Titel: Electronic Word of Mouth’s påverkan på Generation Z - En studie om hur trovärdighet, kvalitet och kvantitet av information påverkar köpintentionen av träningskläder. Nivå: Examensarbete på Grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Matilda Haglund Bratt & Fredrik SondellHandledare: Katarina Arbin Datum: 2022 – Januari Syfte: Syftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap om Electronic Word of Mouth’s(eWOM:s) påverkan på Generation Z:s köpintention. Mer specifikt att undersöka hur trovärdighets-, kvalitets-, och kvantitetsfaktorer inom Electronic Word of Mouthpåverkar köpintentionen vid köp av träningskläder. Metod: Denna studie tar sin utgångspunkt i en kvantitativ forskningsansats med ett deduktivt tillvägagångssätt. Datainsamlingen skedde i form av en enkätundersökning som besvarades av personer födda mellan år 1995–2009. Resultat och slutsats: Det finns ett positivt samband mellan variablerna trovärdighet, kvalitet och kvantitet samt Generation Z:s köpintention. Detta visar på att Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) har en betydelse för Generation Z när det ska fatta ett köpbeslut. Examensarbetets bidrag: Den här studien bidrar med ny kunskap om eWOM:s påverkan på Generation Z:s köpintention genom att studien visar att faktorerna trovärdighet, kvalitet och kvantitet har en inverkan på de kommentarer som läses och delas på sociala medier. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Utifrån studiens resultat är några förslag till framtida forskning att undersöka andra generationer, göra en jämförelse mellan generationer eller att genomföra en kvalitativ studie och undersöka vad en målgrupp anser att trovärdiga kommentarer innebär. Nyckelord: Marknadsföring, Generation Z, Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM), Trovärdighet, Kvalitet, Kvantitet, Köpintention. / Title: Electronic Word of Mouth's impact on Generation Z – A study of how credibility, quality and quantity of information influence the purchase intention of fitness apparel. Level: Student thesis, final assignment for Bachelor's Degree in BusinessAdministration Authors: Matilda Haglund Bratt & Fredrik SondellSupervisor: Katarina Arbin Date: 2022 – January Aim: The aim of the study is to contribute to knowledge about the impact of Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) on Generation Z's purchase intention. More specifically, to investigate how credibility, quality, and quantity factors in Electronic Word of Mouth influence purchase intention when purchasing fitness apparel. Method: This study is based on a quantitative research approach with a deductive approach. Data collection was done through a questionnaire survey completed by individuals born between 1995-2009. Result and Conclusions: There is a positive relationship between the variable’scredibility, quality and quantity and the purchase intention of Generation Z. This indicates that Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) has an impact on Generation Z when making a purchase decision. Contribution of the thesis: This study contributes with new knowledge on theinfluence of eWOM on Generation Z's purchase intention by showing that the factors credibility, quality and quantity have an impact on the comments that are read and shared on social media. Suggestions for future research: Based on the results of the study, some suggestions for future research are to investigate other generations, do a comparison between generations or do a qualitative study and investigate what a target audience considers credible comments means to them. Key words: Marketing, Generation Z, Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM), Credibility, Quality, Quantity, Purchase intention.

