An Exploration of the Role of Social Media on Customer Buying Behaviour within the E-retail Apparel Industry
A study of university students in Liverpool, UK
Abstract
The main aim of the research is to examine how and to what extent social media influences the online clothes purchasing behaviour of university students in Liverpool, UK. A qualitative approach was adopted and semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were conducted with 8 students. The collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings show that social media advertisements, social influencers, access to information, suggestions and recommendations made by friends and family members, and reviews posted online are the key factors that influence the online clothes purchase behaviour of university students. Social media helps university students in gaining awareness regarding brands, products, online reviews, friends, and family members; and make more informed decisions regarding the purchase. The smooth and quick purchase experience on certain social media platforms further encourages university students to engage in the online purchase of clothing. Social media has a direct and positive impact on purchase decision-making; it mainly influences awareness and purchase stages among university students.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Dawa Doma Sherpa Gurung; Amanda Mason (Supervisor)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content with no submission or publications fees. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text of works in this journal. It also allows others to remix, adapt and build upon the work, as long as credit is given to the author(s).
