Presenting a Model of how the Marketing Ethics of Female Online Influencers Affect the sale of Digital Goods

Using influencers for marketing is a good strategy because, in this way, brands not only retain their current customers but also attract new potential customers. Now, since marketing ethics can be one of the success factors of online marketing for most products, including digital goods, it is important that influencers are also aware of this standard of attitudes and ethical decisions that are applied in marketing practices. In this research, using the dominant model, the effect that the marketing ethics of female online influencers can have on the sale of digital goods was investigated. The proposed comprehensive and practical model has not been addressed in any of the previous researches. The research is exploratory, and data collection and analysis were done in a mixed manner. In the qualitative part, the research method was based on the Grounded theory, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 marketing managers and consultants in the field of online selling of digital goods in Tehran. In the quantitative part, the validity and reliability of the research was confirmed by collecting a questionnaire from 380 people working in the field of marketing and using structural equations (PLS software). Based on the findings, a model of the categories related to the marketing ethics of female online influencers, which have the greatest impact on the sale of digital goods, was obtained.