Utvecklingen av den digitala världen och sociala medier har gjort att konsumenter fått större makt i hur ett företag uppfattas då de direkt och indirekt påverkar företagets image genom det de delar, kommenterar och recenserar (Alam och Khan 2019). Ji, Li, North och Liu (2017) menar att en enda negativ kommentar på sociala medier kan växa till en allvarlig kris, som i denna studie definieras som en onlinestorm. Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur köpintentionen kan påverkas utifrån den onlinestorm som företaget NA-KD fick erfara i december 2020. Fallet uppmärksammades i sociala medier utifrån hur tidigare praktikanter och anställda hos NA-KD hade upplevt utskällningar från chefer, mobbning och ohållbar stress på arbetsplatsen (Hansson 2020).För att köpintentioner ska kunna förutsägas måste konsumenternas förändrade varumärkesattityd och känslornas påverkan på konsumentbeteende undersökas. För att besvara vårt syfte formulerades två frågeställningar samt två hypoteser utifrån tidigare forskning och teori och en kvantitativ undersökning i form av en enkät genomfördes. SOR-teorin av Jacoby (2002) användes som teoretiskt ramverk för studien. Resultatet av studien påvisar att konsumenterna upplevt ilska och därmed antagit ett negativt beteende som svar vilket gör att varumärkesattityden försämrats. Detta påverkar i sin tur köpintentionen negativt. Studiens resultat visar även att i detta fall har engagemanget på sociala medier varit relativt lågt hos respondenterna, men trots det har varumärkesattityden försämrats hos det allra flesta. Detta indikerar på att konsumentengagemang på sociala medier inte är en betydande faktor för att varumärkesattityden och köpintentionen ska bli påverkade i en onlinestorm. Studien är skriven på svenska. / The development of the digital world and social media has given consumers greater power in how an organisation is perceived as they have a direct and indirect impact on an organisation's image through what they share, comment on and review (Alam & Khan 2019). Ji, Li, North and Liu (2017) argue that one single negative comment on social media can develop into a crisis, defined in this study as an online storm. The purpose of this study is to examine how purchase intention can be affected by analysing the online storm that NA-KD experienced in December 2020. This case was highlighted on social media where former interns and employees at NA-KD shared that they had experienced verbal abuse from bosses, bullying and untenable stress at the workplace (Hansson 2020).Consumers changing brand attitudes and the role that emotions play in consumer behaviour must be examined to predict purchase intentions. To attain the purpose of this study, two research questions were formulated as well as two hypotheses, based on previous research and theory, and a quantitative study in the form of a questionnaire was conducted. The SOR theory proposed by Jacoby (2002) was used as a theoretical framework for the study. The results show that consumers experienced anger and therefore assumed a negative behaviour towards the organisation, which worsened brand attitude. This in return negatively affects purchase intention. The results of the study also show that in this case consumer engagement on social media had been relatively low. Despite this, brand attitude had been affected negatively with the majority. This indicates that consumer engagement on social media is not a significant factor in affecting brand attitude and purchase intention by an online storm.The study is written in Swedish.

Purpose: The study aims to explore the effects of social media influencers' credibilitydimensions (attractiveness, trustworthiness, and expertise) on consumer behavior (purchase intention and attitude towards the brand) while considering the followers' loyalty as the mediating variable in the fashion industry.Theoretical approach: The proposed conceptual model of the study is based on assumptions of source credibility theory and theoretical reasonings provided in the previous literature related to social media influencer marketing.Design/methodology: Quantitative research design is used and data is collected through selfreported questionnaires. The population of the study consists of social media users who follow social media influencers on different social media platforms. Findings – Based on data collection from 225 Pakistani respondents, the analysis of the study indicates a positive impact of the three social media influencer credibility dimensions on the purchase intention, and followers’ attitude towards the endorsed brands. Moreover, influencers’ credibility positively impacts followers’ loyalty to the influencers. In addition to the direct effects, followers’ loyalty towards the influencers partially mediated (1) the relationship between influencers’ credibility and purchase intention, as well as (2) the relationship betweeninfluencers’ credibility and followers’ attitude towards the brand. Practical implications – The findings of the thesis provide implications for businesses and marketers to understand the role of credible social media influencers in shaping consumer behavior and it also answers the question of how they influence it.Originality/value – This study adds to the influencer marketing literature by investigating the mediating role of followers’ loyalty in between the relationship of influencer’s credibility and purchase intention of followers as well as their attitude towards the brand.

