-Brito INESC-TEC/LIAAD, Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Porto,

Porto, Portugal, and

Am�elia Brand~ao, Mahesh Gadekar and Sofia Castelo-Branco Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the antecedents and consequences of social media fashion influencer’s (SMFI) diffusion of fashion information. This study proposes and examines following research questions: What motivates SMFI to share fashion information? In what way shared fashion information impact SMFI? Design/methodology/approach – This study uses semi-structured interviews with SMFI to learn about their relationships with followers. It then conducts a survey of 510 SMFI in Portugal. The data are analyzed by structural equation modeling. Findings – The results indicate that intrinsic motivation can develop a SMFIs’ fashion leadership, while the SMFIs’ perceived usability of fashion blogs does not. The authors also find a self-serving bias among SMFI. Research limitations/implications – SMFIs’ fashion leadership is associatedwith the intrinsicmotivations of sharing and helping other consumers make fashion decisions, which indicates that marketers can improve their results through using opinion SMFI to assist fashion consumers in purchasing decisions. Further studies should explore the processes adopted by fashion consumers to evaluate SMFI. Originality/value –This study helps to understand the antecedents and consequences of fashion diffusion by SMFIs. In particular, the research helps the marketers to understand how the bonds between SMFIs and followers are nurtured.

Keywords Fashion influencers, Fashion leaders, Opinion leadership, Fashion consumers, Parasocial

relationship

Paper type Research paper

Introduction Social media fashion influencers (SMFIs) are individuals who have high established credibility resulting in high trusts and connections among followers (Jin andRyu, 2019; Hearn and Schoenhoff, 2016; Lou and Yuan, 2018). They are described as nontraditional type of celebrities who became famous due to social media presence (Khamis et al., 2016). SMFI are confident in their own tastes and are the first to adopt new styles (Kaiser, 1990). Because their influence possess symbolic power (McCracken, 1986) and impact fashion consumers’ self- identity (Nash, 2018), deploying SMFI has been regarded as crucial in social media marketing campaign (De Veirman et al., 2016). For instance, Amazon recently introduced “The Drop” featuring limited edition collections designed by influencers. Similarly, Instagram extended the product tags to select group of influencers that enables the buyers.

SMFIs have many faces – Instagrammer, Blogger and YouTuber. SMFI (also known as “it girls”) sit in the front row at the fashion shows and parties that the brands organize, and brands invite influencers to represent them in sales campaigns (Lunnetta, 2011). While the endorsement of celebrities and models in advertising campaigns can bring many benefits

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The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/1361-2026.htm

Received 17 September 2019 Revised 20 November 2019 Accepted 13 March 2020

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International

Journal Vol. 24 No. 2, 2020

pp. 137-152 © Emerald Publishing Limited

1361-2026 DOI 10.1108/JFMM-09-2019-0214

(Kahle and Homer, 1985), brands have commonly used positive recognition as a form of marketing through traditional celebrities.

Understanding the effects of SMFI is regarded as a critical in social media marketing research (Arora and Sanni 2019; Venus et al., 2019; Lou and Yuan, 2018; Rocamora, 2011). Moreover, the rise in the number of social media influencer is one of the key trends in the fashion industry. For instance, influencer-sponsored posts have registered a growth of more than 150% from 2018 to 2019 in North America (Socialbakers). A key output of this paper is identifying the antecedents and consequences of SMFI diffusion of fashion information. This study proposes and examines following research questions: What motivates SMFI to share fashion information? In what way shared fashion information impact SMFI?

We structure our paper as follows: first, we review the literature and research hypotheses that link the influencers’ opinion and the perceived usability of fashion blogs with fashion leadership, parasocial relationship and fashion consciousness. Second, we describe the researchmethod and propose and test amodel in Portugal. Third, we discuss the implications for marketers and provide direction for future research.

Literature review Self-determination Ryan and Deci (2000) describe the self-determination theory (SDT) as a theory of motivation, personality development and well-being. These authors propose two types of motivations: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsicmotivation refers to the tendency to focus on the enjoyment of a process, while extrinsic motivation is the need for a reward or to avoid punishment. SDT proposes three conditions of psychological needs: competency, relatedness and autonomy for intrinsic motivation (Ryan and Deci, 2000). Competency refers to the individual’s inherent desires to feel effective when interacting with others. Relatedness is an individual’s desire to care for and connect with others. Autonomy is the desire to engage in a specific action while controlling for one’s behavior and destiny (Ryan and Deci, 2000).

