Download as docx, pdf, or txt
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1of 32

IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA

MARKETING ON CONSUMER
BEHAVIOR

Submitted By:
JASLEEN KAUR

Prepared under the Supervision of


Ms. Gurvinder Kaur

Submitted to:
MATA SUNDRI COLLEGE FOR WOMEN
UNIVERSITY OF DELHI
MAY, 2021

CERTIFICATE
“THE
This is to certify that the research work titled
IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING ON
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR” has been submitted in partial
fulfillment of the requirements of subject Business Research
Methods and Project Works for award of the degree of B.
Com (Hons.) from University of Delhi, in the month of May,
2021. This project contains my original work and all the
relevant sources have been duly acknowledge at appropriate
places.

JASLEEN KAUR

ACKNOWLEDGEMENGT
I would first of all like to thank Almighty, who provided me
with the strength to take up this project work.
Also, I am very grateful towards my teacher, Ms. Gurvinder
Kaur, who guided me and supported me throughout the
project work. This work would have not been possible
without her support and motivation.

JASLEEN KAUR

CONTENTS
1. Introduction
2. Objective
3. Conceptual Framework
4. Literature Review
5. Hypotheses
6. Methodology:
 Sample
 Measures
7. Analysis
8. Conclusion
9. References
10. Appendix

