Influencer marketing has become a prominent strategy for reaching young consumers, particularly on social media platforms such as TikTok. Previous research has largely focused on short-term outcomes such as engagement and purchase intentions, while less attention hasbeen paid to long-term effects like brand loyalty. The purpose of this study is therefore to examine how influencer marketing on TikTok relates to brand loyalty among Generation Z, with a specific focus on credibility, authenticity, trust, and social proof.

The study is based on a quantitative research approach using a survey distributed to 102 respondents belonging to Generation Z. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis.

The results show that influencers’ perceived credibility is positively related to trust in recommended brands, while perceived authenticity has the strongest direct effect on brand loyalty intentions. Social proof and herd behavior also demonstrate a statistically significantbut weaker positive effect on brand loyalty. These findings indicate that influencer marketing primarily influences brand loyalty through relational and emotional mechanisms rather than through social pressure alone. At the same time, the results highlight a distinction between loyalty intentions and actual longterm loyalty, suggesting the need for future research that examines behavioral outcomes over time.

The study contributes to the existing literature by empirically demonstrating that authenticity plays a more central role than traditional credibility in explaining brand loyalty among Generation Z in a TikTok context.

Denna C-uppsats undersöker sambandet mellan influencer marketing på TikTok och Generation Z:s varumärkeslojalitet. Studien baseras på en kvantitativ enkätundersökning med 102 respondenter i åldrarna 16–25 år. Fokus ligger på centrala begrepp såsom trovärdighet, autenticitet, social proof och förtroende, för att analysera hur dessa variabler relaterar tilllojalitet gentemot varumärken.

Resultaten visar att varumärkeslojalitet i studiens urval uppvisar statistiska samband medbåde autenticitet och förtroende för influencers. Dessa variabler framträder som mer centrala i relation till lojalitet än trovärdighet, vilket i analysen främst uppvisar ett samband medförtroende. Social proof, såsom trender och gruppbeteenden på TikTok, uppvisar ett statistisktsignifikant men svagare samband med varumärkeslojalitet.

Studien bidrar med empiriska insikter om hur olika psykologiska och sociala mekanismer i influencer marketing samvarierar med ungas varumärkeslojalitet i en TikTok-kontext. Resultaten belyser även behovet av vidare forskning som undersöker hur dessa sambandutvecklas över tid och i relation till faktiska konsumtionsbeteenden.