Young female consumers’ perceptions of sustainability virtual influencers: a perspective from goal-framing and source credibility

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of sustainability virtual influencers (SVIs)’ source credibility on young female consumers’ pro-environmental motivations predicting to engagement with the SVI’s. Design/methodology/approach Combining source credibility and goal-framing theory, the study conducted an online scenario-based survey, collecting 366 responses via the Prolific platform after exposing participants to a stimulus of fictional SVI. The study conducted structural equation modeling analysis and mediation analysis using SPSS and Amos. Findings The study found that young female consumers are driven by different pro-environmental motivations when engaging with SVIs, which is particularly mediated by hedonic and normative goal motivations. Research limitations/implications The study found that young female consumers are driven by different pro-environmental motivations when responded to engagement with the SVI’s content, which is particularly mediated by hedonic and normative goal motivations. Practical implications The study examined the SVI’s qualities and underlying pro-environmental motivations of young female consumers, offering practical implications for the strategic use of SVIs in social media green marketing and sustainability awareness initiatives. Originality/value The present study bridges a gap by combining source credibility and goal-framing theory to examine motivational mechanisms underlying young female consumers’ engagement with the SVI.