The Internet Celebrity Effect on Chinese Online Retail : Investigating Followers’ Purchase Intentions

It is notable that many Chinese Internet celebrities (Wanghong) start to run their own business, by promoting their self-branded products to potential customers among their followers on social media. However, only a few of them succeeded to gain profit, as simply promoting products online cannot guarantee business success. What factors determine followers’ intention to purchase products from Internet celebrities remains under-investigated. In light of self-presentation theory and related media theories, this study seeks to examine how Internet celebrities’ balancing strategy (the mix of personal and professional self-presentation on social media) and information communication technology (ICT) capabilities on social media influence follower’s intention to buy Internet celebrities' self-branded products. Besides, we also propose a new construct, Wanghong authenticity (followers’ perception of an Internet celebrity was acting based on his/her true self), as an important variable that mediating the relationship between Internet celebrities’ online practices and followers’ purchase intention. This study will extend previous research on individual purchase intention by exploring the efficacy of Internet celebrities’ ability to manage ICT capabilities for online self-presentation. In addition, our findings will provide indications for Internet celebrities on how to leverage social media as an effective tool for marketing.