Celebrity involvement and purchase intention for dietary supplements on Chinese social media platforms

Although interest in taking dietary supplements has increased greatly among Chinese people in the last 20 years, there is still a lack of research on the factors influencing purchase intention for these products. In this study we examined the mediating effect of the perceived health value of dietary supplements and the moderating effect of perceived vulnerability to disease in the relationship of celebrity involvement and purchase intention of dietary supplements among users of social media sites in China. Participants were 1,059 Chinese university students, who completed a survey. The results showed that celebrity involvement was positively associated with purchase intention for dietary supplements. The positive association was partially mediated by the perceived health value of the celebrity-endorsed dietary supplements. Perceived vulnerability to disease moderated the direct effect of perceived health value and the indirect effect of celebrity involvement on purchase intention for dietary supplements. Implications for theory are discussed, along with practical applications to inform marketing practices.