<b>From Trust to Transaction: The Role of Micro-Influencer Image Satisfaction and Advertising Trust in Shaping Purchase Intentions</b>

This research tries to explore the factors that contribute to forming attitudes towards micro-influencers on social media. We explore the antecedents through which SMIs create image satisfaction and advertising trust leading to purchase intention. Taking a sample of 748 Instagram users in Gujarat, India the conceptual model was tested using Structural Equation Modelling on AMOS and SPSS statistical software. The study examined the hypothesis testing the attitudes of consumers (image satisfaction and advertising trust) towards SMIs. It was hypothesized that three variables namely attractiveness, originality and expertize positively affect attitudes of consumers. Through analysis, it was found that all hypotheses were supported except two. Expertize did not impact image satisfaction significantly and advertising trust did not impact purchase intention significantly. A complete theoretical framework is presented based on the influence of micro influencers who are increasingly being used for advertising and marketing. This study provides a thorough understanding of the variables influencing purchasing intention, which benefits both academics and practitioners.