To Study the Influence of Social-Media on Consumer Buying Behavior

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to empirically explore the role of social media in the consumer decision-making process. Quantitative research looks at how using social media can change your experience. Today, outsiders in developed regions are overwhelmed by customer feedback on products and government, and as a result, influence conclusions in unrelated areas. Web-based social networks attract shoppers because advertisers have no control over the content, timing, or repetition of online discussions between shoppers. The results show that the use of social media influences consumer satisfaction during the information retrieval and alternative evaluation stages, and satisfaction increases as consumers follow the final purchase decision and post-purchase evaluation process. Indicates that it will be done.

Introduction

I. INTRODUCTION

Studies primarily based on the customer decision-making procedure this is closely motivated through the social media platform. internet-based lifestyles has incorporated an important measurement as a unique device. People now a days all over internationally are using online lifestyles to keep up with the trend both offline and online with others and associations . Now a days People have created various  associations with each others even globally primarily based social media and social media website. Our information turns into a source of effect for consumers and their purchasing behaviour. Around the world human beings have started out using the internet, for instance, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to proportion with others they meet As clients, individuals share item audits, admonitions about items, exhortation on food or wellbeing, tips on utilizing certain items, data about a help and substantially more. Client-driven web advancements has been multiplied in the recent decade on the world wide web for example, web journals, informal communities, and media sharing categories.

II. CONSUMER

A. Consumers

Everyone who buys products or services for personal use and now not for production or reselling is called a consumer. The consumer selects whether to buy something in a store or not or to be brought on with the help of the use of advertising and marketing. They are the remaining customers in the chain of distribution of services and products. Buyers are folks that purchase a product or service and might or may not use it. The person who makes use of the services or products is the consumer. The consumer is the handiest whose services or products are in the end designed for him or her.

B. Consumer Decision Process

Shoppers are folks that buy or use the products and offerings presented to them. How to shop for a home may be confusing and complex at times. The openness and ease of the facts has had a profound effect at the dynamic system, in these strains, it's far crucial what the obstacles and focus of the myth has the capacity for customers or ultimately for clients to repurchase. consequently, the customer selection-making process reflects the essential factors of the individual conduct which you use.

Consumer behaviour is divided into five stages –

1. Problem recognition
2. Search for information
3. Evaluation of alternatives
4. Final decision
5. post-purchase decisions.

a. Problem Recognition: Most choice making procedure steps begin with a few form of trouble. The patron develops a want or a need that they need to be happy. The customer looks like something is missing and wishes to address it to get back to feeling everyday. If you could determine whilst your target demographic develops these wants or needs, it would be an excellent time to put it up for sale to them. as an instance, they ran out of toothpaste and now they want to go to the store and get greater.

b. Search for Information: The final purchase desire will no longer be made without a temporary delay, in any occasion, when human beings recognize their problems, and focus on available matters; likewise, when opportunities have a specific enthusiasm for some thing or control, they'll commonly find the corresponding steps before finishing any task - recognizing without problems available options, thinking about the information of the chosen options, and eventually figuring out which of these options can absolutely skip. excellent result. whilst inquiring about their alternatives, clients are also counting on internal and outside elements, which include the previous affiliation of an object or kind, both appropriate and bad. searching for records, they will additionally explore regulate inactive to the web site or propose on line assets, as an example, Google search or clients.

c. Evaluation of Alternatives: The final purchase choice will not be made without a temporary delay, in any event, when people recognize their problems, and focus on available things; likewise, when opportunities have a particular enthusiasm for something or management, they will usually find the corresponding steps before completing any task - recognizing easily accessible options, considering the details of the selected options, and finally deciding which of these options can undoubtedly pass. very good result. When inquiring about their preferences, consumers are also relying on internal and external factors, such as the previous association of an item or type, both good and bad. In search of information, they may also explore alter inactive to the site or advise on online assets, for example, Google search or clients.

d. Final Decision: After tallying up all the criteria for the choice the customers now determine what they will buy and in which. they've already taking danger into consideration and are precise on what they need to purchase. they will have had earlier experience with this precise decision or they stick to advertising about these services or products and want to give it an attempt

e. Post-purchase Decisions: After consumption, consumers experience some satisfaction or dissatisfaction and evaluate the wisdom of the choices they make when choosing an option. Two possible outcomes are derived from this phase satisfaction or dissonance. When a consumer experiences a dissonance about a purchase, the choice is "devaluated" and the consumer begins the process of looking for and collecting information and evaluating other options for future purchase decisions.

