Influencer credibility, message quality, and consumer trust: Evidence from the Indian vegan products market

Abstract

This study examines how influencer credibility, message clarity, and message strength shape consumer trust and behavioural intentions toward vegan products, relative to certified labels. A conceptual framework grounded in Source Credibility Theory was tested using data from 412 vegan-spectrum consumers (25% committed, 35% regular, 30% occasional, 10% experimental) in Coimbatore and Chennai, India. A priori power analysis (G*Power 3.1: f² = 0.15, power = 0.80, α = 0.05) indicated a minimum n = 98; the achieved sample provided power exceeding 0.99. Covariance-based Structural Equation Modelling with bootstrapped mediation tests (5,000 resamples, 95% bias-corrected CIs) tested the proposed relationships. Influencer credibility, message clarity, and message strength each significantly predicted consumer trust and are best characterised as near-equivalent predictors (β = 0.421, 0.414, and 0.426, respectively) rather than one dominant antecedent. Consumer trust robustly mediated the relationships between these antecedents and both purchase intention and willingness to try. Influencer credibility uniquely showed partial mediation toward purchase intention, indicating a direct effect beyond trust, whereas all message-related paths were fully mediated by trust. The cross-sectional design precludes causal inference, and convenience sampling may limit generalisability beyond Coimbatore and Chennai. Vegan brands should prioritise partnerships with credible, value-aligned influencers; certification bodies must close the trust-communication gap with institutional labels; and influencers should invest in transparency and evidence-based content. This is the first systematic investigation of why vegan consumers trust influencers over certified labels, proposing and validating a novel model integrating Source Credibility Theory with message-attribute variables in an underexplored, emerging Indian market context.