Do YouTube Vlogs influence Purchase Intention? The Mediation Role of Perceived Source Credibility

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of YouTube Vlogs on consumers' purchase intention with the mediating role of perceived source credibility and previous experience of consumers in using the product as a moderator. Research data were obtained through questionnaires by the method of convenience sampling, distributed among Indian females who often use YouTube for watching videos. The study was conducted in Punjab and Chandigarh Tricity. A total of 200 questionnaires were distributed through the social networks from which 170 responses were obtained. While analyzing the data, 20 questionnaires got discarded because of missing and invalid responses. Therefore, a total of 150 questionnaires were analyzed for results. The technique of regression analysis and Model 5 of PROCESS version 3.4 for IBM SPSS with bootstrap 5000 was used to analyse the data. The research found that YouTube vlogs have a significant effect on influencing consumers' purchase intention. YouTube vloggers were perceived as trustworthy, expert, and attractive by consumers. However, the relationship between YouTube vlogs and purchase intention was not mediated by the trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness of vloggers. Consumers' previous experience in using the product has a significant effect on the purchase intention but as a moderator, it does not affect YouTube vlogs and purchase intention. The results of this study suggest that marketers can utilize online advertising and YouTube vlogs for their business Brands can collaborate with YouTube vloggers because most of the females watch their reviews before buying the products.