INTRODUCTION
A study on social media marketing would be best founded
upon an understanding of the concept of marketing as a
whole before narrowing down to the concept of social media
marketing. The practice of marketing has been around for
millennia.
Traditionally goods and services were sold in physical stores
(shops). It rapidly evolved with the times, leading to
increased competition from the early twentieth century to
the late 1940s (Hardy, 2016), requiring modern market
techniques. Marketing thus needed consumer
communications in order to cope with the rising competition.
In, the 1990s branding emerged as a marketing technique.
Companies that branded could sell more high-quality
products and reap the rewards of increased profit margins
and enhanced reputation (Hardy, 2016). In the years that
followed, technological advances were developed and the
Internet was born, followed by web-based companies.
These companies allowed for the information of goods and
services to be conveyed, and surprisingly it was noted that
they also impacted the consumers by influencing their brand
purchases. Thus internet marketing was launched, ushering a
new era in digital marketing today.
According to the digital marketing institute (2020), “digital
marketing is described as the employment of digital
platforms or channels to market or promote goods and
services to consumers and business entities." Its
advancement came with advantages that it could be able to
reach a large number of people over a short time and
increase customer base. The development of search engines
like google rapidly progressed the flow of information leading
to various social networking sites popping up like Facebook,
Twitter, among others. This could be accessed anywhere by
use of laptops, phones, and other Internet-friendly devices.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
The term social media is used to refer to a new form of
online media that involves interactions and participation. It
can also be described as a digital tool that allows users to
create and share content with the public. Borgan (2010)
describes social media as the change of people’s attention to
online platforms where they can share, discover, and read
information. Conrad et al. (2010) further attest that social
media is a relationship between sociology and technology
that creates an environment where people can share
experiences and develop networks that can either be official
or non-official.
Social media marketing is defined as using social platforms
and web-based sites to promote products and services. Social
media marketing thereby uses natural conversational
platforms in terms of people to build relationships that go
towards satisfying their needs through feedbacks. Dwivedi et
al. (2015), Yadar and Rahman (2017) have defined social
media marketing as a concept that facilitates connectivity
and interactions among existing and prospective customers.
Consequently, other scholars like Tuten and Solomon (2016)
and Choi et al. (2016) ascertain that social media marketing’s
primary goal is to facilitate businesses because they relate to
consumer satisfaction and purchase intentions with loyalties
and consumers shares. Dwivedi et al. (2015) provided that
the concept of social media marketing was born out of
focusing discussions that arose around the market offering.
Consumer behavior has been defined as the study of how
individuals make decisions to spend their resources that
include time, money, and effort on consumer-related items.
Engel, Blackwell and Miniard (1990), defined it as the actions
and decisions that people go through to purchase goods and
services for personal use. Loudon and Bitta (1988)
consequently described it as physical activity and decision-
making process that consumers engage in when accessing,
acquiring, using, or disposing of the said goods and services.
It is essentially studying what customers buy when they buy,
and how often they buy, to mention a few.
OBJECTIVES
This study aims to examine the impacts of social media
marketing on consumer behaviour. To do this, the study will
have five objectives, as follows:
1. To explore the history and current trends of social
media marketing.
2. To determine the impacts of social media marketing on
consumer attitudes.
3. To determine the impacts of social media marketing on
consumer purchase intentions.
4. To determine the impacts of social media marketing on
consumer repurchase decisions.
5. To offer recommendations to retailers on how to make
use of social media marketing to increase their sales
performance.
RIVIEW OF LITERATURE
PAPER-1
Simona et al.(2013), conducted a research to study about impact of social
media marketing on consumer behavior . She conceptualised that the Internet
and especially social media have changed how consumers and marketers
communicate. The Internet has distinct characteristics (Peterson et al., 1997),
Social media allows customers and prospects to communicate directly to your
brand representative or about your brand with their friends. However, the
obvious question is: who are the people interacting online and how engaged
are they in online activities? This paper aims to answer this question based on
a study regarding the online activities of 236 social media users, by identifying
different types of users, a segmentation of these users and a linear model to
examine how different predictors related to social networking sites have a
positive impact on the respondents’ perception of online advertisements. The
answer can help discover how to engage with different types of audiences in
order to maximize the effect of the online marketing strategy. This paper
provides a literature review of the evolution of social media marketing and
segmentation of social media users from prominent papers, and continues
with a primary research. The aim of this research is to empirically investigate
what type of social media users appreciate and have a positive outlook
regarding advertising on social networking websites. Particularly, we consider a
segmentation of social media users regarding their perceived importance of
using social media, and these social media users represent students of “Lucian
Blaga” University of Sibiu, Romania. The responses that will be further
explored were gathered through field research, namely the information was
collected directly from respondents via the internet, from September 17 to
November 18, 2011. Finally, in the last section of the paper, we provide the
contributions of the research, the managerial implications, and limitations of
the research.
PAPER-2
Fitore (2017), conducted a research to study about impact of social media
marketing on consumer behavior . He conceptualised that the social media are
increasingly influencing and changing the way the consumers behave, and how
they make the decision to buy. Most studies show that the Internet and social
media usage is changing consumer behavioral modern trend also witnessed in
developing countries such as Kosovo. This paper will offer an overview on how
