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This study investigates the relationship between exposure to online promotional content and changes in business image evaluations and purchase intention toward informal clothing enterprises in Bangladesh. Based on the O-S-O-R framework, the study conceptualizes online promotional content as the stimulus, post-exposure business image as the post-orientation construct, and purchase intention as the response, considering age group and frequency of social media usage as pre-orientation factors. Using a nonprobability purposive sampling approach with self-selected participation, the study implemented a one-group pretest-posttest design through an online questionnaire administered to 391 respondents in Bangladesh. Analyses included descriptive statistics, reliability tests, exploratory factor analysis, paired-samples t tests, Spearman correlations, and linear regression. Results indicated statistically significant increases between pre-exposure and post-exposure for business image (mean difference = −1.297, t = −50.945, p < .001) and purchase intention (mean difference = −1.254, t = −39.308, p < .001). Age group was negatively associated with post-exposure business image, whereas frequency of social media use was positively associated with it. Post-exposure business image was also a strong predictor of purchase intention (β = .486, p < .001, R² = .236). This study contributes to the literature by extending extant research on digital consumer response in informal small-business clothing retail in Bangladesh and suggests that well-designed promotional content is positively associated with business evaluations and purchase-related intentions. Since this study used a one-group pretest-posttest design, the results should be interpreted as evidence of association rather than causation.

In the era of e-commerce and the increasing digitalization of consumer journeys, online customer reviews have become a decisive factor influencing potential buyers’ decisions. This study investigates the effect of online experience sharing on consumers’ purchase intentions across six key dimensions: emotional valence, quantity, content quality, responsiveness, reviewer reputation, and review recency. A quantitative research design was employed using data collected from a sample of 320 online consumers. The dataset was analyzed through multiple linear regression models to assess the relative impact of each dimension. The findings reveal that all six dimensions exert a positive and statistically significant influence on consumers’ purchase intentions, with emotional valence and review content emerging as the most influential factors. These results contribute to the growing body of literature on online consumer behavior and provide valuable managerial insights for digital marketing practitioners aiming to optimize electronic word-of-mouth strategies.

This study explored the complex decision-making process and the factors used by people, influencers, and brands when selecting social media platforms. The various factors include target demographics, values, content style, and overall marketing strategy. The study aimed to assess the importance of aligning personal preferences, user fit, and creative vision in selecting which social media platforms to use for a brand. To build a stronger level of engagement, content must be designed in a way that creates value for individual consumers. The Uses and Gratification Theory (UGT) provided a framework for understanding the motivations of millennials seeking a specific type of content on social media and how brands select social media platforms. A mixed-methods approach was used for the study to obtain the perspectives of both social media content creators and customers. The target population comprised millennials in the greater Durban area. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 400 participants for quantitative data and 10 content creators for qualitative data collection. Data was analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively using thematic analysis and SPSS version 28.0, respectively. The results contribute to a deeper understanding of the dynamic interplay between personal preferences, user fit, and creative vision in shaping the digital landscape. The study findings suggest that influencer marketing can be a powerful tool for promoting brand preference. Brands should carefully select influencers whose followers align with their target audience and ensure they have a strong following and the trust of their followers. The findings emphasise the effectiveness of diverse content types and customer appreciation posts. Businesses should tailor their content strategies to suit their brand identity and connect with their audience effectively. Different social media platforms offer unique features and formats.    

The study seeks to ascertain the factors of electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) influencing consumer buying behaviour. This research aims to contribute to the ongoing debate about the factors of e-WOM that influence consumer buying decisions while making an online purchase. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to measure and analyse the relationships between observed and latent variables. The results reveal that e-WOM valence is the most influential e-WOM factor during online purchase decisions. Marketers must pay close attention to negative e-WOMs, monitor unfavourable evaluations and use negative feedback to improve product and service quality.