Title: The power of eWOM and online reviews on Generation Z - a quantitative study about to what degree do eWOM and online reviews influence Generation Z’s purchase intention regarding interior design in Sweden. Background: This thesis explains the influence of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and online reviews on the purchasing intention of Generation Z, the world's largest consumer group, within the interior design industry in Sweden. As a result of their constant exposure to marketing through various platforms and social media, eWOM and online reviews have become increasingly influential in consumer purchasing intention. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explain to what degree do eWOM and online reviews influence Generation Z’s (those born between 1995-2005) purchasing intention regarding interior design in Sweden. Method: The empirical findings were obtained using quantitative research with a deductive approach. Data collection was done through an online survey completed by participants born between 1995-2005 and did not exclude any other age groups. After analysing the findings through an independent sample t-test and Cronbach’s alpha test, they were compared and contrasted with the existing literature to determine their similarities and differences. Conclusion: Overall, this research contributes to our knowledge of consumer behaviour and provides guidance for companies and their marketers aiming to target Generation Z. Understanding the influence of eWOM and online reviews enables companies to adapt their marketing strategies to align with this generation's preferences and trust factors.

Influencer marketing is a new marketing strategy that has risen in popularity to be used by businesses during the last decade. Even though studies have been previously made on influencer marketing, little research has been made specifically on influencer marketing in combination with their discount codes being offered. The main purpose of this research paper is to examine the connection between the discount codes and the effect it might have on consumers' purchase intention, behavior and impulsive buying. Furthermore, the satisfactory levels after a purchase due to influencer marketing has been examined as it has not been seen in previous studies. The findings revealed that consumers are directly affected by influencer discount codes, causing impulsive buying to a certain level and affects the purchase intentions and decision-making in a faster manner. Furthermore, consumers who had purchased products due to influencer marketing obtained a high satisfactory level post-purchase. The same result could be seen both with and without discount codes. These results contribute to a positive insight of influencer marketing for businesses as the majority of the consumers were satisfied with their purchases. The research paper is written in english.

Purpose: This research aims to test the identified factors that influence the online purchase intentions of millennial (Gen Y) and Gen Z Africans who reside in Sweden and to find out whether there are differences in the online purchase intention between the two generational cohorts. Research design: In order to fulfil the purpose of this study, an online questionnaire was distributed to Gen Y and Gen Z Africans living in Sweden. A total of 203 valid responses were collected through the convenience sampling and snowball sampling method. With the valid responses, the multiple linear regression and analysis of variance were conducted. Findings: The study has found enough evidence to prove that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and green concern all have an influence on the online purchase intention of Gen Y and Gen Z Africans living in Sweden. However, the perceived risks is the only factor that does not have an influence on the online purchase intention of Gen Y and Gen Z Africans living in Sweden. Also, the study proves that there are no statistically significant differences in the attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, green concern and perceived risks of the two generations in question.

Microtransactions is a relatively new concept within the gaming industry witha very large monetary value for businesses. Companies utilize persuasivedesign strategies such as time-based scarcity in order to incentivize players tospend money on microtransactions which in turn creates addiction towardsmicrotransactions. The purpose of this paper is to explain the addictiveinfluence limited time scarcity possesses on purchase intention for randomizedvirtual cosmetics (RVC) or definite virtual cosmetics (DVC), and which ofRVC and DVC carries the stronger influence. To arrive to a fitting conclusion,a quantitative method was utilized in order to collect the data required. Sincethis research is explanatory in nature and built on existing research, a crosssectional approach was utilized. Two hypotheses were tested, and aquestionnaire was conducted. The findings from this study suggest that bothRVC and DVC has an impact on purchase intention, however RVC proves tocarry a stronger influence than DVC.

