From Expertise to Trust: How Parasocial Relationships and Influencer Popularity Shape New Energy Vehicle Purchase Intention in China

The rapid expansion of the new energy vehicle (NEV) market in China has intensified the role of social media influencers in shaping consumer decision making, yet the psychological mechanisms underlying influencer effectiveness in this high-involvement context remain insufficiently understood. Guided by the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) framework and integrating parasocial interaction theory and social proof theory, this study investigates how influencer-related cues influence consumers’ NEV purchase intention. Using a purposive sampling approach, survey data were collected from NEV consumers in Beijing and Shanghai. A total of 475 valid responses were analyzed. Descriptive statistics and preliminary analyses were conducted using SPSS, while hypothesis testing and structural model evaluation were performed using SmartPLS with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that influencer expertise has a significant positive effect on parasocial relationship, which subsequently enhances trust in the influencer. Trust in influencer exerts a strong positive influence on NEV purchase intention. In addition, influencer popularity significantly moderates the relationship between influencer expertise and parasocial relationship, such that the relationship is stronger at higher levels of popularity. By contrast, the direct effect of influencer expertise on NEV purchase intention is not supported. These findings demonstrate that influencer expertise affects NEV purchase intention primarily through relational and trust-based mechanisms rather than through direct influence. By conceptualizing parasocial relationship and trust as interconnected organismic processes, this study advances understanding of influencer effectiveness in high-involvement and high-uncertainty consumption contexts and offers practical guidance for trust-oriented influencer strategies in the NEV market.