the consumers use social media in the stages of decision making process and
the psychographic variables that influence their behavior. A survey of 120
consumers selected randomly in the capital city of Pristina was conducted, to
find out to what extent they are impacted by the use of social media, and what
role it plays in their decision making process. Around 59% of the respondents
reported to have made unplanned buying decisions based on the information
obtained in the Internet, and 61.5% of them declared to be motivated for
buying by social media reviews of their friends. The implication of these
findings suggests in what segment businesses in Kosovo should focus their
market research and marketing strategy. Social media takes us back to the
beginning when people lived in groups and clans and took decisions together
by being affected with each other. By simple definition, the social media refers
to activities, practices, and behavior among communities of people who gather
online to share information, knowledge, and opinions using conversational
media (Web based applications) [6, pp.6]. Today, a web page is a necessity for
the marketing mix of a company, and the social media content is considered as
King. Through the social media, viral marketing is developed, which refers to
the strategy of urging the visitors of web page to share information published
on Internet, to their friends, so that, they can inform more people for a
product or event, through photos, videos, etc.
PAPER-3
Holly (2013), conducted a research to study about impact of social media
marketing on consumer behavior . He conceptualised that in today’s
technology driven world, social networking sites have become an avenue
where retailers can extend their marketing campaigns to a wider range of
consumers. Chi (2011, 46) defines social media marketing as a “connection
between brands and consumers, [while] offering a personal channel and
currency for user centered networking and social interaction.” The tools and
approaches for communicating with customers have changed greatly with the
emergence of social media; therefore, businesses must learn how to use social
media in a way that is consistent with their business plan (Mangold and Faulds
2099). This is especially true for companies striving to gain a competitive
advantage. This review examines current literature that focuses on a retailer’s
development and use of social media as an extension of their marketing
strategy. This phenomenon has only developed within the last decade, thus
social media research has largely focused on (1) defining what it is through the
explanation of new terminology and concepts that makeup its foundations,
and (2) exploring the impact of a company’s integration of social media on
consumer behavior. This paper begins with an explanation of terminology that
defines social media marketing, followed by a discussion of the four main
themes found within current research studies: Virtual Brand Communities,
Consumers Attitudes and Motives, User Generated Content, and Viral
Advertising. Conclusion and Suggestions for Further Research In conclusion,
research has determined that retailers can increase awareness of their brand
by being creative when engaging customers on social media sites. “As more
shoppers are using social media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and
LinkedIn) and rely on them for marketing shopping decisions, promotion
through these media has become important” (Shankar et al. 2011, 32).
According to Curran et al. (2011), social media sites such as Facebook are
better than other advertising avenues because it stores information on all its
users thus ensuring marketing reaches a retailer’s specific target market. Social
media sites are a great stage for retailers to create an experience and retailers
can use information stored on social media sites to improve user experience
with their brand.
PAPER-4
Walid Nabil et al. (2016), conducted a research to study about impact of social
media marketing on consumer behavior . He conceptualised that the best way
to define social media is to break it down. Media is an instrument on
communication, like a newspaper or a radio, so social media would be a social
instrument of communication. Social media is considered as one of the most
recent and significant E-marketing tools in the current time. Social media
provides accessibility to customers with the purpose of knowing their interests
and needs as well as affecting their purchasing decisions. Social media is
defined as the websites that connect millions of users from different parts over
the world who share same interests, point of view and hobbies. YouTube,
Twitter and Facebook are the best examples on social media that is popular for
a large proportion of consumers. So they are used for the exchange of ideas
and reviews of a particular product, service or a certain brand to gather
information and ideas formation as well as making the right purchasing
decision. Therefore, social media are considered as one of the modern
electronic marketing tools which are different from other means of traditional
marketing, therefore marketing via social media nowadays is the broadest,
fastest, cheapest and most effective marketing channel where the consumer
can obtain information and features of interesting goods easily with the
possibility of completing the purchasing & sale process without the buyer's
need to go to goods and items place. Social media marketing has been defined
as a form of internet marketing that utilizes social networking websites as a
marketing tool. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the impact of
Social Media as a marketing tool on Purchasing Decisions; Social media
becomes an important communication tool that people use to connect to
other people or organization. People use social media to share their
experiences, reviews, information, advice, warnings, tips and/or any kind of
issues that are interesting to their “connection” or friends. That information is
a helpful source, which may influence consumer’s decision-making.
PAPER-5
As'ad, H et al. (2014), conducted a research to study about impact of social
media marketing on consumer behavior . He conceptualised that Social media
is the integration of media and social communication; it is a collection of online
tools that facilitate interaction and communications between users. In light of
the growing interest in the use of social media marketing among a lot of
companies especially the mobile service providers and the transformation of
social media to an effective to all for building the relationship with consumers
many companies have utilized social media marketing as a new channel to
reach their consumers. The studies showed that social media marketing that
companies use as a tool for their marketing activities is centralized about six
dimensions: Online Communities, Interaction, Sharing of Content, Accessibility,
and credibility. Many studies focuses on the relationship between social media
