Lim Ying San, Jeslyn Lee Jinn Yee, *Ng Tuan Hock

Abstract:

In line with the Malaysian government’s effort to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9, digitalization continues to proliferate the business world. Further, many businesses are now using social media to engage with consumers. The popularity of social media in business has created a new phenomenon in the market called Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs). KOLs are highly influential and can communicate as well as influence a large audience. However, not all KOLs have the same ability to communicate and to influence audiences. Hence, this research investigates the influence of KOL on consumer purchase intention in Malaysia’s e-commerce landscape. The study adapted the TEARS model and examined how expertise, similarity, credibility, and attractiveness influence consumer purchase intention in e-commerce. Employing a well-designed online questionnaire, data was collected from 180 respondents aged 18–27 (Generation Z) to test the developed hypotheses.

Keywords: Social media, SDG 9, key opinion leaders, TEARS model