Currently, many clothing brands have focused their attention on millennials, a group of young people born from the 80s, whose main characteristic is to always be connected through the internet and have access to technology. These young people do not know how to live without social networks and influencers, accessible people who enjoy credibility and prescribers of a trend, are part of this experience.(1,2,3)

In the United States, young people of this generation follow influencers, and it is through them that they learn about and encounter new products. 50% of millennials confirm their trust in influencers, and 88% state that influencers really care about their interests and are authentic. Other reasons for following them include that they are a source of inspiration because they are perceived as successful people, and they inspire followers to be themselves and to feel good about it. On the other hand, through influencers they can learn about new trends because they like to be fashionable and to know what works and what does not, so that they feel confident about what to invest their money in. Finally, they enjoy influencers' interesting and entertaining content in a more personal environment. Regarding this last factor, it is known that men in this generation lean toward video games (62%) and sports (41%), while women lean toward beauty (59%) and fashion (49%), with YouTube and Instagram classified as their favorite social networking sites.(4,5,6)

However, this reality is not limited to the United States; it is evident worldwide. The field of fashion is explored by many young people who rely on prescribers such as Alexa Chung from England, Leonie Hanne from Germany, or Camila Coehlo from Brazil, who widely share their outfits and inspiration on Instagram.(1) Victoria Nasir and Farina Opuku, in an interview conducted by Deutschland, maintain that influencers have simplified entry for young and local brands and can show more than already established brands do; moreover, they are a source of inspiration for many people, and their reach is so diverse that it is possible to find an account according to style and budget.(7,8,9,10)

The situation is similar in Peru: 86% of young people between 18 and 24 years of age are connected to the internet, and most consume content from influencers (Msn entretenimiento, 2019). In Lima alone, 30% of young people between 18 and 35 purchase the products recommended by these prescribers. Likewise, in an interview, the vice-rector for university services at UCAL, William Wong, noted that this generation, born alongside the internet and social media, is no exception to the impact that influencers have on their purchasing decisions, especially when the products relate to fashion, travel, and entertainment. This impact is significant because, of the total number of young people, 48% of them review the posts of these prescribers daily and 20% every other day (2). This influence has been determined by criteria for celebrities and professionals that include the measured management of advertising, credibility, the level of engagement, content creation, online/offline reputation, and constant activity (3).

For its part, Tarapoto is no stranger to this reality, given that this city is among the main commercial capitals of the San Martín Region and the textile industry is a sector that has grown rapidly. The population, made up of millennials who share the same affinities for technology and social media, is increasingly attracted by the opinions of these influencers when making a purchase. After conducting an informal interview with some young millennials from the city, it was observed that most of them use social media when deciding the design, model, and brand of clothing to buy. When asked about the reasons why they trust them, they stated that influencers are experts in their field, convey confidence, and are authentic, in addition to setting fashion trends. Many of them stated that they feel disoriented when investing their money in a particular clothing brand before seeing their influencer's post or video; therefore, they consider them to be a kind of guide, unlike television advertising, which they consider misleading (11,12,13).

In this sense, influencers may determine the purchasing behavior of these young people. For this reason, the purpose of this study is to demonstrate the prevalence of influencer use and whether influencers are significantly related to the purchase decision of these young millennials.(14)

Taking into account the above, the following question was formulated as the general problem: How is the use of influencers related to the purchase decision of clothing brands among young millennials in the city of Tarapoto? Therefore, the following was proposed as the general objective: To determine the relationship between the use of influencers and the purchase decision of clothing brands among young millennials in the city of Tarapoto, 2019. To achieve this main objective, specific objectives were established: To identify the prevalence of the level of influencer use in the purchase decision for each social network; to evaluate the purchase decision of clothing brands among young millennials in the city of Tarapoto; to relate the level of influencer use on Facebook to the purchase decision; to identify the level of influencer use on Instagram in relation to the purchase decision; and finally, to relate the level of influencer use on YouTube to the purchase decision.(15,16,17) Finally, the following was proposed as the general hypothesis: The use of influencers is significantly related to the purchase decision of clothing brands among millennials in the city of Tarapoto, 2019.(18)

This study had theoretical value, as it will allow the information obtained after the application of the instruments to be supported by the foundations of the theories considered in its development, specifically the theory referring to the variable use of influencers by author Díaz (4). It is justified in practical terms, because its results will greatly help to understand the level of impact that influencers can have on the new millennial segment. In this way, companies, society, and all stakeholders involved in the sale of clothing by brands can refine their commercial decisions and their marketing strategies. Finally, as a methodological contribution, this research helped to create a questionnaire to collect and analyze data regarding the relationship between the variables use of influencers and purchase decision, taking into account each of the dimensions that comprise them.(19,20,21,22)

This study was composed of chapters, which will be detailed for a better understanding:

Chapter I addresses the review of theory, such as previous research, theoretical bases, where relevant information with authors is established, which were necessary for the theoretical construct and the definition of conceptual terms.

In Chapter II, all the methodology used was explained, establishing the type, design, and level of research used, as well as the population and sample of the study, and also the main techniques, instruments, and processing as methods addressed.

Chapter III presents the results obtained from the research, among which there are descriptive and inferential statistics, with which it was possible to provide answers to the proposed objectives; likewise, the comparison and discussion of the results obtained was established.

Finally, there are the sections that complement the study, such as the conclusions and final recommendations, as well as the references used and the annexes prepared for this study.

The method used was inductive, starting from specific knowledge when analyzing the events arising from the variables and then concluding with the answer to the hypothesis posed in this research. This method was developed to answer hypotheses and perform demonstrations; within it, there are studies at descriptive and correlational levels.

