The impact of social media on consumer behaviour

Over the years, social media has become one of the most important tools for branding. Despite the increasing number of companies using this for communicate, how this communication influences consumer-brand relationship and how impacts the decision purchase remains unclear. The aim of this thesis is to understand how online brand communities’ influences consumers to buy cosmetic products concerning Instagram and YouTube. The study is conducted through netnography methodology, where the engagement of brands-consumers is measured by the number of likes and comments. The four cosmetic brands analysed were Dior, Estée Lauder, Revlon and L’Oréal. These brands can be divided in luxury brands (Dior, Estée Lauder) and mass market brands (Revlon, L’Oréal). First, the study answers to how the brands behave in the two social media platforms. Second, it responds to how social media influences consumers to buy luxury and mass market products. The data collection and data analysis are divided in three stages: the first corresponds to a general analysis of six months (January to June of 2019) of each Instagram account and YouTube channel; the second stage is the observation of the posts of one month (January); and the third stage is the comparison of each online community. The analysis of the results reaches three main conclusions: (1) Brands have more engagement on Instagram and Bloggers have more interactivity on YouTube; (2) Luxury Brands have a better communication than Mass Market Brands; (3) French Brands (Dior and L’Oréal) are more well-known, creating more engagement and impacting more consumers.Ao longo dos anos, as redes sociais têm-se tornado numa das ferramentas mais importantes para a gestão da comunicação das marcas. Apesar do crescente número de empresas a usar as redes socias para comunicarem ainda não está bem claro como é que essa comunicação influencia a decisão de compra de um consumidor. O objetivo desta tese é entender como é que comunidades online, como o Instagram e o YouTube, influenciam os consumidores a comprar produtos de cosmética. O estudo é realizado através da metodologia netnografia, onde é medida a interatividade das marcas com os consumidores pelo número de gostos e comentários. As quatro marcas de cosmética analisadas foram Dior, Estée Lauder, Revlon e L´Oréal, divididas em marcas de luxo (Dior, Estée Lauder) e marcas de mass market (Revlon, L´Oréal). Primeiro, é analisado o comportamento das marcas nas duas redes socias e em seguida, é examinada a influência das redes socias nos consumidores em comprar produtos de luxo e produtos de mass market. A análise dos dados é dividida em 3 fases. A primeira corresponde a um estudo geral de cada rede social; a segunda é a observação específica e a terceira é a comparação de cada comunidade online. Com este estudo foi concluído o seguinte: (1) As marcas têm mais interatividade com os consumidores no Instagram e as Bloggers têm mais interatividade no YouTube; (2) As marcas de luxo têm uma comunicação melhor que as marcas mass market; (3) As marcas francesas são mais conhecidas e impactam mais os consumidores

A STUDY ON IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING OF E-RETAILING COMPANIES ON BUYING BEHAVIOUR OF CONSUMERS WITH REFERENCE TO AGE GROUP 18-45 YEARS IN TRICHY

The researcher focuses on impact of social media marketing of e-retailing companies on buying behaviour of consumers with reference to age group 18-45 years in Trichy attempts to focus how e-retailers can leverage social media to penetrate their market and reach-out their customers. The primary data required for this study were collected through structured questionnaire by using simple random sampling and the secondary data were collected from journals and websites. The Collected data were analysed by using statistical tools. The results of this study highlights impact of social media marketing strategies of e-retailing companies on buying behaviour of consumer and factors influencing consumer to purchase product from online

Behaviors of young consumers in a virtual environment on the example of the fashion industry

Theoretical background: The use of social media is increasing rapidly. The total number of users has surpassed more than 500 million worldwide. Social media communication is growing faster than any other form of communication. Websites such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat are examples of the social media sites that are popular among all level of consumers, but especially among young consumers. Social media are definitely influencing customer behaviour. Social media has changed the way consumers think, and companies have changed their vision to reflect how it will affect their buying decision process. This article presents the characteristics of young consumers in a virtual environment.Purpose of the article: The main goal of the article is to identify the role of social media used by fashion brands at every stage of the consumer buying decision process. The authors investigated the impact of social media on changing customer behaviour. The existing literature currently lacks a comprehensive conceptual framework to explain how social media could change consumer behaviour. Only a few studies have been conducted so far, but they have focused on the older generation, not on the youngest consumer. Nowadays, the young consumer constitutes an important but, at the same time, separate part of the market. The authors highlight the most important distinctive features of teenagers representing the so-called Generation Z.Research methods: The authors used qualitative analysis; more specifically, the technique of focus group interview. Three interviews were conducted, each consisting of eight students from Poznań universities. The main goal of this research was to identify the role of social media used by fashion brands at every stage of the consumer buying decision process.Main findings: The influence of social media on buying behaviour can be observed for fashion products. Social media play an important role in the decision-making process of young consumers. Social media have changed customer behaviour. They are an invaluable source of information and recommendations for products for young consumers. Furthermore, social media generate new needs and cause unscheduled purchases, mainly impulse purchases – for example, inflenced by a discount or an interesting presentation of the product. In addition, social media are a place for expressing opinions and sharing shopping experiences for young consumers. This knowledge about young consumers’ behaviour and attitudes to the use of social media in the decision buying process of fashion brands can be very valuable advice for companies to help them adjust tools of social media communications to their target group

