The Role of Social Media Marketing Activities in Shaping Consumer Purchase Intention: A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this review is to explore the evolution of Social Media Marketing Activities (SMMAs) and how they influence a consumer’s purchase intent (CPI). This paper will present an overview of the conceptual underpinnings of SMMAs, along with an evaluation of the empirical evidence that supports a relationship between SMMAs and purchasing behaviour, identifying the major theories and variables that are involved in this area, and providing suggestions for additional research.

Design/Methodology/Approach: This research paper takes a conceptual review approach with an emphasis on analysing multiple previously published articles and current literature from the early 1980s until now, for the purpose of answering several important research questions related to understanding SMMAs, their effect on Purchase Intention, and the theory behind them.

Findings: This research focuses on the rapidly evolving area of SMMAs and how it affects the consumer’s purchase intentions. The literature includes several key theories relevant to this area of research, which include the Stimulus-Organism-Response model, Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT), and Social Influence Theory. In addition to studying these theories, there has been a significant amount of research conducted on the following (independent and dependent) variables, such as entertainment, interaction, customisation, informativeness, trendiness, trust, engagement, perceived value, and e-WOM. The study also identifies large gaps in the current literature, which suggests there is a lot of potential for future research.

Originality/Value: This paper presents an integrated conceptual review of the connection between SMMAs and the buying intentions of Consumers. The results of this comprehensive review are built upon the existing body of work that synthesises both theoretical and empirical research results to provide an understanding of how consumers’ decisions are made based on the psychological and behavioural processes involved with SMMAs. Further, this research provides valuable insights regarding under-researched areas, recent trends in the field of SMMAs and key gaps in the literature that can provide current scholarly and professional insights for future research and practice within digital marketing.

Paper Type: Review of Literature.