marketing and brand equity, where Babac study examines the impact of social
media use on the brand equity of magazine brands. Building on an integrative
model, which brings together classical theories of brand management and the
frontiers of research in social media, this study examines one of the first
magazines to incorporate social media in its marketing strategy (Babac, 2011).
Also Erdogums &Cicek in their study aimed to identify the effect of social
media marketing on brand loyalty of the consumers, given that the concept is
receiving increasing attention from marketing academia and practitioners. The
scope of the study consists of customers who follow at least one brand on the
social media in Turkey. (Erdogums,&Cicek, 2012) . Where Odhiambo in his
study uses a scientific research methodology of case study research, this study
was designed to explore whether social media is more effective than the
traditional media on a brand management perspective and find the
implementation challenges that make it a two-face phenomenon. (Odhiambo,
2012).
PAPER-6
Heba (2018), conducted a research to study about impact of social media
marketing on consumer behavior . He conceptualised that Social media has
evolved as new technological tool, it uses mobile and web-based technologies
to generate very interactive and collaborative platforms through which
individuals and societies can share, discuss, and amend user-generated
content. Social media is becoming an integral part of everyday life for
communicating, sharing information and content (Khalid 2016). It has brought
revolutionary new ways of interacting, participating, cooperating and
collaborating amongst individuals and companies (Bruhn, Schoenmueller &
Schafer 2012). An Integral Part of social media is the user-generated content,
which allows people to connect through a “many-to-many”, rather than the
traditional “one-to-many”, communication approach (Prahalad & Ramaswamy
2004). Among social media platforms, Facebook is the most widely used
(Arenas-Gaitan et al. 2013). The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact
of firm-created and user-generated social media brand communication on five
consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) dimensions through Facebook on the
Egyptian fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. This paper used
quantitative approach, which consists of distributing, collecting, and analysing
large-scale questionnaire survey. Questionnaires were administered personally
and electronically distributed. Data were collected from 400 customers based
on quota sampling technique to cover the Egyptian population distribution and
analysed by using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results of our
paper showed that firm-created social media brand communication has a
significant positive direct impact on only four CBBE dimensions (brand
awareness, brand perceived quality, brand associations and brand trust).
Whereas user-generated social media brand communication has no significant
impact on brand perceived quality, brand loyalty, and brand trust. Additionally,
it has been found that user generated social media brand communication has a
negative impact on brand awareness and brand associations. This paper adds
to the body of knowledge by focusing on the impact of two different types of
social media communication (firm-created and user-generated social media
brand communication) on 5 CBBE dimensions (brand awareness, brand
perceived quality, brand associations, brand loyalty, and brand trust) in new
context, which is the Egyptian FMCG industry.
PAPER-7
Dr. M. Saravanakumar et al. (2012), conducted a research to study about
impact of social media marketing on consumer behavior . He conceptualised
that During different time era's different methods of communications has
developed and changed the day by day life. Social media has become the
method of statement in the 21't century, enabling us to express our belief,
ideas and manner in a absolute new way. This way of message have also have
a huge impact on corporation, where they have realize that without a correct
plan and social media strategy they have no chance to stand out in the rapidly
changing digital freedom. To guarantee a successful attendance on social
media the companies need to take different marketing theories into
consideration so that they can boost their brand in different aspect. If this can
be collective with original ways of consumer interaction the companies have a
good chance to take the lead in social media marketing'. The meteoric growth
of community websites, such as Twitter, Facebook and Linkedln, have usher
the world into a new era of social media. The global reach is nothing short of
marvelous, so much so that if Facebook were a country, it would be third
largest, next to China and India. Some even say that this is the biggest shift
since the industrial revolution, which means that the world has a brand new
playing meadow At its centre, social media is any kind of online media that
stimulates participation, openness' conversation, Connecters and sense of
community. The social media phenomenon has a profound impact. Social
media has transformed research methods. This allows brands to communicate
better with their consumers, and intensify their association with them. The
advertising world has not been spared from social media influence. Companies
are now more careful with advertising; chiefly in anticipate consumer response
and avoiding unanticipated blunders to prevent a viral consumer backlash in
networking sites. Social media plays a hybrid role in the promotion mix. It
allows companies to talk to their clientele and, at the same time, it allows
regulars to talk to one another. Shaping customers' discussions to ensure they
are aligned to the organization's goals is the firm's best importance.
Companies have started provided that their consumers with networking
platforms, and have occupied them during blogs and other social media tools.
Social media is seen by Marketers today as a great opportunity to boost
market share figures. Marketers are only too happy to view the social web as a
new set of channels through which to market their goods or services.
PAPER-8
Lijuan et al. (2014), conducted a research to study about impact of social
media marketing on consumer behavior . He conceptualised that social media
has become an important channel for firms to market and promote their
brands, products, etc., but research on its marketing effect, especially the
effect of different types of marketing content, is still in its infancy. Based on
the dynamic capability theory, we analysed the relationship between social
media marketing, measured by firm-generated content, and firm performance
and consumer engagement. Then, we validated the relationship with the panel
simultaneous equation model using firm social media marketing and consumer
engagement data from Sina Microblog, which is the most popular social media
