Changes in consumer behavior in the digital era have made social media increasingly important in the process of searching for product information before making a purchase. Consumers can access reviews, recommendations, user experiences, and influencer content through digital platforms.
This trend is also evident in the outdoor equipment industry. Arei Outdoor Gear, one of Indonesia's local outdoor brands, faces competition from various other outdoor equipment brands. As public interest in outdoor activities continues to grow, influencer and social media marketing have become important ways to reach consumers, particularly younger audiences who actively use digital platforms.
The key question, however, is not simply whether influencers and social media can attract consumer attention, but whether they can build trust that ultimately encourages purchasing decisions.
Study Examines 210 Arei Consumers in DKI Jakarta
Muhammad Fajrialdy and Nova Rini used a quantitative approach and surveyed 210 respondents who knew about, had purchased, or had experience with Arei Outdoor Gear products in DKI Jakarta.
Respondents were selected using purposive sampling based on specific criteria, including having seen Arei promotions through influencers or social media. Data were collected through a questionnaire using a 1–6 Likert scale.
The researchers analyzed the data using Structural Equation Modeling based on Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.1.3. The method was used to examine direct relationships between influencers, social media, customer trust, and purchasing decisions, as well as to determine whether customer trust acted as a link between digital marketing strategies and consumer decisions.
The respondent profile was dominated by young consumers. As many as 95.7 percent of respondents were aged 18–24, while 88 percent were students. In terms of residence, the largest groups came from Central Jakarta at 46.7 percent and South Jakarta at 40.5 percent.
This composition indicates that the study primarily reflects the behavior of young urban consumers who actively use social media and represent an important potential market for digital marketing of outdoor products.
Influencers Strongly Build Customer Trust
The findings show that influencers have a positive and significant effect on customer trust. The coefficient was 0.606, with a T-statistic of 2.887 and a P-value of 0.000.
The result indicates that influencers perceived as credible, knowledgeable about products, and relevant to consumers' interests can help strengthen trust in the Arei brand.
Social media was also found to have a positive and significant effect on customer trust. Its coefficient was 0.174, with a T-statistic of 2.304 and a P-value of 0.021.
Therefore, both influencers and social media contribute to building consumer trust. The research model showed that these two variables explained 51.3 percent of the variation in customer trust.
Customer trust was subsequently found to be associated with purchasing decisions. The coefficient of customer trust on purchasing decisions was 0.207, with a T-statistic of 2.226 and a P-value of 0.026. This means that higher levels of consumer trust in the brand are associated with a greater likelihood of making a purchasing decision.
Social Media Directly Influences Purchasing Decisions
Another important finding is that social media has a positive and significant direct effect on purchasing decisions. The coefficient reached 0.301, with a T-statistic of 3.818 and a P-value of 0.000.
The finding shows that social media is not merely a communication channel between brands and consumers but can also directly contribute to the purchasing decision process. Product information, interactions, reviews, content, and other digital activities can help consumers make their choices.
Meanwhile, influencers also showed a positive effect on purchasing decisions, with a coefficient of 0.163 and a P-value of 0.091. In the study, this relationship was considered accepted based on the significance level used by the researchers, although the effect was relatively small.
An important finding emerged when the researchers examined customer trust as a mediating variable. The influence of influencers on purchasing decisions through customer trust was positive and significant, with a coefficient of 0.125 and a P-value of 0.035.
In contrast, the indirect influence of social media on purchasing decisions through customer trust was not significant. The coefficient was only 0.036, with a P-value of 0.160.
This means that influencers can encourage purchasing decisions through the development of customer trust, while the pathway of social media → customer trust → purchasing decision was not statistically significant in the research model.
Trust Becomes a Key Element of Digital Marketing
Muhammad Fajrialdy and Nova Rini emphasized that influencer credibility is an important element in digital marketing for outdoor products. Influencers with experience, knowledge, a positive image, and strong relevance to the product category are considered better positioned to deliver recommendations in a convincing way.
For a brand such as Arei, the findings have practical implications. Influencer selection should not be based solely on the number of followers. Companies should also consider credibility, relevance to outdoor activities, product experience, and the ability to establish authentic relationships with audiences.
Social media strategies should also focus on informative and consistent content. Product reviews, outdoor usage experiences, customer testimonials, and educational content can help consumers understand products while strengthening brand perceptions.
In other words, effective digital marketing is not simply about making a product visible to as many people as possible. Consumers also need reasons to trust the information they receive before making a purchase.
Digital Marketing Explains Only Part of Purchasing Decisions
The study also found that influencers, social media, and customer trust explained 27.7 percent of the variation in purchasing decisions. The remaining 72.3 percent was associated with other factors outside the research model.
This finding indicates that purchasing decisions for outdoor products are not determined solely by digital marketing strategies. Factors such as price, product quality, brand image, customer experience, loyalty, and product characteristics may also influence consumer decisions.
The researchers recommend that future studies expand the geographical scope and number of respondents while incorporating additional variables such as brand image and customer loyalty. Qualitative approaches could also be used to gain a deeper understanding of consumer experiences.
The study has limitations because its respondents were restricted to DKI Jakarta and focused specifically on Arei Outdoor Gear. Therefore, the findings may not fully represent Arei consumers across Indonesia.
Author Profiles
Muhammad Fajrialdy is the lead author and corresponding author of the article and is affiliated with University of Technology Muhammadiyah Jakarta. The research reflects his academic interests in digital marketing, influencer marketing, customer trust, consumer behavior, and purchasing decisions.
Nova Rini is also affiliated with University of Technology Muhammadiyah Jakarta and served as co-author of the study examining digital marketing and consumer behavior in the outdoor equipment sector.
The academic degrees of both authors were not provided in the available manuscript and therefore are not included to maintain factual accuracy.
Research Source
Article Title: The Influence of Influencers and Social Media on Arei Buying Decision Through Customer Trust
Authors: Muhammad Fajrialdy and Nova Rini
Affiliation: University of Technology Muhammadiyah Jakarta
Journal: International Journal of Management Business and Innovation (IJMBI)
Year: 2026
DOI: 10.59890/ijmbi.v4i4.45
ISSN-E: 3025-5589
Journal: International Journal of Management Business and Innovation (IJMBI)
Overall, the study by Muhammad Fajrialdy and Nova Rini shows that the strength of Arei's digital marketing does not depend solely on the presence of influencers and social media, but also on their ability to build consumer trust. For local brands in the outdoor equipment industry, combining credible influencers, relevant social media content, and long-term customer relationships can provide an important foundation for strengthening purchasing decisions.
0 Komentar