| Pub. Date | : | June, 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Product Name | : | The IUP Journal of Brand Management |
| Product Type | : | Article |
| Product Code | : | IJBRM040622 |
| Author Name | : | Brijesh Awasthi and Masuma Mehta |
| Availability | : | YES |
| Subject/Domain | : | Marketing |
| Download Format | : | PDF Format |
| No. of Pages | : | 11 |
Social networking has become an essential part of our day-to-day life; reaching a peak during the Covid-19 pandemic. Social media advertising and Social Networking Sites (SNS) provide information, reviews and feedback on branded products. The study investigates the impact of SNS on online purchase intention of branded products. It also investigates the mediatory role of brand attitude in online purchase intention of such products. A sample of 380 respondents from 18 metropolitan cities of India was taken, and 350 responses (92.1% response rate) were used for coding, analyzing and testing the hypothesis. SPSS 20 and AMOS 21 were used to analyze the collected data. The results showed that SNS affect the online purchase intention of branded products. Brand attitude has a partial mediating effect on online purchase intention. The study suggests that companies should keep vigilance on brand image, communication, feedback and reviews of their products on SNS. Negative communication or anti-branding of branded products on SNS affects the purchase intention of consumers negatively. It is very essential to strategically manage the negative communication and anti-branding.
Social Networking Sites (SNS) have become an integral part of our day-to-day life, with approximately 57.6% population of the world using them for an average of 2 hours and 27 minutes per day (October 2021). Companies have also been interacting with customers on SNS platforms. During the Covid-19 pandemic, there was an exponential growth in the engagement with digital technologies and SNS. The consumers are empowered by digital technologies, and they interact and influence and are a part of the brands. SNS are used in marketing and advertising of products/services (Hu et al., 2014). A majority of the consumers use SNS before, during or after making their shopping (Lay, 2018). 80% of online shoppers visit websites and mobile apps of different brands to update themselves of the trend and fashions before purchasing (PwC, 2018). Before the Covid-19 pandemic, online shopping was popular among Generations Y and Z, but a significant change has been seen in Generation X (Awasthi and Mehta, 2021). Social media advertising and SNS are providing information about products, reviews and feedback. SNS also play a major role as predictor of customer equity and brands (Chae and Ko, 2016). Positive reviews of consumers on SNS also create positive influence for purchase of brands (Dawar and