Impact of digital celebrities on their followers’ purchase intention: Roles of wishful identification, parasocial relationship, and behavioral loyalty

Digital social networking platforms become the mechanism for fans and celebrities to have digital communication and interation. Marketers and celebrities may take advantage of this opportunity to promote merchandise to consumers and fans by leveraging the wishful identification and parasocial relationship between digital celebrities and their followers. This study investigates the effect of wishful identification on parasocial relationships, which then enhance behavioral loyalty and purchase intentions sequentially. An online survey was administered to 300 Vietnamese social network sites (SNS) users, who were following digital celebrities. The statistical results indicate that higher levels of wishful identification positively associated with higher levels of parasocial relationship, which then trigger higher levels of behavioral loyalty and purchase intention sequentially. This study therefore sheds light on fans’ behavioral loyalty with digital celebrities through their purchase identification during Covid-19 time.