III. SOCIAL MEDIA

Social Media may be described as a set of online-primarily based programs built on net-based ideology and technology and that allow the introduction and alternate of consumer-generated content. The communique platform is out there and empowered with developing communication techniques. As social media becomes increasingly popular, connecting humans and facilitating records exchange, customer behaviour is changing. With social media, consumers can now easily view an exciting ad on YouTube, whilst posting their very own ideas on Twitter and sharing them with friends on Facebook. Social media is not the same as paper-based totally (e.g., magazines and newspapers) and mainstream media along with Radio, tv in many ways, including frequency, interaction, usability, and performance.

We have taken these social media platforms in mind while doing this research – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And social media websites are also considered as ecommerce sites which are amazon flipkart and Myntra, mainly in this report.

A. Types of Social Media

In this discussion regarding different categories of social media, 4 distinct types of social media outlets are focused  on:

1. Social Networking Sites: A social networking web page is a web platform utilized by human beings to build boards or for relationships with other human beings with similar private or expert interests, occupations, background, or actual connections. Social networking sites, typically, permit one client to enter a list of fellow workers after which allow human beings within the title to verify whether or not certain associate web sites like LinkedIn are used to set up able agencies, whereas sites along with. fb has drawn a line between personal and professional.
2.  News Website: Social media web sites are communities that encourage their users to put up news, articles, and media and share them with other users. Those tales are calculated based on recognition, as voted for by means of other internet site users. users' comments and proportion of these tales too.
3. Media Sharing Sites: A site that gives clients the ability to store and provide their interactive media records (photos, recordings, music) and others. Media is played / seen on any Web system and can be accessed directly with a private key or public.
4. Blogs: A blog is a web-based discussion that includes informal diary entries called posts. A blog allows you to post ideas on a specific topic. As of February 16, 2011, there were more than 156 million community blogs available.

B. Social Media and Marketing

According to Weinberg (2009), he calls social media marketing as a 'platform' through 'media' to 'businesses' in companies. Social Media marketing is a process of empowering people to improve their services or products through various social media channels to attract more people who may not otherwise be available through traditional advertising. The ads used by the radio are no longer as effective as they used to be. A social networking site is a place where people with similar interests come together to share ideas, information, thoughts, and more. Through the communication channel marketers can listen to and respond to communities, take feedback and improve their products or services.

1. What makes social media marketing special?

Small and medium-sized companies can take full advantage of social media marketing where there is not enough money to use the traditional marketing method. Even though social media marketing is a developing concept, the basic concept of marketing remains the same as targeting a category of people, connecting with prospects, building trust and more.

2. Social Media and Consumer

Social media as a way to give consumers a voice. Companies are working towards the purpose of product awareness, engaging their existing customers, driving traffic to other marketing sites and a growing channel number. Each communication platform plays a role in providing, receiving, and exchanging information without restrictions, and as mentioned earlier, social media facilitates the flow of information in two ways.

As the flow of communication not only affects how companies can reach the target groups, but also influences the entire decision-making process, from message translation, to finding alternatives available, and post-purchase actions; therefore, it is important to point out that rejection, misinterpretation, and misunderstanding are potential pitfalls in communication (Smith and Zook 2011, 120). Life on the Internet exposes the other side of the potential negative effects of advertising (PR) to organizations around the world. It redefines the concept of the network and redistributes the practices that customers and products offer. Before communicating online, consumers were pressured into how far they could take protests, pass on customer care, or tell others in their area. Web-based communication sites have changed this. In the meantime, customers at different seconds can express open voices about organizations. Internet communication, as a part of it, also confuses the good buying ethics process where buying ideas can be touched not only through normal channels but also through online stages. The tendency to evaluate and evaluate choices is promoted based on information provided by outside-control groups of online advertisers, for example, peer-to-peer surveys, referrals, websites, people's organizations, and different types of client-generated content.

