Demystifying the path from posts to purchases: A mixed-methods examination of how social media influencers sway users’ attitudes and online buying intention

Social media influencers have become fundamental actors in shaping consumer decision-making, yet how their attributes translate into consumer attitudes and purchase intentions remains underexplored in emerging, trust-driven, and fragile economies. This study investigates how influencer attributes, namely, credibility, expertise, trustworthiness, and information quality, affect consumers’ attitudes toward social media influencers and, ultimately, their online buying intentions. Drawing on the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) model and Source Credibility Theory (SCT), this study adopts a mixed-methods approach with questionnaire data from 402 Lebanese consumers analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling, complemented by qualitative insights that enrich the interpretation of consumer evaluations. The quantitative results reveal that attitudes toward social media influencers serve as a mediating mechanism linking influencer attributes to online buying intention, with trustworthiness and information quality demonstrating comparatively stronger effects. The qualitative findings further contextualize these relationships by revealing that expertise is interpreted as practical, demonstrable competence rather than credential-based authority, while trustworthiness is grounded in authenticity and relational interaction. These insights advance theory by extending SOR and SCT into influencer marketing and methodologically by combining quantitative and qualitative evidence. Practically, the study guides marketers in Lebanon and similar emerging markets on selecting and leveraging influencers who foster trust, engagement, and sustainable consumer loyalty. • Trustworthiness and information quality most strongly drive online buying intentions. • Attitudes toward influencers mediate the effects of credibility cues on purchases. • Mixed-methods design explains how and why influencer attributes shape behavior. • Expertise is judged through localized demonstrations, not formal credentials. • Extends SOR and Source Credibility Theory to fragile, trust-sensitive markets.