This study explores the impact of digital marketing on consumer decision-making within Durban’s grocery retail sector, with a particular focus on Spar South Beach. Employing a quantitative descriptive survey approach, primary data was gathered through structured questionnaires distributed to 278 shoppers, complemented by secondary data from academic and government sources. Findings indicate that digital marketing significantly influences purchasing behaviors, with 78.6% of respondents acknowledging that Spar’s digital content influenced their decision to shop there. Social media was identified as the primary engagement channel, and digital loyalty rewards were strong predictors of repeat purchase intentions. Reliability analysis showed excellent scale consistency (Cronbach’s ? = 0.941, KMO = 0.943), and results revealed notable differences across age groups, with younger consumers exhibiting greater responsiveness to digital marketing efforts. Gender and educational attainment did not significantly moderate responses. These insights highlight the importance of leveraging social media campaigns, targeted promotions, and digital loyalty programs to enhance customer engagement and drive conversions, while also considering generational preferences. The study provides valuable, context-specific insights into the South African grocery retail industry, emphasizing the role of digital touchpoints in transitioning consumers from engagement to purchase.

The rapid development of digital technologies has significantly transformed the grocery retail industry, allowing retailers to utilize digital and social media platforms to enhance customer engagement, increase brand visibility, and drive sales growth. This study assesses the effectiveness of SPAR’s digital and social media marketing strategies in Durban, South Africa. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research employed a quantitative methodology, analyzing survey data collected from 278 customers at the South Beach Super Spar. Reliability analysis indicated a high level of internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.883). Non-parametric statistical tests, including the Kruskal-Wallis H and Mann–Whitney U tests, were used to evaluate customer perceptions of various digital channels. The results indicate that social media is the most effective platform for SPAR, with 58.4% of respondents identifying it as their primary mode of engagement. Participants overwhelmingly agreed that SPAR's social media channels effectively promote offers; however, perceptions of the mobile app and WhatsApp marketing strategies were mixed and showed significant variation among user groups. These findings underscore the importance of social media in increasing brand awareness and customer engagement, while also highlighting potential areas for enhancing the usability and impact of SPAR’s mobile application and WhatsApp marketing efforts. This study offers valuable guidance for grocery retailers aiming to strengthen customer engagement in competitive urban environments such as Durban by providing insights into digital marketing performance in emerging markets.

Instagram has emerged not only as a social networking platform but also as a vital digital marketing tool for fashion brands. However, missed marketing opportunities persist due to factors such as limited computer literacy, unfamiliarity with digital tools, and resistance to new media. The aim of the study is to explore the opportunities for leveraging Instagram as an effective marketing tool within the fashion industry in Durban. Specifically, it seeks to identify how fashion businesses can utilise Instagram to enhance brand visibility, engage with their target audience, and maximize promotional efforts to drive success in the digital marketplace. This quantitative study employed a purposive sampling method and focused on descriptive analysis through a structured online questionnaire distributed to 130 fashion businesses in Durban. The findings underscore Instagram's efficacy in enabling fashion businesses to effectively showcase products, engage visually with their target audience, and amplify brand awareness. The platform's visual-centric nature inherently supports robust brand marketing and promotion, particularly in the fashion sector. Recommendations highlight the imperative for fashion brands to strategically leverage Instagram to enhance visibility and augment brand perception. Success on Instagram necessitates a well-coordinated marketing approach to ensure impactful brand promotion and engagement with followers.

This study investigates the strategic effectiveness of social media advertising by analyzing the relationship between platform selection, audience demographics, and campaign performance metrics. Using a dataset encompassing Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter, the research evaluates key indicators such as engagement, conversion rates, and return on investment (ROI). By employing statistical methods like ANOVA and regression analysis in SPSS, the study aims to identify optimal platform-audience combinations and assess how different campaign goals influence outcomes. The findings will provide valuable insights for advertisers and businesses seeking to enhance their social media strategies and maximize advertising effectiveness.

The increased digital acumen among students has necessitated institutions to adopt digital marketing platforms such as websites to enhance brand awareness for competitive advantage purposes. The study therefore investigated the influence of website use on brand awareness and its sub-factors in the Zimbabwean polytechnic context. The study adopted the positivist paradigm, a descriptive research design and is quantitative in nature. A self-administered online questionnaire was used to collect primary data and through convenience sampling, 492 valid and reliable responses were collected. The collected data was analysed using descriptive analysis and inferential statistics. The empirical results indicated a statistically significant relationship between website use and brand awareness, specifically when looking at the brand awareness sub-factors of top-of-mind and brand recall in the context of Zimbabwean polytechnics. However, a statistically insignificant relationship was noted between website use and brand recognition. The study proposed contributions to polytechnic marketers on website use to enhance brand awareness for their institutions to ensure competitive advantage. The empirically tested model provides a basis for future research in the marketing of polytechnics.