SDT has been applied in the context of a live streamer (Zhao et al., 2018), online brand community (Kelley and Alden, 2016), female fashion influencers (Malenkaya and Andreyeva, 2016) and sustainable luxury purchasing (Ki and Kim, 2016). As SDT recognizes the role of intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic motivation (Moller et al., 2013), it is a more appropriate theoretical framework for understanding the key drivers of SMFI. Current research has examined other forms of online platforms and opinion leaders (Casal�o et al., 2018). We specifically look deeper at the motivation of SMFI

Customer experiential value Why are users attracted to SMFI to seek information? SMFI do not only aim to communicate information but also providing experiential value (Keng andTing, 2009; Hsu andTsou, 2011).

Experiential value is the value that a customer derives from an experience (Yuan andWu, 2008). Holbrook (1999) defined customer value as an “interactive relativistic preference experience” (p. 212) and proposed three spheres: extrinsic/intrinsic value, active/reactive value and self-oriented/other-oriented value. Mathwick et al. (2001) broaden Holbrook’s theory by integrating the experiential perception derived from direct and indirect relationships with consumption.

Studies have acknowledged the interactive nature of SMFI platforms in being credible sources of information (Cosenza et al., 2015; Keng and Ting, 2009). Similarly, Kulmala et al. (2013) examined a netnographic approach and listed the topics discussed on SMFI, such as personal style, brands, designs, tips and advice. SMFI readers invest their time and emotions to derive valuable information from the SMFI in return for meaningful experiential value (Keng and Ting, 2009).

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Fashion Fashion is intrinsically linked to the creation of new products, and it therefore involves creativity and design components (Easey, 2009), self-expression through identification with brand traits (Lundblad and Davies, 2016; Watchravesringkan et al., 2010). Fashion consumers enjoy the buying process (the pleasure of changing frequently) (Easey, 2009) and the consideration of multiple sources of information during purchasing (Evans et al., 2017; Lou and Yuan, 2018; Jin and Ryu, 2019). Bourdieu (1989) introduced the analogy of a “megaphone” in relation to SMFI. This analogy conveys the idea of an individual gaining a mass audience through consumption-related web posts without themediation of institutional support. SMFI gain their audience directly (Mcquarrie et al., 2013). Similarly, Agn�es Rocamora (2017) has highlighted how various fashion practices are shaped by and for digital media. Coproduced electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) enables ordinary individuals to create and share their content online (Rettberg, 2008). SMFIs engage consumers in active conversation (West et al., 2006) and have become alternative communication tools for brands (Kim andKo, 2012).While fashion influencers aremore activewith users on social networking sites (e.g. Instagram) due to the sense of immediacy (Casal�o et al., 2018), SMFI have changed the process of marketing from exposure to participation (Belch and Belch, 2003; Lang and Armstrong, 2019).

Opinion leadership Apart from expertise and knowledge (Lyons and Henderson, 2005), opinion leaders are performing a dual role of endorsing aswell as sharing information (Weimann, 1994) on varied platforms such as SMFI, Instagram and YouTube. Although product involvement is one of the important antecedents of fashion opinion leadership (Cristau and Strazzieri, 1996), it does not explain the tendency to share information (Goldsmith, 1999). Moreover, the construct of intrinsic motivation is associated with assimilation, mastery, spontaneous interest, exploration (Ryan, 1995), unconditional kindness without expectation of a return (Fehr and G€achter, 2000) and experience enjoyment in helping others (Kankanhalli et al., 2005). Thus the pro-social attitudes contribute to knowledge, the sharing of tangible information (McLure Wasko and Faraj, 2005; He and Wei, 2009).

Research model and hypotheses Based on our review of the literature, we have developed a model of SMFI (see Figure 1).