Measuring the effect of immediacy on consumer engagement behaviours in social media settings

This thesis presents evidence of how immediacy affects consumer engagement behaviour in a social media setting. It answers the research question: Does immediacy influence consumer engagement behaviours with brands on Facebook? This research context is important and timely because of the rapidly increasing usage of social media by consumers and the resultant unexplored marketing challenges faced by brand managers. This thesis is informed by Social Impact Theory (SIT) (Latané, 1981), which proposes that immediacy is a determinant of influence in off-line environments. This study focuses upon three forms of immediacy, physical, social and temporal, that are identified within prior literature. This thesis measures the effect and develops SIT to account for immediacy as a social influence determinant of social media behaviour. The thesis follows a mixed method approach using focus groups and experimental design to measure the impact of each form of immediacy on four types of engagement behaviour: page liking, content liking, content sharing and content commenting. A series of three focus groups and three experimental studies were conducted with a total of 312 student participants who were presented with Facebook pages (created specifically for this study). Each Facebook page treatment was modified so that it contained either a high, low or neutral levels of each of the three types of immediacy identified in the literature and the subsequent change in participant engagement behaviour was measured. The results show that social immediacy significantly affects brand engagement intentions in terms of page liking, content liking and content sharing, whereas physical immediacy significantly affected page liking and content liking intentions. Temporal immediacy did not show any effects on the engagement intentions being measured in this thesis. This thesis presents three original contributions to knowledge. First, it makes a theoretical contribution by measuring the effects of three types of immediacy as social impact factors on engagement behaviours in social media. Second, it makes a contextual contribution by exploring how immediacy is perceived in the context of Fan pages, and by identifying other factors that can moderate the social impact of immediacy on consumer behaviour. Finally, this thesis measures the effects of product involvement, Facebook intensity usage and gender as moderators of social impact in social media settings

The Role and Importance of Online Advertising in Shaping Malaysian Consumer Behaviour During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Online advertisements influence consumer decisions to purchase and use the knowledge and attitudes toward marketing. Internet advertising has become a key determinant in influencing consumer behaviour. This study examines the paradigm shift on Malaysian consumers’ behaviours in relation to online purchases during the Covid-19 pandemic. Very limited research has been conducted on online advertising on consumer behaviour during a pandemic crisis because it can vary and have a complex trend. Prior studies in this area often centered on online advertisements' effect on consumer spending patterns. The aim of this study, based on literature reviews carried out on impact of internet advertising on consumer spending is also to introduce a new conceptual framework to the existing theory of consumer behavioural changes and the impact of COVID-19 pandemic that has become the stimulus to change the consumers’ behaviour. This study employed Theory of Planned Behaviour as an underpinning theory to explain consumer behaviour during this pandemic. The study showed mass and social media inputs were influential in assessing the severity of the crisis and thereby impacting the shopping experience. Keywords: Online advertising, internet, consumer behaviour, pandemic, Theory of Planned Behavior. DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/87-05 Publication date:November 30th 202

The Impact Of The Knowledge Sharing In Social Media On Consumer Behaviour

In the recent years, there is a significant rise in the usage of social networking site for organizations to organize marketing campaigns. It is necessary for advertisers to structure their information well in order for consumers to accept the message or product information. This study investigated the consumer purchasing process and knowledge flows between individuals in social media, at the same time considering the different type of proximity that affect it. Using the consumer purchasing decision process[1] as a source of credibility, this study will analyze from several research paper to test its hypothesis related to the different types of proximity. Results and theories have shown that advertisement and product information in social media are affected by the different types of proximity plays, which is creating an impact in the consumer purchasing decision process

The Impact of Using Social Media for Advertising Appliances on Consumer Behaviour

The small appliance industry in South Africa offers consumers a wide range of appliances, models and brands. Understanding the consumer and shopper trends is still in its infancy stage within this segment of the market. This study focuses on investigating the use of effective online engagement and the ability to understand how online interaction changes consumers’ behaviour among an appliance brand’s customers which constitute the sample of the study. How the group can understand the full route to market and best make use of segments for engagement was also investigated. A survey was conducted where questionnaire was administrated via the group’s page on Facebook and consisted of opinion-based questions on the perception of Facebook as a medium to influence consumer behaviour. The results of the survey revealed that potential consumers who use Facebook do engage with appliance brands and manufactures, and they admit that engaging with them on Facebook influences their behaviour around appliances

CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS’ COMSUMER BEHAVIOUR: ONLINE SHOPPPING AND SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE FOLLOWING THE COVID-19 ERA

