THE EFFECTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND INFLUENCERS ON CONSUMERS’ ATTITUDES AND PURCHASING TOWARDS ORGANIC FOODS

The accelerated growth of digital technologies has led to an intensification of product promotion and advertising through social media and influencers. This development has given rise to the emergence of novel business models in the domain of advertising and product promotion. It has become evident that social media has a significant impact on consumer purchasing attitudes and behaviours. In particular, the influence of influencers, who make recommendations in digital environments, is increasing daily. This effect is particularly pronounced in the context of food product purchasing behaviour. This study examines the impact of social media and influencers on organic food (OF) purchasing behaviour, utilising a proposed model. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was employed to assess the fit of the research model and the structural relationships within it. The data were collected from 453 organic food consumers via a voluntary online survey. The study concluded that social media advertising and influencers positively influence consumers' attitudes towards organic products, leading to stronger purchase intentions and behaviours. Furthermore, the moderating role of food innovativeness on the relationship between purchase intention and purchase behaviour of organic food products is positive and significant. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that consumers who frequently adopt and purchase new foods as a result of being influenced by promotions in digital environments are more likely to purchase organic food products.