This study investigates the influence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communication strategies via social media on corporate e-reputation in Nigeria. In an era where online platforms shape brand perception and consumer behavior, CSR communications have emerged as a vital tool for companies to engage with stakeholders, enhance transparency, and foster trust. The research employs an abductive methodology and systematic literature review (SLR), exploring CSR awareness, consumer responses, and behavioral shifts driven by CSR initiatives communicated on social media. Using online polls and Q&A sessions for data collection, the study analyzes the effectiveness of CSR strategies and their impact on consumer trust, loyalty, and purchasing decisions. Findings reveal that CSR communication through social media significantly enhances e-reputation, positively influencing brand loyalty and consumer perception. The study underscores the importance of transparent and engaging CSR communication in building a strong online reputation, and highlights how visual content, storytelling, and real-time updates can amplify CSR efforts. This research contributes to the understanding of the role of digital communication in shaping corporate e-reputation in Nigeria.

This study aims to analyze the role of psychological engagement, encompassing cognitive, emotional, and physical dimensions, as well as member behavioral engagement, including participation and word of mouth, and its influence on brand loyalty, which includes cognitive, affective, conative, and action loyalty in the National Cooking Club (NCC) in Indonesia. Utilizing a quantitative approach with survey techniques, an online questionnaire was distributed to 500 respondents, yielding 162 valid responses. Data analysis was conducted using multiple linear regression with SPSS version 16. The results indicate that action loyalty does not significantly affect physical engagement, whereas emotional engagement does. Additionally, both emotional and physical engagement significantly influence participation, whereas cognitive engagement does not. Furthermore, emotional engagement has a significant effect on word of mouth, contrary to cognitive and physical engagement, which do not significantly influence word of mouth among NCC members.

  South Africa is one of the most popular tourist destinations on the African continent, with timeshares—vacation properties shared by multiple owners—being an important feature of the tourism industry as it contributes significant growth and sustainability of tourist destinations. After its introduction in the 1960s, timeshare gained popularity through its capability to provide luxury holiday affordability and security in South Africa. Since then, timeshare businesses have used traditional public relations, marketing, advertising strategies and tactics to increase brand awareness and reach sales targets. During the difficult COVID-19 period, global tourism declined drastically due to travel restrictions, extreme lockdowns and tight regulations, forcing businesses to adapt their marketing strategies to cope with unprecedented challenges and the loss of customers. Before the pandemic’s culmination, travel agencies and timeshares thus utilized digital marketing and social media to effectively strategise and publicly engage with their audiences online. Drawing upon McGuire’s (1969) theory of information processing, and Echtner and Ritchie’s (1993) destination image branding, a content and thematic analysis of two South African timeshare companies and their Facebook page content was studied to investigate the public relations tactics and marketing strategies implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key findings reveal that timeshares engaged publicly with customers through posts which stimulated online participation, which included the sharing of images, information, updates, competitions and discounts, thus maximising the potential of social media to engage with stakeholders on a short to long term basis.

Fast technological evolution and intensity of competition oblige companies to constantly seek for new ways to differentiate and offer added value to their customers. With the increasing popularity of social media, companies have started to consider this means as a new way to communicate with their customers and increase their brand reputation. One of the most notable phenomena of new media is how it has increased and created new forms of social interaction.In Kenya, despite the critical role played by the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country, research has shown that 90% business startups fail in their third year and especially those owned by the youths The general purpose of the study was to establish the influence of social media marketing on performance of small and medium businesses in Nairobi’s industrial area. This study adopted a descriptive research design. Official records of AGPO as at December 2023 showed that there are 13,011 youth-owned businesses registered in the county of Nairobi with the Youth Access to Government Procurement Opportunities Program (YAGPO). The study used the 10-30% Mugenda Sampling principle to calculate the sample size of 130 SMEs. The first specific objective was to establish the extent Social Media Platforms Influence the Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises. A Pearson correlation analysis was done to establish the relationship between social media platform on performance of SMEs and the result established a significant positive relationship between social media platform used and the performance of SMEs (r=.811, p value =0.000). The second specific objective was to establish the extent bloggers influence the performance of Small and Medium Enterprises. A Pearson correlation analysis was done to establish the relationship between blogger influence on performance of SMEs and the result established a significant positive relationship between blogger influence and the performance of SMEs (r=.730, p value =0.000). The third objective was to establish the extent social media messaging factors influence the performance of Small and Medium Enterprises. A Pearson correlation analysis was done to establish the relationship between messaging factors on performance of SMEs and the result established a significant positive relationship between social media messaging factors used and the performance of SMEs (r=.359, p value =0.000). The study concluded that use of social media marketing has a positive influence on performance of SMEs and recommended that there is need for SMEs to embrace the use of social media  to market their products and that the government should support SMEs by providing  affordable internet services.