platform in China. The results show that firm social media marketing has a
significant positive impact on firm performance. Informative and Persuasive
firm-generated content have significant impacts on firm performance in direct
way as well as indirect way by achieving with influencing consumer
engagement. Our findings have various implications for academic research and
practice. Social media has become an important channel for firms’ product and
brand marketing [A. Kumar et al. 2016]. Corporate engagement in social media
can assist in promoting product sales, enhancing brand awareness, improving
brand image, reducing marketing costs, and enhancing brand loyalty [S. Kim et
al. 2015; Mohammadpour et al. 2014; Vries et al. 2012; Wan & Ren 2017]. In
addition, because of the interactive nature of social media, companies can
monitor and analyse consumers' attitudes and opinions about them [Schweidel
& Moe 2014]. Such firm behavior in social media is defined as social media
marketing. According to Pentina and Koh [2012], social media marketing
triggers viral communications amongst consumers across online communities,
brand and fan pages, and promotion related content generated by companies
or organizations on popular networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.
Jara et al. [2014] define social media marketing as a new generation marketing
tool, encouraging higher attention and participation from consumers through
the use of social networks. Richter et al. [2015], on the other hand, regarding
social media marketing as a marketing strategy of engaging with social
platforms to facilitate two-way communication with consumers. Taken
together, social media marketing is a marketing strategy of a firm, which takes
social media as a channel to satisfy the purposes of customer relationship
management and business promotion.
PAPER-9
Efthymios (2015), conducted a research to study about impact of social media
marketing on consumer behavior . He conceptualised that the commercial
Internet opened a whole new world of opportunities to consumers and
corporations by revolutionizing business practices and social relationships.
Following the dot.com boom of the 90s and the high-tech debacle at the
beginning of the 20th century, the Internet - already counting today around 1.5
billion users worldwide - is by and large perceived by most academics and
businesses today as a mainstream business platform and integral part of the
commercial and – increasingly – of the social landscape (Birdsall, 2007; Beer
and Burrows, 2007). The Internet as marketplace is a subject extensively
debated by researchers and practitioners for more than ten years but limited
research attention has been paid so far to marketing issues related to what is
widely seen as the new stage of the Internet evolution. This introductory
article reviews the theoretical foundations and explains the background of the
new generation of Internet applications commonly known as Web 2.0 or social
media; it examines the current status, the effects and the possible roles of the
social media as marketing tools and proposes a basic classification of social
media applications as potential tools of the marketing strategy. Considering
the novelty of the subject and the limited research on Web 2.0 marketing the
analysis is often using practical examples and field experiences illustrating early
efforts to engage social media as marketing instruments. This paper reviews
the nature, effects and present state of affaires of the new generation of
Internet applications known as Social Media or Web 2.0. It explores the
aptitude and potential of these applications as influencers of customer
behavior and marketing instruments. Based on research findings and field
experiences the article identifies the main ways corporations can use the social
media as strategic marketing instruments. The article identifies the main types
of Social Media applications and proposes two main ways marketers can utilize
social media: As “passive marketing tools” i.e. as sources of market intelligence
and as “active marketing tools”: as platforms of communication/promotion,
customer interaction and customer feedback. The paper proposes a
classification of the main Web 2.0 applications as strategic marketing
instruments arguing that Web 2.0 applications can be engaged as effective and
low cost tools that can substantially support marketing operations in the
virtual and physical marketplace.
PAPER-10
Nor Azura et al. (2013), conducted a research to study about impact of social
media marketing on consumer behavior . He conceptualised that in the tourism
industry, websites and social media provide a wealth of information with
regards to experiences and review of the destination, property, facilities and
restaurants (Litvin & Hoffman, 2012). What was recorded in traditional form is
now digitalized and shared globally (Munar, 2012). Trusov et al. (2009) define
social media as a medium that can provide sites for consumers to share their
experiences and opinions with others who own the specific social media where
from the usage of social media it can be positive or negative influence for other
consumers. The existence of social media has marked a substantial milestone
in the way both business enterprises and government agencies communicate
and engage with their demographic markets. Social media has essentially
revolutionized our communication patterns and behavior through the Internet,
thus creating a new medium in which we consume and disseminate
information. This paper will disclose and describe how social media can help
the tourism industry leverage on User-Generated Content (UGC) generated by
social media services to strategically position tourism based products and
services. This paper focuses on the role of social media and its relation to the
hospitality and tourism industry. This paper examines the perspective of
travellers who search for online information via social media channels and
make well-informed decisions of their travel based on user-generated content
(UGC). The authenticity and credibility of user-generated content is also
explored and discussed in this paper. This paper highlights both the benefits
and issues encountered during the process of UGC to make travel decisions.
The recommendation suggest that although social media channels are popular,
they are not yet considered to be as a credible or trustworthy as incumbent
sources of travel information. UGC plays the role as an additional source of
information that travellers consider as part of their search information process,
rather than as the only source of information. Some of the information
available through social media can be relied on but some may not be credible.
HYPOTHESIS
H1: Social media have a positive effect on the user’s trust.
H2: Trust of individuals in SNSs has a positive effect on
intention to buy.
H3: Trust positively affects PU.
H4: The site’s perceived usefulness has a positive effect on
the user’s intention to buy on SNSs.

