This study explores the drivers of social network site (SNS) users’ purchase intentions for products recommended by influencers. Drawing on social cognitive theory (SCT) and the cognition-affection-behavior (CAB) model, it investigates the factors influencing users’ decisions to follow social media influencers (SMIs) and their affective commitment toward these influencers, which in turn impacts purchase intentions. Specifically, this study examines the roles of social interaction ties, social norms, personal outcome expectations and trust in shaping users’ emotional attachment to influencers. By empirically testing the conceptual framework, this research identifies affective commitment as a key mediator between cognition and purchase intentions. Specifically, the findings show that cognitive evaluations (concretely, trust and personal outcome expectations) significantly drive affective commitment, which in turn strengthens purchase intentions. This evidence underscores the sequential role of cognitive and affective mechanisms in explaining influencer marketing effectiveness. This research contributes to the influencer marketing literature and provides practical insights for selecting influencers who can effectively drive purchase intentions, offering valuable input for brands, influencers, and policymakers in the rapidly growing digital marketing landscape.
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