The results for the first specific objective, which was to identify the level of use of influencers in the purchase decision for each social network, showed that the greatest use was of Instagram influencers, because they obtained a higher percentage (59.4%). These findings indicate that these millennial customers always use these people (influencers) as a reference to make purchases and evaluate their purchases simply by viewing this platform and the people who use a clothing brand of interest to them.(23,24,25) This result agrees with what was found by Pérez (8), who demonstrated that influencers are an attractive point for university millennials and that Instagram constitutes a consultation platform, where the most important factor is the figure of the influencer for the dissemination of the product and brand in the field of fashion. Similarly, these results provide support for what was found by Pérez (9), who indicated that the use of influencers is increasingly frequent and effective because they share content, in terms of notoriety and reputation on networks, and have a target audience.(26,27,28)

Likewise, the findings for the second specific objective, which was to evaluate the purchase decision of the clothing brand among young millennials in the city of Tarapoto, made it possible to verify that 73.8% of respondents rated their purchase decision as good; this is because they indicated that they have been able to evaluate and, due to different factors, gradually assess certain risks, and social networks have allowed them to make good decisions. This affirms what was evidenced by Carrillo (10), who demonstrated that technological and social factors allow the consumers' purchase decision to be evaluated as positive.(29,30,31) This also complements what was indicated by Fernández (11), who mentioned that with the advancement of technology, new communication channels such as social networks have been generated that make it possible to meet consumer demand and allow more decisions that benefit the growth of clothing brands.(32,33,34)

For the evidence concerning the third specific objective, which was to relate the level of use of influencers on Facebook to the purchase decision, the statistical test confirmed this relationship, as a p-value of 0.000 and a coefficient of 0.615 were found, demonstrating that the high level of frequency of visits and the ability to evaluate clothing brands through this platform are directly linked to the good decision from the perspective of the young people themselves. This finding is consistent with what was found by Cortegana et al.(12), who indicated that the use of influencers is related to factors such as price and attractive trends, which are aspects that enable the purchase decision and even generate loyalty between the consumer and the brand. This was also reported by Fernández (11), who demonstrated that influencers (fashion bloggers) constitute an effective factor for the purchase decision of the people who follow them.(35,36,37)

On the other hand, the data referring to the fourth specific objective, which was to identify the level of use of influencers on Instagram with the purchase decision, where with the statistic used it was possible to verify the existence of such a relationship, where the significance was 0.000 and the coefficient was 0.638, allowing to demonstrate that the greater use of this type of influencers by Instagram is associated with the good decision that millennial customers have made when choosing a clothing brand. This is in line with what was found by Falla (13) who indicated that the digital fashion influencer through Instagram obtains a greater number of followers, which allows a greater reach and number of interactions with their followers, allowing them to decide the purchase of clothing on a specific brand. (38,39) Similarly, Núñez (14) indicates that the opinion and recommendation of influencers is considered by millennials when deciding to buy a fashion item.(40,41)

Other findings concern the fifth specific objective, which was to relate the level of use of influencers on YouTube to the purchase decision. This objective was confirmed, with a p-value of 0.000 and a coefficient of 0.616, indicating that a higher level of use of this type of influencer is directly connected with a better purchase decision for clothing brands from the perspective of millennials in the city of Tarapoto. This is similar to what was found by Rodríguez (15), who demonstrated that digital influencers are an important factor with respect to the purchase decision among millennials because they show the trust and satisfaction generated by influencers, in addition to the prestige of the recommended brand. Similarly, Cortegana et al.(12) indicated that the use of influencers is related to attractive trends, which are aspects that enable the purchase decision in young millennials.(42)

Lastly, the results corresponding to the general objective, which was to determine the relationship between the use of influencers and the purchase decision for clothing brands, were confirmed because the correlation test found a significance less than 0,050 and a coefficient of 0,637, demonstrating that the greater use of influencers observed in the study is directly linked to a better evaluation of the purchase decision among these young people from the city of Tarapoto. This agrees with what was found by Cáceres et al.(16), who indicated that influencers have a significant incidence on young people's clothing purchase decision, verifying that companies invested in online advertising on Instagram. Similarly, Farfán (17) stated the existence of an association between consumption influenced by social media and the leadership of fashion and style influencers recognized by female followers on Twitter, which helps with the purchase decision by these young customers. As evidenced, the two studies compared with the findings of the present study reach the same conclusion: influencers in some way or another help customers, especially millennials, who are young people between 25 and 40 years old, to opt for a particular product or brand.(43,44)

It was possible to verify that the prevalence of influencer use in the purchase decision is higher on Instagram because young millennials frequently visit this type of social network; in addition, this allows them to evaluate the various options of brands in which they are interested through their favorite or best-known influencers.

It was identified that the evaluation of the clothing brand purchase decision among young millennials in the city of Tarapoto is good because they consider that, through digital tools, they can analyze their purchases of various branded clothing, as well as evaluate various factors and risks that a purchase can entail with only references from people on social media.

It was verified that the level of use of influencers on Facebook is significantly related to the purchase decision for clothing brands, which shows that recurrent viewing of this type of influencer allows these people to make good decisions based on simple and reliable information from their perspective.

It was found that the level of use of influencers on Instagram is significantly related to the purchase decision for clothing brands, which indicates that the ability to pay attention to and view the recommendations of these influencers is associated with the decisions made when purchasing a brand.

It was stated that the level of use of influencers on YouTube is significantly related to the purchase decision for clothing brands, showing that watching the content on that platform enables young people to make correct decisions when choosing a specific brand.

Finally, it was determined that the use of influencers is significantly related to the purchase decision for clothing brands among millennials in the city of Tarapoto; this demonstrated that when there is greater recurrence in visits and brand evaluations through these platforms, there will be good decisions among these customers, but from their perspective, because they were able to obtain what they wanted only with the references of their favorite influencers or those who provided a recommendation about a brand.