[Due to the limitation of time we were not able to practice


correlation and regression].

METHODOLOGY

Sample:
Data was obtained from people of different age group most
of them were my classmates. A total of 34 complete
responses were collected via Google Form. For the purpose
of our research, we used “Individual” as a unit of analysis.
The average age of the respondents were between 20 to 40
years of age group, 64.7% were female and 55.9% were
employed in different sectors.
Measures:
All survey items were measured using 5-point Likert-type
scales, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree.
Correlation and regression should have been used to
understand the relationship and impact but due to paucity of
time, it could not have been done. Correlation and regression
will be applied to draw a conclusion on later date. The
constructs and their measurements are described below, and
scale items are listed in the appendix.

ANALYSIS

22 out of 34 respondents were female and the rest were


males.
The average age of respondents is between 20 – 40 years.

19 out of 34 respondents were employed.


All the 34 respondents have internet access.

33 out of 34 respondents are social media users.


18 out of 34 use social media over 3 hours a day, 13 use
between 1-3 hours a day and only 3 use for 1 hour a day.
30 out of 34 respondents prefer internet to search
information.
31 out of 34 are agree to the statement.
16 out of 34 respondents prefer others reviews in social
media, 11 prefer information and advertising provided by
business in social media and 7 prefer information provided in
traditional media.

25 out of 34 respondents like them of social media.


25 out of 34 respondents said yes.
CONCLUSION
Consumers included in the sample survey from Pristina use a lot the
Internet and the social media, and spend considerable time (most of
them spend more than 1 hour per day). The vast majority of
respondents have Internet access via mobile phones or any other
wireless de-vice/tablet, and use the social media. Social media users
in Pristina are mainly young, up to 40 years old. This is due to the
knowledge of using digital technology. Looking at the results, it can
be noticed that there is no significant difference in the users’ gender,
and most of the respondents using social media claimed to be
unemployed. From these two findings, we can conclude that young
unemployed people are the main social media users in Pristina.
Considering the increasing trend of in the use of social media, makes
us think that these young people will continue using social media
also in the future when they will get employed, making them
potential online buyers, and creating new opportunities for Kosovar
businesses. The most used social media in Pristina are social
networks (Facebook, LinkedIn), while the least are the Blogs and the
Microblog. This high share of using the social media by consumers in
Pristina is also impacting their behavior as consumers, affecting each
of the stages of consumer decision making process, and the
influential factors of this process (motivation, attention, learning,
memory). The respondents use the Internet and the social media
mainly as the search for in-formation more than they use the
traditional mass media (TV, radio, newspaper), where the main
reason is the high quantity and easy information access, and also
because of considering these in-formation more reliable due to being
provided by other consumers themselves, beyond the control of
companies. Saving the time by using the social media is a great
advantage of them. Another reason over traditional media is also the
informing without being interrupted while doing any activity.
Furthermore, most of the respondents agree that using the social
media has increased and enhanced their knowledge related to
different products and services. Search engines in the Internet
(Google) and social networks are the respondents’ main source of
searching for information. This can help Kosovar businesses to focus
on these most used social media, in order to be closer to their
consumers. The results indicate that the effect of observing others
behavior affects the unplanned purchases. From those who declared
to have bought things unplanned as result of social media exposure,
98.4% are up to 40 years old. In case of post pur-chase
dissatisfactions, the consumers complain in different ways. Most of
them talk to their friends, while others complain directly to the
company, comment on social media regarding that product, and post
different content like photos or videos, showing their dissatisfaction.
Although there are some of them that don’t complain, they just
don’t buy the product anymore. Therefore, based on the survey
findings, we can positively answer or accept the hypothesis that the
social media do impact the consumer behavior, and that this is also
comes at the benefit of businesses through communication channels
to offer better products and services, and make them easier available
to the consumers.