Social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are dynamic tools that help online relationships (Golden, 2011). It is a low-cost form of marketing and allows organizations to engage in direct communication with end users (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). Given the consumer preferences and the influential role of social media marketing, brands and consumers have a flexible role to play in the organizational structure as they now have an economic influence (Lindermann, 2004; Mayfield, 2008). Products influence the choice of customers. Customers influence other customers. This series of events touches on repurchase, which also has a negative influence on the future and long-term organizational stability (Oliveira and Sullivan, 2003). Peer-to-peer social networking, another form of consumer engagement, affects flexible advertising processes and in this way. The Buyer socialization hypothesis predicts that communication between consumers influences their psychological, emotional, and behavioural minds.

IV. OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH

Social media has become an important tool for online consumers in the modern era. Not surprisingly, all businesses have turned to social media to find and connect with their target market. There is a 70% chance that consumers will buy the product when it is sent to them through social media. The generation born in the 2000s is considered to be the generation that spends most of its time on social media websites / applications, with more than 50% of its purchases influenced by social media. Social networking websites / apps are the leading platforms for successful digital marketing campaigns. Changes in consumer behaviour as a result of social media are one of the most exciting aspects of modern advertising. The purpose of this study is to explain why, when, and how social media has influenced the consumer decision process. The survey was conducted by collecting basic data on a list of questions in Delhi NCR during the month of April.

So, the main purpose of the research is to:

1. Factors responsible for choosing certain social media websites.
2. To study the popularity of social media websites.
3. Finding which of the following promotion mix has the impact on buying behaviour of the consumer. (Advertising, Print Media, word of mouth & Email promotion)

V. LITERATURE REVIEW

The use of social media is a 21st century tradition. Internet-based messages have begun to influence various aspects of consumer decisions, shopping behaviour, testing, communication, and products etc.

The advent of social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are beginning to have a major influence on business practices and academic literature as well. Over the past few years, numerous academic research papers have explored the role of the communications platform in the business world. Twitter has been analyzed to consider the role it plays in various marketing areas to include branding and business promotion. To increase their profits, companies now need to focus on improving their understanding of their customers. As Grant (2007) points out, conventional distribution channels have suffered as consumers now use online shopping due to easier access to product / service information. Companies use a customer-focused approach to create a social network and engage with all their target groups. Changing the traditional marketing approach is now based on collaboration. Consumer motives for joining social media platforms have been identified, analyzed, and supported by several studies. Consumers have been hired to join a social media platform to get some information and ask for help; to develop their skills and knowledge about a particular product or service.

Members feel identified by symbols and meaning representing the symbol; but also, to share their enthusiasm and sense of satisfaction through community participation. The social media platform can now provide increased information about any product and product to different people with different ideas.

There are several forums that have helped to share information. For example, Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, is one of the most popular forums and has a platform for users to collaborate on sharing information. Some platforms that can generate reviews and ratings, such as Amazon.com, enable customers to review and rate products. In addition, the members of these forums are interdependent. By using a social media platform, consumers can create content and provide valuable advice to others. This new development has seen online communities and an individual network emerge from social media where members share information globally and quickly . People before making any decision about purchasing a product or service often refer to online review reviews these days. The practice of online ordering reviews from other people are particularly important for people to gain an understanding and a real idea of what a product looks like without having a real product.

With the rise of social media, a new era of content creation has emerged, in which people can more easily share information and knowledge with other users (Chen et al. 2011a). The next generation of online businesses will be community-based - a great tool for attracting new customers. Online communities provide an opportunity for organizations to have a better customer relationship management system (Ridings & Gefen 2004), for example, which brings new development where businesses can improve 389 The influence of the communication platform on consumer performance. Moreover, in those platforms where consumers have social media, members can get to know each other, providing a potential source of trust (Lu et al. 2010). This can affect the intention of consumers to buy (Gefen 2002). Sometimes the so-called "celebrity is forced" is where the role of promoters and celebrities comes in promoting the product online. There are celebrity recommendations that influence people to go to certain brands, celebrities and influences that play a very important role in online promotion (Chen et al. 2011a).

