International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development

This research examines how trust and authenticity affect consumer buying behaviour using comparisons between different types of social media influencers: celebrities and micro-influencers. A quantitative approach was taken to collect data from participants aged 18 to 33+ via a structured questionnaire developed using Google Forms. A survey was distributed to 200 social media users. The data collected were then analysed using descriptive statistics and paired sample t-tests. According to the results of this study, the perception of authenticity by consumers is directly related to their level of trust, which subsequently increases their likelihood of purchasing products. Micro-influencers tend to have a more significant effect on consumer behaviour, including driving purchase decisions, than celebrity influencers [5, 23]. Even though celebrity influencers give brands access to larger audiences and increased brand awareness than micro-influencers do, celebrity influencers do not influence consumers as much when making purchase decisions. Marketers will gain access to various influencer plan styles for better determination of the target demographic, as well as increased effectiveness of influencer marketing campaigns.

Sunil Dodamani,"Trust, Authenticity, and Consumer Purchase Intention: Comparing Celebrity and Micro-Influencers in Social Media Marketing" International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, V9(3): Page(1514-1525) May-June 2026. ISSN: 2581-7175. www.ijsred.com. Published by Scientific and Academic Research Publishing.