REFERENCES
[1]. M. Solomon, G. Bamossy, S. Askegard and M. Hogg. Consumer Behavior, A European
Per-spective, 3ᵈ edition. Edinburgh Gate: Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2006.
[2]. Internet World Stats. "Top 50 countries with the highest Internet Penetration Rates –
2013". Internet: http://www.internetworldstats.com/top25.htm, Dec. 31, 2013 [Jun. 20,
2016].
[3]. Association of Information and Communication Technology of Kosovo. "Internet
penetration and usage in Kosovo". Internet:
http://stikk.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Depertimi_dhe_perdorimi_i
_internetit_ne_Kosove_01.pdf, Aug., 2013 [Aug. 16, 2016].
[4]. Ministry of EU Integration. "A guide to implementing social media in support of Kosovo's
EU Integration Process". Internet:
http://www.meiks.net/repository/docs/Social_Media_Guideline_ENG_- _FINAL_PDF.pdf,
Nov., 2013 [Aug. 26, 2016].
[5]. Independent Media Commission. "Advertising market research and analysis in Kosovo".
In-ternet: http://kpmks.org/materiale/dokument/1389360328.1626.pdf, Sep., 2013 [Jul. 12,
2016].
[6]. L. Safko and D.K. Brake. The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for
Business Success, 3d edition. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2009.
[7]. D. Zarrella. The Social Media Marketing Book. Sebastopol 1005 Gravenstein Highway
North: O'Reilly Media, Inc, 2010, pp. 3.
[8]. E. Helsper, W. Richter, and E.T. Meyer. (2010 Apr.) . "Consumption (incl. media and
enter-tainment)". Oxford Internet Institute. [Online]. pp. 186. Available:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&c
d=1&ved=0ahUKEwi66NPP1NfPAhUC1hoKHZ8gD5AQFggoMAA&ur l=http%3A%2F
%2Fec.europa.eu%2Finformation_society%2Fnewsro om%2Fcf%2Fdocument.cfm%3Faction
%3Ddisplay%26doc_id%3D67
3&usg=AFQjCNF2oey3ek0bOUtLIoxnKDTE8S9lEA&bvm=bv.135475 266,d.bGg&cad=rja [Jul.
29, 2016].
[9]. European Parliament. "Consumer behavior in a digital envrnment". Internet:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/etudes/join/2011/4 64441/IPOL-
IMCO_ET(2011)464441_EN.pdf, Aug., 2011 [Aug. 25, 2016].
[10].P. Gillin. The New Influencers, A Marketer's Guide to the New Social Media. California:
Quill Driver Books, Linden Publishing, Inc, 2007, pp. 67.
11]. J. Surowiecki. The Wisdom of Crowds. New Yourk: Anchor Books, Random House Inc,
2005, pp. xiv.
APPENDIX – QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Name
2. Gender
3. Age
4. Current status?
5. Do you have Internet access via your personal phne or
any other wireless device?
6. Are you a Social media user?
7. Which of the social media list below, do you use?
8. How much time do you spend using social media (per
day)?
9. Which of the sources listed below, do you use for
searching information before a purchase?
10. Before a purchase, where do you search more
information?
11. Compared to traditional media, what are the
advantages of using social media?
12. What do you think of the statement that: Social
media increased and enhanced my knowledge regarding
different products and services?
13. Which of the below sources, do you consider as
more reliable?
14. Regarding your preferred brands, do you “like” or
“Follow” any of them on social media?
15. Have you ever bought anything unplanned due to
social media exposure?
16. How do you consider the social media impact in
each of the stages of your consumer decision making
process?

LINK:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScaxAFfMjVGT3_jnkXJsJ0_w_JEr0uC4qxNedq0-
e_7CSm0_A/viewform?usp=pp_url

You might also like