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Antecedents of social media information search towards purchase decision

Article in International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology · January 2017

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Prabha Kiran Vasantha Shanmugam

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International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET)
Volume 8, Issue 6, June 2017, pp. 647–653, Article ID: IJCIET_08_06_070
Available online at http://www.iaeme.com/IJCIET/issues.asp?JType=IJCIET&VType=8&IType=6
ISSN Print: 0976-6308 and ISSN Online: 0976-6316

© IAEME Publication Scopus Indexed

ANTECEDENTS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

INFORMATION SEARCH TOWARDS
PURCHASE DECISION
Prabha Kiran
Research Scholar, School of Management Studies,
Vels University, Chennai, India

Dr. S Vasantha
Professor, School of Management Studies,
Vels University, Chennai, India

ABSTRACT
Objective: Social media has been a dynamic platform for searching information
related to the intended product a consumer is considering purchasing. The ever
growing user base has made it an important medium that influences the buyers and
business professionals have stated using it extensively to reach the target consumer.
The objective of the paper is to study the social media’s influence on consumers
purchase decision making and analyse the antecedents that impact their purchase
decision making.
Methodology: Survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire that was
administered to 202 respondents residing in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. SPSS 20 was used
for analyzing the data. Multiple regression technique was used for developing a model
that assesses the impact of antecedents of social media information search on
purchase decision making.
Findings: The paper identifies that social media has been the most influential
platform that can alter purchasing decisions of consumers. The impact of antecedents
of social media information search was found to be 45% which is humongous
considering the fact that it’s a very recent induction in technology.
Novelty/Application: Although various papers have studied the influence of social
media on purchase decisions not many have been able to analyse the antecedents of
social media information search in depth and study the impact of each on purchase
decision making of the consumer. The paper has attempted to study these in detail.
Keywords: Social Media, Novelty, Consumer, decision making, Management
Cite this Article: Prabha Kiran and Dr. S Vasantha, Antecedents of Social Media
Information Search towards Purchase Decision. International Journal of Civil
Engineering and Technology, 8(6), 2017, pp. 647–653.
http://www.iaeme.com/IJCIET/issues.asp?JType=IJCIET&VType=8&IType=6

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 Prabha Kiran and Dr. S Vasantha

1. INTRODUCTION
Nowadays online long distance informal communication that happens on social media has
become an important part of man's life. Online long range interpersonal communication on
social media platform , for instance, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkIn has a large
number of the consumer base and keeps enhancing up every day. It has be found that there are
more than 500 million people are constantly participating in web based systems social media
platforms (Ostrow, 2010). The amount of web based online systems catering to consumers has
attracted many marketers and businesses. They have identified that internet communication
displays a basic nature of their advanced correspondence activity with other social media
users. Web based systems helps businesses to build relationship and talk to their existing and
prospecting consumers. These associations help businesses identify consumer’s needs and
grasp what their market may look like. Key business factors of electronic interpersonal
interaction empower purchasers to gage things, make recommendations to contacts or
associates, and offer purchase options through their internet information search. Another
important aspect is evaluation os social media marketing technique. Keegan, 2017 has
proposed a framework for analyzing the social media strategy and contribute to the
understanding of it. The proposed framework has six stages starting from setting of
objectives, finding the key performance indicators, set the right metrics followed by data
collection and data analysis. Final stage is report generation leading to decision making.
Correspondence through web based systems administration has found impact on client
essential initiative and exhibiting frameworks. Client socialization theory predicts that
correspondence among purchasers impacts their subjective, loaded with feeling, and
behavioral manners (Ward, 1974). Furthermore, the publicizing by means of electronic
systems administration media page has made new customer's lead. Customers tend to make
purchases or direct business by means of online systems administration media.
Recommendations by partners or affiliations by means of online systems administration
media in like manner could help clients on essential initiative. Those proposals could help
check mindsets, gaining perspectives, and publicizing attitudes. Most by far of top brands and
organizations see it and started to focus by means of electronic systems administration media
showcasing.