Fashion interest as an antecedent of opinion leadership. Fashion interest is one dimension of fashion orientation (Gutman and Mills, 1982). A fashion consumer is aware of the

Fashion

Interest

Perceived

usability of

blog

Opinion

Leadership

Fashion

Leadership

Para social

interaction

Fashion

consciousness

H 1a

H 1b

H 2b

H 2a

H 3a

H 3c

H 3b

H 2c

Figure 1. The structured model

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importance of being well-dressed and of spending time on fashion-related activities. Thus, fashion influencers view fashionable clothing as a central part of life (O’Cass, 2004). A fashion influencer maintains her identity by avoiding similarity with other consumers (Tian et al., 2011). Fashion consumers’ psychological motivations are influenced by fashion opinion leadership (Bertrandias and Goldsmith, 1999) who give advice and verbal direction (Eliashberg and Shugan, 1997b). This conjecture leads to the following hypothesis:

H1a. SMFI interest positively affects their opinion leadership.

Fashion interest as an antecedent of the SMFI perceived usefulness of blogs. Consumers prefer SMFI that offer expertise and knowledge. SMFIs provide insights to evaluate products/brands worthy of trust (Chu and Kamal, 2008; Yang et al., 2010). They are both frequently updated and arranged in reverse chronological order (Herring et al., 2004). SMFIs are more reliable and valuable than commercial advertisements due to their two-way communication, engaging in online discussions motivated by the social enhancement (Gummerus et al., 2012; Bernoff and Li, 2008). This motivation is linked to relational marketing (Ashley et al., 2011), interactive consumer experiences (Lusch et al., 2010), active participation (Brodie et al., 2013) and identity construction (Agn�es Rocamora, 2011).

H1b. SMFIs’ interest positively affects perceived usefulness of fashion blogs.

Outcome of opinion leadership on fashion leadership, fashion consciousness and parasocial relationship. SMFIs are competent and convincing in providing advice, verbal direction (Flynn et al., 1996), becoming sensitive to and conscious of their surroundings (Li et al., 2013). Although their leadership authority is temporary in virtual communities (Faraj et al., 2011), knowledge is one of its most important resources (Li et al., 2013). One of the behavioral responses toward the knowledge benefit is gratitude (Tsang, 2006) which promotes relationship formation and maintenance (Algoe et al., 2008). Fashion-conscious consumers are more sensitive to the visual appearance of a product (Bloch et al., 2003; Workman and Caldwell, 2007) and are inclined to give attention to the newest styles (Gehrt et al., 2007). As the SMFIs are generally able to influence consumers’ decisions due to their expertise, we can expect them to have a positive influence on their fashion leadership, parasocial relationship with followers and fashion consciousness. Therefore, this influence leads to the following hypotheses:

H2a. Positive SMFIs’ opinion leadership positively affects their fashion leadership.

H2b. Positive SMFIs’ opinion leadership positively affects their parasocial relationship with followers.

H2c. Positive SMFIs’ opinion leadership positively affects their fashion consciousness.

Effects of SMFI on fashion leadership, fashion consciousness and parasocial relationship. SMFIs spread information through social relationship (SanMiguel et al., 2017), thus they are perceived as a tool to communicate opinions (Halvorsen et al., 2013b) allowing consumer an opportunity for self-expression (Lister et al., 2009) or “identity performance” (p. 268). Similarly, SMFIs enable the receiver to share endless discussions on fashion (Allen, 2009) and new trends are quickly diffused (Kapferer and Bastien, 2009). Because the importance of being aware of new trends and fashions has increased, consumers are now actively engaged in educating themselves (Ghemawat and Nueno, 2006). Fashion consumers display positive attitudes toward SMFI (Solomon and Nancy, 2009), converting themselves into SMFIs’ idols/ friends (Belch andBelch, 2003) even experiencing social intimacy (Bucy andTao, 2007). Thus, interactivity leads us to propose the following hypotheses:

H3a. SMFIs’ perceived usability of fashion blogs positively affects their fashion leadership.

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H3b. SMFIs’ perceived usability of fashion blogs positively affects their parasocial relationship with followers.

H3c. SMFIs’ perceived usability of fashion blogs positively affects their fashion consciousness.

Research method. Our study uses a mixed-method approach. First, we carried out qualitative method to derive a better understanding of the fashion industry, it girls, motivation and the context of the SMFI.Moreover, this first exploratory approach pointed out the dimensions of SMFI. Twenty-three semi-structured interviewswere conductedwith SMFI in the fashion industry in Portugal (see Appendix 1). Analysis of the qualitative interviews followed the guidelines of Urquhart and Fernandez (2013). All data were coded and relevant outcome were identified (see Table 1).