Titel: Influencer marketing på Instagram: Påverkan på konsumenters attityd och köpintention utifrån trovärdighetsfaktorer, opinionsledarskap, follower/followee-ratio och sympati Nivå: C-uppsats, examensarbete inom företagsekonomi Författare: Madeliene Hedin & Selicia Strindlund Handledare: Jonas Kågström & Martin Ahlenius Examinator: Lars-Johan Åge Datum: 2022 - Maj Syfte: Syftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap om hur influencers trovärdighet påverkar konsumenters köpintention. Mer specifikt undersöks huruvida konsumenters attityd mot influencers påverkas utifrån follower/followee ratio, trovärdighetsfaktorer (trovärdighet, expertis och attraktivitet), opinionsledarskap samt sympati. Metod: Studien är en replikering av tidigare forskning av De Veirman m. fl. (2017) och har sin utgångspunkt i en kvantitativ forskningsdesign med en deduktiv ansats. Data insamlades med hjälp av en webbaserad enkätundersökning som besvarades av 290 respondenter.  Resultat och slutsats: Resultatet av denna undersökning påvisade att ett högt följarantal inte nödvändigtvis har en positiv effekt på konsumentens köpintention. Det är dock av vikt att en influencers konto känns äkta genom att inte dölja följare/följer-antal, då denna information har en positiv påverkan på konsumenters attityd mot influencern. Resultatet visar därutöver att en microinfluencer har störst positiv påverkan på konsumentens köpbeteende. Studiens bidrag: Då denna studie konstaterar att microinfluencers har större inverkan på köpbeslut än macroinfluencers är det därav mer effektivt och lönsamt för företag att marknadsföra sig genom microinfluencers.  Förslag till vidare forskning: Då influencer marketing är ett fortsatt växande begrepp som tar allt större plats inom marknadsföring är det väsentligt att forskning inom området fortsätter bedrivas. Denna studie, som är baserad på en kvantitativ metod, besvarar om men inte varför statistiken ser ut som den gör. För att få en djupare förståelse för sambandet mellan den upplevda trovärdigheten och motivationen till köpbeslut hos respondenter är därmed en kvalitativ undersökning att rekommendera. / Title: Influencer Marketing on Instagram: Influence on consumers’ attitude and purchase intention based on credibility factors, opinion leadership, follower/followee-ratio and sympathy Level: Final assignment for bachelor’s degree in business administration Authors: Madeliene Hedin & Selicia Strindlund Supervisors: Jonas Kågström & Martin Ahlenius Examiner: Lars-Johan Åge Date: 2022 - May Aim: The purpose of this research is to contribute knowledge about influencers credibility affects consumers’ purchase intentions. More specificially examine wheter consumers' attitudes towards influencers are influenced on the basis of follower/followee-ratio, credibility factors (trustworthiness, expertise and attractiveness), opinion leadership and likeability.  Method: The study is a replication of previous research by De Veirman et al. (2017) and is based on a quantitative approach. Data were collected using a web-based survey answered by 290 respondents.  Result and conclusion: The results of this study showed that a high number of followers does not necessarily have a positive effect on the consumer's purchase intention. However, it is important that an influencer's account is genuine by not hiding information about followers / number of followers, as this information has a positive impact on consumers' attitudes towards the influencer. The results also show that a microinfluencer has the greatest positive impact on consumer buying behavior. Contribution: As this research finds that microinfluencers have a greater impact on consumers purchase intentions than an macroinfluencer, it is therefore also more effective and profitable for companies to market themselves through microinfluencers.  Suggestions for future research: As influencer marketing is a continuing growing concept that is taking up more and more space in marketing, it is essential that research in the area continues to be conducted. This study, which is based on a quantitative method, answers whether but not why the statistics look the way they do. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the connection between the perceived credibility and the motivation for purchasing decisions among respondents, a qualitative survey is therefore recommended.