There are many social media platforms that run these activities, such as Wikipedia, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. People use a variety of social media tools, such as online forums and communities, recommendations, ratings and reviews, to interact with other online users. In fact, people are attracted to the internet to exchange information and gain community support (Ridings & Gefen 2004). Web-based lifestyle involves networking sites that promote the formation of relationships between clients from different domains, which brings a rich community structure. The client-generated content gives applications power and strength.

Reviews are one of the main areas that have emerged from social media. Customer reviews are widely available for both products and services, generating excellent value for consumers and companies. In fact, consumers are actively encouraged by firms and companies to rate and review products and services online. These activities give electronic word of mouth. This word of mouth, produced through social media, helps consumers in their purchasing decisions.

Marketers consider that social media does influence buying behaviour of people. According to purchase recommendations, 59% of all respondents used Facebook as their social media tool when receiving product recommendations. Thirty seven percent of all users were using Twitter. From these results, social media has influenced their purchasing behaviour.

Based on these results, the communication platform has a relationship between the social media platform and consumer decision-making that the communication platform affects advertising attitudes, product attitudes, and consumer buying intentions that influence their shopping behaviour. It will not affect consumer decision making, but may have a mediating effect (Taining, 2012). The social media platform can create product attitudes that affect consumer behaviour. A good image of a product can lead a consumer to decide about his purchase. When a consumer friend on social media shares or recommends services or products on social media, it affects the brand's attitude and influences their decision-making. However, advertising on social media, which is provided by marketing sources, affects both consumer product attitudes and buying intentions (Yang, 2012). Any product with a positive image on social media gets a high profit and consumers choose that product. Retailers sometimes participate in negative marketing campaigns for competitors to lower their market value and attract customers to them.

Social media is not just for advertising, but it can also be a tool for products or services to communicate with their customers. Some research shows that the social media platform allows potential buyers and potential buyers to communicate directly with the person representing the product. As more and more consumers use social media as a search and purchase tool, brands or services use this advantage to market their products. The online consumer is a thriving global marketplace, yet offers a wide range of cultural segregation. achieving this clever asset surpasses any amazing advertising opportunity. It’s hard to see that web-based healthcare is a crucial factor in achieving promotion and many advertisers understand business development opportunities using the platform. People's motivations for engaging in social media provide information about consumer activities. Consumers have three main interests or motivations to use the Internet as a means of communication, that is, information, entertainment, and social factors. Consumer exercise in an online based lifestyle has been found to be based on consumer leads on the web.

These days consumers are using the internet as their tools to fulfill their inspiration. Their inspiration can be linked to their old friends, business, or surveys to help their flexibility. Auditing using web-based communications becomes a recycled material to strengthen consumer potential as they need to be encouraged by their dollar. Web-based testing contributes to expensive, but also low-cost features as well. Individuals can see surveys about beauty, books, cars, accommodations, or even nail polish. Those surveys can stimulate purchasing or, at the same time, strengthen consumer confidence by making the most of it. Social media not only affects consumers' decisions about products or services, but also helps with other areas of study or activities such as political or judicial impartiality and appropriate trials. In the context of the justice system, an easily accessible online environment has the potential for judges to be able to contact a social media source to assist in decision-making and negotiation. Life on the Internet is one of the most cost-effective computer simulations used to streamline content and increase your business revenue. Creating a web-based lifestyle process will enhance your image recognition as you engage with a larger customer base. As people may be able to try out travel-related products and services before using them, flexible processes with different values and types of sources have been used. Numerous studies have found that many travelers use the social media platform as a guide for their travels. Reviews of places, hotels, transportation, food, or restaurants can have major implications for travelers' decisions. Travel agencies and businesses have used the social media platform as a communication tool for their audience by sending travel information; uploading photos, alerts, advice, or sharing personal guest reviews. Those factors can influence travel decisions and create the impression of your destination. Fifty-eight percent of online travel in the U.S. use ratings of their travel information: 49% of them reviewed reviews and recommendations: 18% used photos and social networking sites: 12% read blogs: and 5% watched videos.