Hotel accommodation is one of the most essential things in the tourism industry because it functions as a place to rest after a day of activities. The large number of hotel choices requires marketers in their fields to have a strategy that can make the best choice by consumers, especially in today's digital era. One of the measuring tools that can be used as the most effective promotional media is positive e-WOM. This helps marketers to determine what strategies can be maximized. This is self-congruity by matching perceptions between consumer self-concept and consumer image and positive emotional experience, which can also help consumers form positive perceptions of a place to create a satisfying experience or consumer satisfaction to 4 Star Hotels in Malang City. This study uses a quantitative approach. The population in this study are consumers from Hotel Bintang 4 yang ada di kota Malang. Sampling was carried out by using the non-probability sampling method. In this study, the sample was determined, namely the research item, so the number of respondents was 110. To get the desired result, as many as 190 respondents. Data collection techniques in this study were carried out by distributing questionnaires. Data analysis techniques were carried out by SEM-PLS using software 3.0. The results of this study indicate that there is an influence between self-congruity, positive emotional experience, and customer satisfaction to positive e-WOM Hotel in Malang City.

This study aims to examine the influence of social media marketing activities, brand equity, and E-WOM on purchase intentions for MS Glow skin care products. The population is citizens of Indonesia who have social media accounts and are 18–35 years old.. The number of samples is 250 respondents with criteria aged 18-35 years who have social media accounts. Research data were collected through questionnaires through an online survey conducted using Google Forms. Data analysis techniques used the structural equation model (SEM) of the AMOS 26 program, whose results showed that social media marketing activity had a significant effect on brand equity and purchase intention, brand purchase had a significant effect on E-WoM, and E-WOM had a significant effect on purchase intention. MS Glow skin care products.

Kullanımları dünya genelinde yaygınlaşan sosyal medya siteleri ciro yaratarak karlı birer işletme haline gelebilmek için günümüzde reklam destekli iş modelleri kullanmaktadır. Kullanıcıların ücretsiz olarak kullanmaya alıştığı bu platformlara erişim için ücret ödemek istemeyecekleri varsayımıyla reklam destekli modeller tercih edilmektedir. Bu çalışma içerisinde sosyal medya sitelerinin en yaygın kullanılanı olan Facebook üzerinde gösterilen reklamlara kullanıcıların tutumları ölçümlenmiş ve bu tutum ve tutumu oluşturan faktörlerin Facebook reklamlarını görmemek için para ödemeye etkisi test edilmiştir. Ödeme eğiliminde olan ve olmayan kullanıcılar arasında farklılar irdelenmiştir. Literatürde kabul görmüş ölçekler yardımıyla hazırlanan anket formu İnternet üzerinden Facebook kullanıcılarına dağıtılmış, elde edilen 327 soru formu bir ön-analiz sürecinden geçirilerek düşük kaliteli ve tam doldurulmamış anketler ayıklanarak 281 kullanılabilir soru formuna ulaşılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde yapısal eşitlik modellemesi kullanılmıştır. Gerçekleştirilen analiz sonuçlarına göre Facebook reklamlarına olan tutum ve tutumun öncülleri reklamları görmemek için ödeme niyetine olumsuz yönde etki etmektedir.

Social media sites are becoming more popular throughout the world. These sites are adopting advertisement supported business models to generate revenues and become profitable. Advertisement supported models are the preferred choice for these site with regards to the belief that users are not willing to pay money to use these ever free sites. In this study this belief was questioned and Facebook, the most popular of social media sites was chosen as the setting of the study. The attitudes towards social media advertisements and their antecedents were measured and their potential effects on users’ willingness to pay for not seeing ads were tested. A questionnaire was developed using well-cited and tested scales from the relevant literature and it was implemented over Internet to Facebook users. 281 out of 327 collected questionnaires were used in the analysis following a screening process. The analysis was carried out using structural equation modelling. The findings indicate that attitudes and its antecedents affect th intentions to pay for not seeing ads negatively.