Leveraging Instagram for fashion marketing: Opportunities for success in Durban

Abstract

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.

Keywords: {'name': 'Instagram, opportunities, Brand Communication, Marketing Strategy, Social Media.'}

Authors & affiliations

Thandeka Ngcobo
Durban University of Technologuy

Elvis Madondo
Durban University of Technology

Deposited references

Supplied references, not a list of publications citing this article.

Adegbola, O., Gearhart, S., & Skarda-Mitchell, J. (2018). Using Instagram to engage with (potential) consumers: A study of Forbes most valuable brands’ use of Instagram. The Journal of Social Media in Society, 7(2), 232–251.

DOI: 10.5267/j.ijdns.2023.7.004

DOI: 10.1109/CSR54599.2022.9850288

DOI: 10.1007/s11747-019-00695-1

DOI: 10.25299/ijmcr.v5i1.15007

DOI: 10.3390/su16072738

Barbe, V., & Guisard, E. (2024). Impact of Instagram on Generation Z consumer buying behavior within the fashion industry. (Master’s thesis).

DOI: 10.1177/09721509211038832

DOI: 10.1002/bse.3509

Breevoort, A. E. R. (2021). Welcome to Instagram: A fun photo-sharing app, but not for everyone: A historiography on how Instagram’s policy changes reflect the ‘open and inclusive’ media-utopic image Instagram maintains (Master’s thesis).

DOI: 10.17645/mac.v10i1.4728

DOI: 10.32350/mcr.11.02

DOI: 10.3390/bs13050386

DOI: 10.4236/ojbm.2024.123090

Daniel, L. (2022). Pick n Pay Clothing aims for 60% local by 2028 – years of cheap Chinese imports make that tough. Business Insider.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) & South African Cotton Cluster (SACC). (2020). Assessing the economic value of the designer fashion sector: Executive Summary. Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, Pretoria.

Dos Santos Paulo, A. (2020). The impact of manufacturing incentives in the clothing and textile industry in KwaZulu-Natal: A case study of Durban (Doctoral dissertation).

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2021.118261

Frier, S. (2021). No filter: The inside story of Instagram. Simon and Schuster.

DOI: 10.4102/ajce.v1i1.5

Gliem, J. A., & Gliem, R. R. (2003). Calculating, interpreting, and reporting Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient for Likert-type scales. In Midwest research-to-practice conference in adult, continuing, and community education (Vol. 1, pp. 82–87).

DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3386008

DOI: 10.3390/su15021549

DOI: 10.1016/j.jsis.2021.101695

DOI: 10.46759/IIJSR.2023.7401

DOI: 10.1080/17569370.2021.1938820

DOI: 10.21533/pen.v11.i5.185

DOI: 10.5210/fm.v29i3.12497

Leaver, T., Highfield, T., & Abidin, C. (2020). Instagram: Visual social media cultures. John Wiley & Sons.

DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-7210-4_29

DOI: 10.1108/JRIM-09-2018-0115

DOI: 10.34021/ve.2024.07.04(1)

DOI: 10.47992/IJCSBE.2581.6942.0168

DOI: 10.52970/grdis.v4i2.769

DOI: 10.1080/22041451.2020.1847820

Mollel-Matodzi, N., & Mason, A. M. (2023). South African fashion design entrepreneurs’ awareness and practices of sustainable fashion supply chain operations. DISCERN: International Journal of Design for Social Change, Sustainable Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 4(1), 1–11.

DOI: 10.47604/ijfd.2386

Nkosana, T. (2022). Adoption of social media for effective marketing by micro-hospitality businesses in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Doctoral dissertation).

Nofrizal, Juju, U., & Aznuriyandi. (2022). Finding reasons to choose a campus: The impact of social media and brand strategy. Higher Education Quarterly, e12495.

DOI: 10.3390/su14031657

DOI: 10.38035/jlph.v2i2.89

DOI: 10.58972/eiprmj.v6i2y19.121

DOI: 10.1108/JFMM-03-2020-0035

DOI: 10.1108/JFMM-08-2023-0215

DOI: 10.3390/jtaer16030031

DOI: 10.1108/JBS-04-2019-0062

Tang, R. Y. S., & Raheem, M. (2023). The impact of Instagram marketing on sale in the fashion industry. Journal of Applied Technology and Innovation, 7(2), 29.

Top-Hashtags. (2021). Top 100 hashtags on Instagram. Top-Hashtags. Retrieved January 6, 2025, from https://top-hashtags.com/instagram/

Tuluk, T. (2021). The impact of brand posts and visuality on customer engagement behavior: A study of Instagram brand accounts (Master's thesis, Marmara University, Turkey).

Turner, G. (2019). Social Media Marketing 2020: Your step-by-step guide to social media marketing strategies on how to gain a massive following on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter to boost your business in 2020. Erwin Ronel Cruz.

DOI: 10.1177/14707853241291443

DOI: 10.1108/MIP-05-2023-0192

DOI: 10.1080/02650487.2022.2135346

DOI: 10.24867/JGED-2024-4-019