Digital technologies and the Internet constitute an indispensable part of children and adolescents’ daily life. In this context, the influence of digital devices and Internet usage on children and adolescents has emerged as a broad research field. Particularly, the impact of social networks has surfaced as a prominent research question, focusing also on how social media and influencer marketing influence children and adolescents’ consumer behaviour. Contributing to this literature, in this paper we present the qualitative research we conducted in Greece within the scope of the European Research Project DIGYMATEX. More specifically, we discuss the findings we collected through qualitative research concerning the online consumer behaviour of children and adolescences, especially in relation to the use of the Internet for market research and online shopping, and the impact that social media and influencers exert on the consumer behaviour. The data was collected through six focus groups with the participation of 23 children and adolescents, aged 9-18. Apart from contributing to the existing literature with findings from Greece, our study highlights the need for further research on the relationship between advertising literacy and self-regulatory mechanisms, considering also the element of gender, and the potential connection between digital maturity and advertising literacy

Meaningful CSR Communication via Digital Media

It has regularly been stated that consumer demand for CSR is larger than ever, but do consumers really want to be informed about the ethical behaviour of brands? Does digital media have an impact on meaningful CSR communication? A research analysing consumer reaction to social media posts about CSR is limited. Using mixed method, this study examined the UK consumer attitudes towards CSR and its communication in digital media plus its consequent effect on purchasing intentions. Results indicate that consumers are more likely to evaluate a brand higher if made aware of CSR activity, which in turn affects purchase intention. Consumers have fairly positive attitudes about CSR communicated on digital media, but may react negatively if the message contradicts prior behaviour of the brand. Overall, the study show support for the communication of digital media but brands looking to enhance a damaged reputation must take great consideration over the message at hand

Impact of social media influencers on consumer behaviour: the role of purchase intention

Na atual era digital e de rápida evolução, as redes sociais revolucionaram a forma como os consumidores interagem com as empresas, marcas e tomam decisões de compra. No centro desta transformação encontram-se os Influenciadores das Redes Sociais, que pela sua proeminência online e capacidade de persuasão redefiniram a dinâmica do comportamento dos consumidores. O principal objetivo da presente investigação consiste em analisar o impacto das características dos reais influenciadores das redes sociais na intenção de compra e no comportamento dos consumidores. Salienta-se que este estudo exclui deliberadamente do seu âmbito os influenciadores de inteligência artificial (IA). Adicionalmente, pretende-se estudar o efeito mediador da intenção de compra na relação entre caraterísticas dos influenciadores das redes sociais e comportamento do consumidor. De forma a conduzir a investigação e atingir os respetivos objetivos, foi adotado um método quantitativo. A recolha de dados primários ocorreu no período de 17 de agosto à 12 de outubro de 2023, através de um inquérito administrado pelo Google Forms. Este estudo empírico incluiu a participação de estudantes do Instituto Superior de Contabilidade e Administração do Porto (ISCAP) que acompanham de forma ativa os influenciadores das redes sociais. Os dados foram recolhidos com êxito entre 204 indivíduos, sendo que todos foram qualificados como inquiridos válidos. Os resultados revelaram que, ao considerar as características do influenciador das redes sociais (SMIC), dimensões como a confiança, a atratividade, interatividade e a perícia do influenciador apresentaram um impacto direto significativo e negativo na intenção de compra e no comportamento do consumidor. No entanto, a correlação mais proeminente e positiva identificada neste estudo diz respeito à relação entre a intenção de compra e o comportamento do consumidor. De um modo geral, este estudo contribui para a literatura existente através da investigação do impacto das características dos influenciadores das redes sociais nas intenções de compra e nos comportamentos dos consumidores. Este conhecimento relevante fornece às empresas e aos empreendedores informações essenciais para que possam compreender de forma mais profunda os seus consumidores e tomar decisões informadas relativamente aos seus investimentos nas estratégias da empresa ou da marca.In today’s rapidly evolving digital age, social media has revolutionized the way consumers interact with companies, and brands and make purchasing decisions. At the core of this transformation are Social Media Influencers (SMIs), whose online prominence and persuasive power have redefined the dynamics of consumer behaviour. The main objective of this research is to analyze how the characteristics of real social media influencers impact purchase intention and consumer behaviour. Notably, this study deliberately excludes artificial intelligence (AI) influencers from its scope. In addition, we intend to study the mediating effect of purchase intention on the relationship between the characteristics of social media influencers and consumer behaviour. To conduct the research and achieve its objectives, a quantitative approach was adopted. The primary data collection occurred from August 17th and October 12th, 2023, using a survey administered through Google Forms. This empirical study included the participation of students from the Porto School of Accounting and Business (ISCAP) who actively follow social media influencers. The data was successfully collected from 204 individuals, and all of them qualified as valid respondents. The results indicated that when considering the dimensions of social media influencer characteristics (SMIC), dimensions such as source trustworthiness, attractiveness, engagement, and expertise had a significant and adverse direct impact on both purchase intention and consumer behaviour. However, the most prominent and positive correlation identified in this study pertains to the relationship between purchase intention andconsumer behaviour. Overall, this study contributes to the existing literature by investigating the impact of social media influencer characteristics on consumer purchase intentions and behaviours. This valuable insight equips businesses and entrepreneurs with essential information to seek a deeper understanding of their consumers and make informed decisions regarding their investments in company or brand strategie