In the second stage, we conducted a quantitative studywith a structured self-administered questionnaire. The variables identified in the qualitative study were used to identify relevant constructs. We apply the following constructs/measures: Fashion leadership (Goldsmith et al., 1993; Gurel and Gurel, 1979; Craig and Ginter, 1975); perceived usability of blogs

Variables identified Illustration of comments

Fashion interest I had the kind of idea that writing the blog was a hobby, for the company . . . I had no idea you could get or make money of get gifts from the blog. (Helena Coelho, “Devil Wears Louboutins”)

Intrinsic motivation I started the blog eight and a half years ago. It began with a joke, a form of recreation, to have a good time . . . and stay closer to the feminine universe. I began making and creating without any expectations. (Lice Monica, “Mini-saia”)

Fashion leader While at the outset, bloggers are people who have a normal life . . .. I think I now have the power to influence others. (Maria Guedes, “Stylista”) It has happened that I spoke about a product one day and the next day, the product was sold out. . . Similarly, the “abc” lipstick brand. . . it’s not sold worldwide because of me of course, but there are a lot of people who buy it, so I’m fully aware that I influenced people with that lipstick brand, that we all want that lipstick. (Helena Coelho, “Devil Wears Louboutins”)

Fashion consciousness When bloggers post information. . . the same content is to be adapted in all networks. (Isabel Cantista, fashion writer) Men will certainly [in the future] be seeking information and inspiration from blogs. (Vanessa Martins, “Frederica”) Lately I’ve learned about male beauty with the introduction of skin care and it was very interesting to find that many men also care. (Lara Faria, “Vaidosas qb”)

Psychological closeness to bloggers

Readers want to know everything: what I wear, what products I use, my trips, the places where I like to eat and have fun. (Nat�alia Cabezas, “Trendy Taste”) I like my lifestyle, the things that I like. . . People ask me a lot. . . like to know what I wore, what I ate, andwhat exercises I do. (VanessaMartins, “Frederica”) I have received comments from people who identified themselves in some way with my career. (Nat�alia Cabezas, “Trendy Taste”)

Perceived usability of blogs They will continue to exist, to be developed, and will continue to have influence. ( Isabel Cantista, fashion writer) I think [the brands] have begun to believe that blogs have some influence, but I think I have no idea of the real influence of blogs. Perhaps because it is difficult to monitor the results and the impact that a blog has on shopping. (Lara Faria, “Vaidosas qb”) The blog goes far beyond the promotion of brands, in terms of sharing our philosophy of life, and how to be. Therefore, people identify with the person. (Nat�alia Cabezas, “Trendy Taste”)

Table 1. Sample of respondents comments supporting

variables

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(Koufaris and Hampton-Sosa, 2004; Tajuddin et al., 2012); parasocial relationship (Russell et al., 2006; Hahn and Lee, 2014); fashion interest (Lumpkin, 1985); fashion consciousness came from Wells and Tigert, 1971; Shim, 1996; opinion leadership (Lumpkin, 1985). All constructs were measured on a 5-point Likert scale (strongly agree–strongly disagree). (see Table 2).

The sample comprises the SMFI in Portugal. The questionnaire was also presented in “Essential po Marta V” and “Another Lovely blog.” Before the effective administration of the questionnaires, a pretest with five respondents was conducted that producedminor linguistic improvements.

Variables Frequency %

Age <18 years 41 8.0 18–24 278 54.5 25–30 117 22.9 31–40 62 12.2 <40 12 2.4

Education Middle school degree 9 1.8 High school degree 163 32.0 Graduate 252 49.5 Masters 82 16.1 Doctoral and other postgraduate degrees 4 0.8

Occupation Student 236 46.3 Employee 229 38.9 Unemployed 31 6.1 Home maker 12 2.4

Spending on fashion per month Up to 50 191 37.5 51 to 100 175 34.3 101 to 250 73 14.3 251 to 500 13 2.5 More than 500 2 0.4

Do you have fashion blog? Yes 191 37.5 No 319 62.5 Frequency of visit Week Up to 5 231 55.9 5–10 139 33.7 More than 10 63 10.4 Month Up to 5 59 54.6 5–10 19 17.6 More than 10 30 27.8 Season Up to 5 16 44.4 5 to 10 4 11.2 More than 10 16 44.4

Table 2. Descriptive statistics of the sample

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An examination of the construct loading factor shows that they are greater than 0.5, which means considerable convergent validity exists (see Table 3). The Cronbach’s alpha reliability indicator shows a good value of 0.80 (Nunnally and Bernstein, 1994; Nunnally, 1979).