Venkatesh, Speir, and Morris (2002) have demonstrated the doctrine of social influence in human decision-making. People who participate in social media activities are often in the community and seem to be influenced by the community by members of the community group. Social influence is defined as the degree to which a person believes that person is doing something. The use of online life in organizing movement has contributed to the expansion of real-world mobility information that provides behaviour and information on the web. Life-oriented life is characterized by the emphasis and actual sharing of web-based social media information. These results explained that with the increase in explicit happiness, the use of online health-based growth as a source of movement planning, and the level of online involvement in online life have positive effects on sharing web-based travel conferences. The social media platform has introduced a ‘culture of participation’ in which users interact with other like-minded people to participate in a never-ending process of sharing information, monitoring reviews, and soliciting ideas and ratings across all types of products, services, and activities. The level of online product reviews, characterized by thoughtful and convincing information, as well as a limited number of reviews, are found to have a positive influence on consumer purchases objectives. People are more likely to trust and believe in online information than in corporate and advertising links.

Riegner (2007) explained that daily clients expand their role in the commercial market, while using the internet as a tool for interpersonal communication and trade influences. Alsubagh (2015) explained that the internet is part of the daily life of the world's people that influences a new way of communicating through social media. The Internet provides access to pre- and post-purchase information. Its main advantages are the amount of information available and the ease of physical contact . According to Hajli (2014), access to the internet has given people the opportunity to use social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to communicate without the need for meetings. By using social media, companies can increase brand awareness, verbal communication, marketing, and generate greater support. According to Nolcheska (2017) these forums have developed two information systems that allow companies to influence the purchasing decision of target groups. With extended access, your business opens doors for change. Each blog, photo, video, or comment post can lead viewers to your organization's site and increase traffic. Web-based advertising allows your business to give you a better idea by using the customization feature.

Jackson (2009) stated that one area of modeling network interaction affects how the network influences behaviour. Also, according to Nolcheska (2017) customer communication in communication has a significant influence on decision making, ranging from problem identification, search for relevant information, further testing, final purchasing decision, and post purchasing satisfaction.

According to Dellarocas (2002) Digital Marketing has allowed people to make their imagination accessible to another online user community. Members of a particular community can, free of charge, submit comments on a particular product, topic or community and this online review has a significant influence on customer purchasing intentions (Zhang et al., 2014).

Dellarocas (2002) explained that the ways of the Internet today can change people's behaviour in important ways. Unlike a decade ago, when people based their decisions on advertising or other advice from experts, they now rely heavily on reviews or comments posted on online systems. Each customer’s partnership in online business accounts for your business is an opportunity to freely express your sympathy for your customers.

Even if someone has a question or complaint, web-based life allows you to deal with the problem using relationship expressions. A sign given by customer loyalty that sets aside the effort to create each message will look good, whether it responds to a client protest.

According to Alsubagh (2015) customers are constantly exposed to these different ads that try to capture the attention of the individual. Kumar (2004-2005) explained that search tools are now used to track previously purchased product information, such as price, style, reviews etc. The internet is often a great source of information for many customers and the social media platform allows customers to check out products, make recommendations and make status updates. These customers can easily share their thoughts, ideas and information while interacting with other online peers (Nolcheska, 2017). Life online is a platform for management and writing. Creating your organization's voice through these stages is essential to the development of your organization. Clients are happy to see that when they post a caption to your pages, they will receive a custom reply instead of a robot message. Having the option to view each comment shows that you know the needs of your visitors and understand to provide the best understanding.

VI. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

A. Research Design

Research layout is the framework of studies methods and techniques selected by a researcher. The layout permits researchers to hone in on research techniques that are suitable for the subject rely and installation their research up for achievement.

The layout of a research topic explains the kind of research (experimental, survey studies, correlational, semi-experimental, assessment) and its sub-type (experimental design, research problem, descriptive case-have a look at). There are three types of research projects:

B. Descriptive Research Design

This design is used when a detailed description of a research problem is required. It can be done in the following ways

1. Longitudinal Study
2. Research into distinct categories

C. Data Collection Method

The data collection method used is first and second. We collected basic data through surveys using the Google forums forum, which is a free web-based application. With the second data we talked to other people about their purchasing decisions and went through other research papers with related topics.

