"Trust in the Digital Age: Analyzing the Roles of Influencers and Experts in Promoting Household Durables"
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Abstract
The aims of this research are to assess how the social media influencer and/or the traditional expertise influence consumer trust in household durables. As influencer and expertise shifts have assumed importance in the modern consumer’s decision process, this research examines this neglected area in the prose and presents research that may be beneficial to both the academia and the advertising industry. Built on the application of Mandala, stream graph, and trend analyses via Voyant, this paper examines the constantly shifting relationships between specific concepts like trust, authenticity, and expertise on the consumer behaviour timeline. The study confirms that both influencers and experts play their part in developing the trust of consumers prominently. Experts give strategic, realistic, objective, and relevant type of information in contrast to influence, which gives empathy based and appealing messages. Analysis of the stream graph confirms the influence and trust between the two as the most influential factors in consumers’ decision-making process. The trend analysis extends and reinforces how trust emerges and changes particularly vigorously; this depicts the mutual interactions between consumers’ perspective and these information sources. This study makes a unique contribution by examining trust dynamics in the context of household durables, a high-involvement product category often overlooked in previous research on fast-moving consumer goods. While the study offers valuable insights, it has limitations, including its reliance on textual data and the barring of offline or offline influences that may also influence trust. Additionally, the findings may not be generalizable across all cultures or markets, and other factors such as product pricing and brand reputation were not considered.