The data analysis followed a two-step approach as suggested by Anderson and Gerbing (1988). Itemswere subjected to exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using the SPSS/ AMOS 22.0 software. The fit indices show good quality for the measurement model. In the second stage, the structural relationship was examined among the latent constructs. Maximum likelihood procedures were used for the model estimation (Gomez and Gomez, 2005; Reker, 2005).

The convergent and discriminant validity in the model were examined. There are three criteria to test convergent validity: (1) Chin (1998) recommends that the composite reliability (CR) should be at least 0.70; (2) Fornell and Larcker (1981) suggest that the average variance extracted should be at least 0.50 and (3) Chin (1998) states that all the item loadings should be greater than 0.707. Our constructs satisfy all three conditions of convergence validity, except for the construct of fashion consciousness (see Table 4). For the rest of the constructs, the construct reliability (CR) ranges from 0.79 to 0.93, and the average variance extracted (AVE) ranges from 0.51 to 0.77. The item loadings are higher than the 0.707 benchmark.

As for the discriminant validity, the extracted values of variance are greater than the squares of the correlations between the latent variables in nearly all cases (Fornell and Larcker, 1981). These values indicate discriminant validity and differentiated factors (see Appendix 2). However, this is not the case in the variable pairs of fashion consciousness. For that reason, we have estimated an alternative model by defining the correlation between the two variables as one (Anderson and Gerbing, 1998). The test of the chi-square differences indicates a significantly poorer fit in this case (Δχ2 (5) 5 131,785; p < 0.005; Δconfirmatory factor index (CFI)5 0.02;Δroot mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)5 0.006), thus corroborating the existence of discriminant validity.

Structural equation model. The structural model comprises one exogenous variable (fashion interest) and five endogenous variables (opinion leadership, perceived usefulness, fashion leadership, parasocial relationship and fashion consciousness). The structural model analysis is based on the test of hypothesized effects in the researchmodel. The estimated path goodness-of-fit indices (GFIs) demonstrate a good match: GFI: 0.877, normed fit index (NFI): 0.863, CFI 5 0.902 and RMSEA: 0.062 (Lo 5 0.058; Hi 5 0.067). Also, the chi-squared/DF is significant (CMIN/DF 5 3.079; p 5 0) and cannot be regarded as a reliable indicator of the goodness-of-fit in view of its sensitivity to samples exceeding 200. The output values attained by the structural coefficients are significant for a p level of 0.05.

Construct Relevant literature for scale items Number of

items Cronbach’s

alpha Composite reliability

Fashion leadership Goldsmith et al. (1993), Gurel and Gurel (1979), Craig and Ginter (1975)

5 0.76 0.84

Perceived usefulness of blog

Koufaris and Hampton-Sosa (2004), Tajuddin et al. (2012)

8 0.86 0.91

Parasocial interaction

Russell et al. (2006), Hahn and Lee (2014)

4 0.90 0.93

Fashion interest Lumpkin (1985) 4 0.77 0.92 Fashion consciousness

Wells and Tigert (1971), Shim (1996)

2 0.45 0.57

Opinion leadership Lumpkin (1985) 2 0.70 0.79

Table 3. Reliabilities of

constructs

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Results The results of the proposedmodel show that opinion leadership and the perceived usability of blogs are positively affected by fashion interest, which supports Hypotheses H1a and H1b. The influence of opinion leadership on fashion leadership, parasocial relationship and fashion consciousness is significant; therefore H2a, H2b and H2c have support. In turn, the perceived usability of a SMFI is positively associated with a parasocial relationship and fashion consciousness, which supports hypothesis H3b and H3c. However, the perceived usability does not have a significant influence on fashion leadership. Thus, H3a is not supported.

