Signaling trust: Cues from Instagram posts

•Cue utilization theory explains how consumers internalize the characteristics of posts as trusted cues.•Trust online theory emphasizes the mediating role of trust in Instagram posts, which generate positive responses toward the products.•The popularity and the argument quality are significant cues for users to trust the Instagram post.•Visually appealing posts provide information on the product’s intrinsic attributes, which attract Instagram users.•The posts' trusted cues provide vital evaluative information that influence the consumers' positive responses toward the product. Integrating the psychological theories of 'cue utilization' and 'trust online', this study identifies the cues in Instagram posts that build trust, in turn mediating consumers' positive attitudinal responses toward the branded products. The survey data from 260 Instagram users support the hypotheses that the 'popularity' and 'quality of the argument' of posts positively influence consumer trust toward a post, which builds positive attitudinal responses toward the branded products. The study supports the conclusion that consumers rely on the cues of popularity and quality of the argument of a post when they make use of cues for reducing uncertainty in purchasing apparel online. Two theoretical orientations are useful for explicating consumer attitudinal behaviors toward Instagram posts. Practical implications for enhancing the quality of Instagram posts by means of cues that create trust in posts are discussed.