Experimental research is a test used to assess complex abnormalities. It leads to a higher understanding of the current issue, yet it will not provide satisfactory results. Such an assessment is usually made based on the initial stage.

1. Sampling Design

a. Sample Area: The entire sample area includes people from the state of Delhi NCR

b. Sample Size: We have distributed 150 questionnaires out of which 41 were rejected and because of that the sample size of participants was 109 people.

2. Questionnaire Design: The types of questions used in our Questionnaire are structured as multiple-choice questions. This enables the researcher to determine the effect that the media has on consumer purchasing behaviour.

3. Scope of the Research: Considering the objectives of the research, conducting research from a consumer perspective can be a viable option. The researcher conducted the study to help consumers identify reasons why social media platforms have changed their buying decisions. The main purpose of marketing is to analyze consumer needs and therefore the data collected by the questionnaire is based on the consumer perspective to determine added information. The research also aims to help students who may understand the importance of social media websites / applications in the consumer decision-making process. The study focused on the behaviour of end-users.

VII. DATA ANALYSIS

A.  Background

The following section presents analysis made on the data collected from the questionnaire. The questioner was sent to individuals who are currently living in Delhi NCR, India. Since the survey was sent to 150 people, the number of participants was 109.This questionnaire contains 12 questions.

In the upcoming sections analysis and findings are presented.

1. Age Distribution

The following pie chart shows the age distribution of people into 6 different age groups who filled out questionnaire.

a. The following pie chart shows the gender distribution of the respondents.

b. By asking these two frequent questions we can identify the variety of answers, which will help us to analyze more.

c. Six different age groups are covered by collected data, where 59 people lies under the age group of 15-25, 28 people lies under the age group of 26-35, 14 people lies under the age group of 36-45, 11 people are in the category of 46-55, 5 people are in the age group of 56-65, 2 people are above 66 age.

d. From the received responses, 47 of the respondents were female, and 62 were male. Since the collected data covers people from different age groups, preferences, and gender.

2. How often do you visit a social media website in a month?

The pie chart above shows the frequency of online shopping done by people. It shows that 52 people buy online every month, 30 people shop online fortnight, 2 people buy online daily and 25 people shop online weekly.

3. Apps and Websites used most for Buying Products online

According to a survey Amazon is the most popular online shopping platform with 53 people. 20 people picked flipkart, 20 people chose Myntra, 13 others.Amazon will be considered the leader of online dating sites these days as stated by the majority of respondents.

4. Do you follow Brands on Social Media?

Information about various products, promotions, discounts and offers posted on social media sites, social media and website is a great way to get information about everything without a lot of effort, thus, most i.e., 63 people tend to follow a variety of products. on social media.

5. According to you which is the most Influential form of Promotion?

The fig shows there is a greater advantage which is 44 people to the advertising promotion mix as nowadays it is done both online and offline so the reach is far bigger. Second comes the print media with 28 people where in hooding banners all the print for of advertising comes there are number of people in our report choosing the print media as influential promotion mix, then comes the word of mouth where in the customer believes what it he is recommended either by their friend family or salesperson himself so there are 23 people go with word of mouth in there buying preference, email promotion comes last with 14 people voting for it as there are chances of spam emailing which is a kind of fraud so it comes last.

6. Does social media affect your vision of the brand?

Social media is like a megaphone to generate product information about customers, brands that can shine and make a profit in this way by generating positive information about their products and services. A total of 49 of respondents said that social media interferes with a product's perception of customers. This can have a negative influence on a product in a situation where there are fewer negative reviews about the product on social media, targeted audiences may view you as trusted and may not buy the product or service from that product. Although, a minority of 34 said that social media does not affect product vision, they strongly believe in trying the product and service and then judging instead of looking at their promotions on various websites.

7. Do you agree that your purchase is influenced by social media?

All types of businesses have turned to social media to find and connect with their target market. Consumer purchasing power is affected by the promotion of the social media platform. 57 of people agree that social media influences buying, and 5 of people are neutral and very few people oppose this fact.