All in all, the results show that opinion leadership plays a key role in the development of a SMFIs’ leadership traits. The results support the positive relationship between the perceived usability of fashion blogs and the parasocial relationship; however, there is no significant influence of the perceived usability of a fashion blog on the development of leadership traits in SMFI. The results show that SMFIs acknowledge the role of intrinsic motivation in the development of leadership traits, but they deny the role of the perceived usability of fashion blogs.

Discussion and conclusion Researchers widely agree on the importance of understanding the needs that drive women to blog (Chen, 2012) and the effect of opinion leadership on the intention to follow published advice (Lang and Armstrong, 2019; Casal�o et al., 2018). However, little is known about the antecedents of a SMFI’s leadership traits. Our study investigates the relationship among the perceived usability of fashion blogs, opinion leadership, fashion leadership, fashion consciousness and parasocial relationship with SMFI. There are a number of results that emerge. This study clearly shows the influence of intrinsic motivation toward the

Construct Items Loading Mean Std dev.

Fashion interest CR 5 0.92; AVE 5 0.61

FI 1 0.770 3.34 1.409 Fl 2 0.788 3.99 1.109 FI 3 0.809 3.14 1.299 FI 4 0.742 3.38 1.282

Opinion leadership CR 5 0.79; AVE 5 0.66

OL 1 0.816 3.81 1.027 OL 2 0.804 4.19 0.980

Perceived usability of blog CR 5 0.91; AVE 5 0.56

PUB 1 0.758 3.59 1.009 PUB 2 0.791 3.81 0.975 PUB 3 0.825 4.36 0.766 PUB 4 0.828 4.00 0.972 PUB 5 0.696 4.27 0.887 PUB 6 0.671 4.03 0.956 PUB 7 0.779 4.08 0.924 PUB 8 0.616 3.75 1.144

Fashion leadership CR 5 0.84; AVE 5 0.51

FL 1 0.755 3.63 1.092 FL 2 0.650 3.79 1.072 FL 3 0.607 4.24 0.827 FL 4 0.787 2.52 1.079 FL 5 0.749 3.19 1.206

Parasocial interaction CR 5 0.93; AVE 5 0.77

PSI 1 0.878 2.74 1.261 PSI 2 0.820 2.87 1.186 PSI 3 0.895 3.13 1.265 PSI 4 0.917 3.07 1.278

Fashion consciousness CR 5 0.57; AVE 5 0.42

FC 1 0.804 3.27 1.187 FC 2 0.445 3.94 1.085

Table 4. Psychometric properties of measures

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development of fashion leadership traits among SMFI. When a young female fashion influencer is intrinsically motivated to help other consumers to make better purchasing decisions, this action leads to the development of their leadership. This study confirms the findings of a previous study by Ho and Dempsey (2010) on forwarding online content that indicates a positive association between the “concern for others” and eWOM. Similarly, the study by Hennig-Thurau (2004) highlights that the influence of concern for others is a predictor of the frequency of visits to social platforms for eWOM. By demonstrating a positive influence of opinion leadership on the psychological closeness to SMFI, this study also confirms Clark (2010) and Greenwood’s (2008) findings that there is a presence of a high- level parasocial relationship in the context of SMFI and their recognition at fashion shows.

Our study does not find an association between the perceived usability of SMFI and the development of leadership. SMFI do not attribute the development of fashion leadership to fashion blog. Although SMFIs have psychological closeness toward the followers, the followers do not acknowledge the role of fashion blog in developing fashion leadership. This may be because the power of the brand (love) should be balanced with the SMFI power (Bairrada et al., 2019). This lack may be due to the presence of a self-serving bias wherein individuals tend to protect their ego from reality (Allport and Harrington, 1938). Some researchers have described this bias as a unique phenomenon that is observed in Western culture (Heine and Hamamura, 2007). For instance, individual SMFI tends to blame computers for negative outcomes and tends to take personal credit for the positive outcomes (Moon, 2003).

The current study indicates that who are regular users of SMFI are more likely to have strong psychological closeness with the followers. Because SMFI readers perceive a high usability from a fashion influencer, there is a likelihood of a strong parasocial relationship. The findings also support Labrecque (2014) andWang et al. (2015) on the role of a parasocial relationship in the development of a consumer–brand relationship.

