Mapping the Social Media Influencer–Purchase Intention Literature: A Bibliometric Analysis and Conceptual Synthesis

Abstract

Research on social media influencers (SMIs) and purchase intention has grown rapidly; however, the intellectual framework remains fragmented. This study is a bibliometric analysis of 182 journal articles (2020–March 2026) in English published in Scopus-indexed journals. It integrates R-based bibliometric analysis (performance analysis), keyword co-occurrence analysis, thematic mapping, thematic evolution analysis, bibliographic coupling analysis, and document co-citation analysis. The findings reveal a rapidly expanding body of research that centres on four themes that keep emerging: source credibility, parasocial and relational aspects, purchase outcomes and platform-specific contexts. The field seems to be moving away from credibility-based inquiry toward trust- and mechanism-based research across methods. Based on this, the paper posits that source credibility affects purchase intention through a dual pathway: a Stimulus–Organism–Response cognitive pathway, mediated by brand trust, and a Stimulus–Organism–Response affective pathway, mediated by parasocial relationship; platform affordance, disclosure, and social commerce friction are recurring moderators. The study complements previous reviews structurally, elucidates the field's theoretical organisation, and offers a focused agenda for future research.