Educating Consumers: The Impact of Social Media Marketing Activities on E-Impulse Buying with Purchase Intention As A Mediator

Abstract

The objective of this research is to investigate the relationship between Social Media Marketing Activities (SMMA) on the outcome Purchase Intention (PI) and Electronic Impulse Buying (EIB). Convenience sampling technique was used and a pre-tested structured questionnaire was filled by 145 participants in Karachi. The items in the questionnaire included SMMA, PI, and EIB developed in previous studies. The research results reveal that, SMMA has a significant impact on both PI and EIB. Moreover, concerning the EIB, PI assumes a critical role. But it has to be noted that there is no support for SMMA’s indirect effect on the EIB through PI. These findings enhance the knowledge gap regarding how SMMA affects the customers’ behavior in a given context of EIB. The research emphasizes that marketers should strive to carry out share-worthy social media campaigns that persuade consumers to buy products on planned as well as impulse bases. On the same note, legislators should put measures in place which would check unethical and unclear social media marketing. Although the present study has made efforts to select the sample conveniently, the limitations and assumptions are considered as liabilities of this research study: Convenience sampling, sample size and cultural difference. Subsequent investigations should examine SMMA’s effects in various ways, for instance, with a focus on longitudinal research designs and psychological intermediaries like consumer trust and brand loyalty, as well as expanding the geographical scope of the study to enhance external validity.