Social Media Influencers and Buying Behavior among University Students in Kenya: A Case Study of Daystar University Students.

Abstract

Despite the increasing numbers of social media influencers and their impact on social media marketing, little study has been done to establish the specific impact they have on buying behaviors of university students. These students exhibit a high usage of social media. In Daystar, 51.7% of students use social media to get information, which may imply an intersection between media usage and product search. The objectives of the study were to establish the effect of social media influencer endorsements on buying behavior of Daystar University students, to determine how social media influencer recommendations affect buying behavior of Daystar University students and to establish how social media influencer referrals impact buying behavior of Daystar University students. The study was guided by the Source Credibility Theory (SCT), Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Theory of Persuasion. The research adopted descriptive cross-sectional research design which is useful in describing the characteristics of the variables under study. The study’s target population was university students at Daystar university in both Valley Road Campus and Athi River Campus who total to 6,547 students. The sample was selected using Cochran’s formula to arrive at 190 students. Stratified random sampling method was used in this study since it addresses the inherent heterogeneity in the study population. A structured questionnaire allowed the researcher to freely gather quantitative data from the respondents, which was analyzed using Social Packages Statistical Sciences (SPSS) version 27.0. Data was presented using descriptive statistics. The study reveals that social media influencer endorsements, recommendations, and referrals significantly influence the buying behavior of Daystar University students. Endorsements have the strongest impact, with 85% of respondents more likely to try new products and a correlation of 0.696 indicating a strong positive relationship. Referrals also show a substantial influence, with 83% of students gaining confidence in their purchases and a correlation of 0.672. While recommendations play a notable role, with 79% of students trusting influencers, the correlation is moderately strong at 0.432, suggesting other factors also contribute to their purchasing decisions. The study recommended optimizing social media usage, developing a social media marketing strategy and implementing social media institutional support. This study concludes that social media influencer endorsements, recommendations, and referrals significantly influence the buying behavior of students at Daystar University by fostering trust, brand loyalty, and purchase confidence. Influencer endorsements drive product discovery and decisionmaking, often leading students to make purchases without additional research. To optimize these benefits, the study recommends enhancing social media usage among students, developing targeted social media marketing strategies that integrate influencers, and providing institutional support to promote responsible social media engagement. This approach will help students access product information and market opportunities more effectively and cost-efficiently.