VIII. FINDINGS

1. The majority of respondents were from the age group of 15-25 as this is the age group that spends the maximum number of hours on the Social Network.
2. Data from the survey shows that about half the population usually shop online once or twice a month. This may suggest that they belong to the working class who do not have much free time and tend to buy in bulk but seldom buy on social media.
3. Data from the survey shows about 60% of respondents follow products on social media. People follow products on social media as they want to know about marketing, new products etc.
4. Research data shows that 44 people out of 109 thinks that advertising promotion mix is the most influential among all 4 mix we took in consideration in our report (Print media, Word of mouth and Email promotion).
5. Data from the survey suggests that about 47% of respondents believe that a social media Page / website has affected their product perspective. As more and more online shoppers read reviews about brand products, they are buying it which may affect their perception of that particular brand.
6. Survey data show that 46% of respondents believe that their decision was influenced by social media. This is because many people often see online reviews and comments about that particular product in order to choose the right type and price.

IX. LIMITATIONS

1. Social media marketing is not a new feature and is constantly changing and evolving. There are many journals / articles on this topic but very few links social media with changes in consumer behaviour. The study was presented in a standard way.
2. The sample data was very small indicating the limited fulfillment of the research conducted. Sample size should be increased as it will engage more people in the community and help create a better and more accurate set of results.
3. Participants in the study were mainly from Delhi NCR, but research can be done on a larger scale by collecting data from different parts of the world to get a better picture of the social media influence of the consumer shopping system.
4. As customs and traditions change from country to country, consumer spending may change. Multi-country research should be done on this topic to get more accurate and general results.
5. As the study was limited to a specific period of time, i.e., April 2022. Therefore, it cannot be used to analyze behaviours for a period of time as time is not guaranteed.
6. In order to increase the level of focus the research objectives have been reduced and the research contains information only on what needs to be studied in terms of objectives.
7. Data was collected from members of the public who were easily accessible and able to participate in the study. This can lead to bias error and may be a false representation of the population.

Conclusion

It can be concluded from this study that consumers in Delhi NCR, India are actively using social media as a tool to validate their purchasing decisions. Social media is the electronic word of mouth for most respondents. Reviews and preferences by previous buyers on social media affect the decision process of potential buyers. Social media users have found making decisions easier and more enjoyable with the process, compared to those who use other sources. Those who found the information on social media to be of a higher quality and a higher value than expected were very satisfied overall. The overall results show that social media has a strong influence on the consumer decision-making process.

References

[1] Bronner, F. and Hoog, R. (2010) ‘Consumer-generated versus marketer-generated websites in consumer decision making’, International Journal of Market Research, Vol. 52, No. 2, pp.231248. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.2501/S1470785309201193 [2] Keller, K.L. (2001) Strategic Brand Management: Best Practice Cases in Branding: Lessons from the World’s Strongest Brand. Pretice Hall, USA.http://brandabout.ir/wpcontent/uploads/Keller_Strategic_Brand_ManagementBookFi.pdf [3] Ashman, R., Solomon, M.R. and Wolny, J. (2015) ‘An old model for a new age: consumer decision-making in participatory digital culture’, Journal of Customer Behaviour, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp.127–146. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282350425 [4] Chu, S.C. and Kim, Y. (2011) ‘Determinants of consumer engagement in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in social networking sites’, International Journal of Advertising. The Review of Marketing Communications,Vol.30,No.1,pp.4775.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2501/ [5] Arndt, J. (1967) ‘Role of product-related conversations in the diffusion of a new product’, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp.291–295. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3149462?seq=1 [6] Forushani, S., Mohammad, R. and Kuhgilani, N. (2004) Electronic Influence in the Early Third Millennium. Trading Publication Company of Trading Researches and Studies, Germany https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320288026_A_study_on_factors_influence_towards_e-commerce

Copyright

Copyright © 2022 Shubham Chauhan , Shreshtha Chaturvedi, Shubham Chauhan, Dr. Fatima Quasim Hussain. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.