Our study has implications for marketers. Although retailers have less control over consumers’ fashion orientation, this lack of control does not diminish the importance of understanding the association of fashion leadership with opinion leadership and fashion SMFI usefulness. One could argue that the development of consumers’ fashion leadership is associated with the intrinsic motivations of sharing and helping other consumers make fashion decisions, which indicates that marketers can improve their results through using opinion leaders to assist fashion consumers in purchasing decisions. For instance, Fashion Nova – a California-based company that is one of the most searched fashion brands on Google – has earned more than $125bn in earned media value based on 611m likes. It has marketed through its 3,000 influencers (Nova Babes) to model the clothes and generate popularity. Nova Babe, Kenya “Kiki Khristine”Morris (plus-sized girl), stressed: “Every plus- size girl’s not conservative, you know? . . . I want my belly to be out too. If you have that confidence, do it, why not?” (Hughes, 2018, p. 4). Secondly, the other interesting aspect related to our findings is how SMFIs are associated with followers. As noted earlier, SMFI may experience social intimacy through the specific platforms. This intimacy indicates the possibility of a parasocial relationship between SMFIs and followers. Our study finds that SMFIs are indeed psychologically close to followers.Marketers should use this information to understand how bonds between SMFIs and followers can be nurtured. Fashion brands should shift the consumers’ focus toward SMFI recommendations in a purchasing decision.

This study provides a number of directions for future research. First, while this preliminary study identifies the associations of consumers’ fashion orientation with opinion leadership and the usefulness of SMFI, further studies on the progress of SMFI expertise due to sustained use of SMFIwill help us to understand influencer’s behavior. Second, as there is a parasocial relationship between SMFI and followers, further studies should explore the processes adopted by fashion consumers to evaluate SMFI.

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Further reading

Carrigan, M., Szmigin, I. and Wright, J. (2004), “Shopping for a better world? An interpretive study of the potential for ethical consumption within the older market”, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 21 No. 6, pp. 401-417.

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McConnell, B. and Huba, J. (2007), Citizen Marketers: When People are the Message, Kaplan Pub, Chicago, IL.

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Park, H. and Cho, H. (2012), “Social network online communities: information sources for apparel shopping”, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 29 No. 6, pp. 400-411, doi: 10.1108/ 07363761211259214.

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Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Corresponding author Pedro Quelhas-Brito can be contacted at: [email protected]

For instructions on how to order reprints of this article, please visit our website: www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/licensing/reprints.htm Or contact us for further details: [email protected]

Interviewers information Gender

1. Created the “Alfaiate Lisboeta” Portuguese blog Male 2. The “Style it up” Portuguese blog creators Female 3. The “Stylista” Portuguese blog creator Female 4. The “Trendy Taste” Spanish blog creator Female 5. The “A melhor amiga da Barb, i.e.” Portuguese blog creator Female 6. The “Mini-saia” Portuguese blog creator Female 7. The “Frederica” Portuguese blog creator and identified as a SMFI from the Vogue Portugal Female 8. The “Devil Wears Louboutin” Portuguese blog creator Female 9. The “Vaidosas qb” Portuguese blog creator Female 10. The “Second Skin” Portuguese blog creators Female 11. The “The beauty and the best” Portuguese blog creator Female 12. The “Marisa Ferreira blog” Portuguese blog and vlog creator Female 13. The “Daniela Oliveira” Portuguese blog and vlog creator Female 14. A fashion Portuguese journalist Female 15. “Social Target” book authors Female 16. Fashion Researcher and book author Female 17. President of the Selective Fashion Association and Portugal Fashion Organization member Male 18. Doctor in luxury management and a professional expertise in fashion brands Male 19. Trends Research Specialist in Worth Global Style Network for Portugal and Spain markets Female 20. Cheyenne Marketing Director Female 21. Head of Portugal in LEWIS PR (Communication agency which works with SMFI) Male 22. Communication Consultant in the YoungNetwork Group Female 23. Communication and PR Coordinator from Salsa fashion brand Female

AVE FL PU PS FI FC OL

0.51 FL 0.71 0.56 PU 0.65 0.75 0.77 PS 0.65 0.83 0.88 0.60 FI 0.87 0.67 0.65 0.78 0.42 FC 0.80 0.54 0.54 0.83 0.65 0.68 OL 0.90 0.66 0.65 0.80 0.802 0.83

Table A1. Semi-structured interview list

Table A2. Correlation matrix and psychometric properties of key constructs

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