This research aims to investigate the impact of social media influencer’s credibility dimensions (Trustworthiness, Attractiveness, and Expertise), in shaping consumer's behaviour (Purchasing intention of customers and customer's attitude towards the brand). This proposed theoretical framework is based on social learning theory and the theoretical implications of the previous literature which is related to social media influencer marketing. For this empirical study, the data has been collected from Pakistani consumers who are following social media influencers who share and endorse products related to the fashion industry. Data is collected from 149 individuals out of which 135 were valid respondents.  Results reveal that social media influencer's credibility dimension (Trustworthiness, Attractiveness, and Expertise) positively influence the customer’s attitude towards the brands as well as the purchase intentions of the customers. In addition, the study has significance for social media influencers in the fashion and style sector in terms of understanding the factors of followers' devotion to them and the noticeable effects of followers' allegiance on their behaviour. This study adds to the literature on social media influencer marketing by demonstrating the importance of follower’s perspective towards the social media influencers. Previous studies lack in providing the Pakistan perspective related to social media influencermarketing and this research attempts to fulfill that gap. Another important aspect of this study is that the pictures of influencers have been used to conduct this research.

In the last decade the automobile industry has invested heavily in the developments of better vehicles, in regards to performance, emissions and also durability. The latest development has been the introduction of electric vehicles into the markets. The electric vehicles are touted as being better for the environment in terms of emissions and even low noise production. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)calls for ensuring that everyone has access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy. This goal is often geared towards moving the energy production to more renewable sources, making it highly relevant to electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are still fairly new in the market, so it’s worth exploring what the purchase intention looks like and how the interacting environmental factors contribute to the overall intention. This study aims to investigate consumer’s purchase intention in regards to electric vehicles and the influences that user beliefs, attitudes and risk perceptions have on the consumer’s final decision. The study also seeks to find out how the environmental risk aspects associated with the electric vehicles closely tie into the overall purchase intention. The method of collecting data was through a web-based survey where the respondents filled out different sections, the results of the survey were then studied and presented using quantitative analysis methods. The results of this study are presented with the help of previous research and theoretical frameworks that are relevant to the study topic. The study concluded that the purchase intention for electric vehicles was pretty high and that the factors influencing the intentions had more to do with personal gains or savings rather than an overall concern for the environment. The study also shows how subtly our actions can be influenced by behavioural social norms around us, this is shown in the fact that the perceived initial motivation behind the purchase intention of electric vehicles is the concern for the environment but on a deeper level it proves to be the result of social action norms. / Under det senaste decenniet har bilindustrin investerat mycket i utvecklingen av bättre fordon, när det gäller prestanda, utsläpp och även hållbarhet Den senaste utvecklingen har varit introduktionen av elfordon på marknaderna. Elfordonen anses vara bättre för miljön när det gäller utsläpp och till och med låg ljudproduktion. FN:s mål 7 för hållbar utveckling (prisvärd och ren energi) kräver att alla ska ha tillgång till prisvärd, pålitlig, hållbar och modern energi. Detta mål är ofta inriktat på att flytta energiproduktionen till mer förnybara källor, vilket gör den mycket relevant för elfordon. Elfordon är fortfarande ganska nya på marknaden så det är värt att undersöka hur köpintentionen ser ut och hur de interagerande miljöfaktorerna bidrar till den övergripande avsikten. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka konsumenternas köpavsikt med avseende på elfordon och vilken inverkan användarens attityder och riskuppfattningar har på konsumenternas beslut. Studien syftar också till att ta reda på hur de miljöriskaspekter som är med elfordonen hänger ihop med den övergripande köpintentionen. Metoden att samla in data var genom en webbaserad enkät där respondenterna fyller i olika avsnitt, resultatet av enkäten studerades sedan och presenterades med hjälp av kvantitativa analysmetoder. Resultaten av denna studie presenteras med hjälp av tidigare forskning och teoretiska ramverk som är relevant med studienamne. Studien drog slutsatsen att köpintentionen för elfordon var ganska hög och att faktorerna som påverkade avsikterna hade mer att göra med personliga vinster eller besparingar snarare än en övergripande oro för miljön. Studien visar också hur subtilt våra beteende kan påverkas av sociala normer omkring oss, detta visar sig i det faktum att den upplevda initiala motivationen bakom köpintentionen av elfordon är omtanken om miljön men på ett djupare insikt visar sig att det vara resultatet av sociala beteendesnormer.