2. OBJECTIVES
• To study the influence of social media information search towards purchase decision making.
• To analyse the antecedents of social media towards Decision making

3. DRIVING POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA TOWARDS DECISION

MAKING
The effect of web based systems administration on buying behavior can be in any
organizations or products. Quality, mark, advancing or cost could impact buyer decision
making. In 2003, Western Kentucky University used a case of 249 purchasers' purchases to
explore the sort of item procured, and the cost of thing. The delayed consequences of this
investigation demonstrate that buyers are acquiring either sensible or expensive things, and
are doing in that capacity in light of proposals from electronic long range interpersonal
communication by their contacts or friends by means of online systems administration media
(Forbes and Vespoli, 2013). Promoters could consider that web based online social media
impacts purchasing decisions of consumers. According to a study on social media’s influence
on purchase decisions it has been concluded, 59% of all respondents were using Facebook as
their information searching mechanical assembly when they are considering a purchase and

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 Antecedents of Social Media Information Search towards Purchase Decision

rely on recommendation of other social media users. Thirty seven percent of all customers
were using Twitter. These results conclude that internet based social media platform has
affected their purchasing decions.

4. DEFINING RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA AND

CONSUMER
The association between web based systems administration and buyer basic leadership present
that electronic long range informal communication impacts publicizing manner, check
attitudes, and meeting desires of client. It won't generally impact buyer's essential
administration, yet may have an interceding sway (Taining, 2012). Electronic long range
interpersonal communication can develop stamp mien that impact buying conduct. The
immense picture of brand or thing can lead the customer to settle on decision on their
purchases. Exactly when purchaser's buddy by means of electronic systems administration
media shares or recommends organizations or things on their online informal communication,
it impacts check air and effects their fundamental initiative. In any case, publicizing through
online systems administration media, which is given by business sources impact both client
check mindsets and purchasing desire (Yang, 2012). From that information, it helps publicists
orchestrate their advancing philosophies. Various sponsors use web based systems
administration for advancing endeavors. It is the simple way to deal with talk with customers;
also it is unobtrusive to advance their brands or organizations.
Electronic long range informal communication is for publicizing, and be an instrument for
brands or organizations to connect with their purchasers. Another survey shows that web
based systems administration empowers customers and inevitable clients to pass on direct to a
brand designate. Since most customers are using the web based systems administration as
gadget to request and purchase things, brands or organizations use this great position to
promote their things. The online customer is an impacting business area around the globe,
nevertheless it is giving a globalized level of division differently (Vinerean, Cetina and
Tichindelean, 2013). In case they have a couple issues on things or organizations, purchasers
could accomplish the association by methods for electronic long range interpersonal
communication, which is a basic way to deal with partner and contact with them. Associations
are tried by how they reacted to comments or responses by means of electronic systems
administration media. Their reactions and responses can develop strong brand pictures and get
more customers to purchase things or organizations. Right when a customer needs to settle on
decision on thing, every last detail could be an effect to their essential initiative.

5. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Venkatesh, Speir, and Morris (2002) exhibited the theory of social effect impacted person's
essential authority. People partaking in electronic person to person communication activities
are generally speaking in gatherings and have every one of the reserves of being socially
influenced by the gathering accumulate people. Social effect is portrayed as how much a man
trusts that person to play out a particular lead (Venkatesh, Speir, and Morris, 2002).
From the social hypothesis, it shows the support of the probability that electronic
frameworks organization has changed into a key impact in a man's principal activity set they
up, require confirmation on what they pick is the best. Bulmer and DiMauro's 2010 review is
a starting stage for examining the impact of online interpersonal interaction on fundamental
initiative. All the more starting late, they released results from a survey of 105 individuals in
97 relationship in 20 countries that complete relational association bolster continuously
impacts official basic leadership at associations. They report "A prevailing section (80%) of
respondents can animate decision process and information/procedure progression by

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 Prabha Kiran and Dr. S Vasantha

participating in online gatherings. Endorsing (e.g. like, read, offer, retweet) is at the point of
convergence of joint exertion in web based systems administration gatherings. 'The Crescendo
Effect' in web based systems administration circumstances has remarkable impact on buying
decisions."
According to Peter Auditore (2011), Head of SAP's Business Influencer Program, "The
crescendo effect is basically what number of Tweets, Facebook, LinkedIn sees and other
mechanized strategies for notice a blog may get. This is key in light of the fact that the new
stream of effect, (which has changed into another sort of publicizing and casual advancing,)
acts like a crescendo through the earth of whoever making the most of your blog enough to
recollect that it. It is not the amount of points of view that the blog gets however nature of the
watchers, how they collaborate and how the effect streams from it.

6. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The extent of the exploration is included adults who are online networking clients and utilize
web-based social networking stage for seeking data in regards to their expected buy. The poll
arranged for social event information was conveyed from June 2016-Aug 2016 to the
respondents. Respondents had a place with Chennai city and were picked arbitrarily fulfilling
the above expressed condition. 202 respondents were considered for the study.

Table 1 Demographic details of the Study

Age (Years) Percentage(%)
26-33 25.7
34-41 48.5
Above 41 25.7
Gender
Female 46.5
Male 53.5
Monthly Income (Rs)
Below 40000 27.7
40000-60000 32.7
60001-80000 17.8
Above 80000 21.8
Educational Qualification
Under Graduate 5.9
Post Graduate 58.4
Professional Courses 35.6
Marital Status
Married 20.8
Unmarried 79.2

7. DATA COLLECTION
The initial segment of survey comprise the inquiries identified with demographic data, web-
based social networking utilization design , favored mode looking the data and different
decision inquiries concerning utilization of web and web-based social networking and
decision of stage for seeking product related information. In the second part, Likert Scale
containing five items is used (1= Strongly disagree, 2= Disagree, 3= Neutral, 4= Agree, 5=
Strongly agree)

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 Antecedents of Social Media Information Search towards Purchase Decision

8. HYPOTHESIS, FINDINGS AND RESULT

For the examination of the information congregated from survey, SPSS variant 20.0
measurable programming for Windows was utilized. Cronbach's alpha test was executed for
the unwavering quality trial of the scale, and it was figured that Cronbach's alpha = 0.843.
The figured esteem demonstrates that scale is very dependable (Ozdamar, 2002).
In order to find out the antecedents of social media information search that drives
purchase decision, regression analysis has been carried out. The focus of the regression is the
combination of independent variables (predictor) to predict the dependent variable. The
independent variables are added using enter method to model. To determine the significance
of the independent variable in various regression models t-statistics are used in regression.
The t-statistic indicates that the independent variable is significant if the related p-value is less
than α. It removes an independent variable, if t-statistic insignificant at α level. Null
hypothesis has been stated as mentioned below.
H0: There is no significant influence of Social Media Information Search and Purchase
Decision Making of the respondents.
To examine the relationship between Social Media Information Search and Purchase
Decision Making regression analysis was carried out. Social media Information search factors
considered in this study are: Using social media, social media features, product attributes,
social media platforms and consumer created content.
Social Media Information search factors are taken as independent variable and Purchase
Decision Making as dependent variable and regression is carried out. The values of R2,
Adjusted R2, Unstandardized β and significant levels are noted.

Table 2 Regression on social media communication and Purchase Decision making

Dependent Independent R Adjusted R F- Unstandardized
Variable Variable Square Square Value Beta Value
Social media
Information search
Using social media 0.707*
Social media
Purchase -0.084#
features 0.452 0.447 83.68
Decision making
Product attributes 0.045#
Social Platforms 0.302*
Consumer created
0.909*
content
Table 2 shows the results of Regression analysis, to examine the influence of Social
Media Information search on Purchase Decision Making. Purchase Decision Making is taken
as dependent variable, while the Social Media Information search factors such as Using social
media, social media features, product attributes, social media platforms and consumer created
content are taken as independent variables. The results of the regression analysis indicated
that the model was able to predict 45 percent of the total variance in Purchase Decision
Making. The results of the ANOVA indicated that the model was significant in predicting
Purchase Decision Making F (5, 513) =83.68, p < 0.05.
Further, when Social Media Information search were used as predictors of the outcome;
Using social media was able to significantly predict Purchase Decision Making b = 0.707, p <
0.05; while social media features though negatively associated it was able to significantly
predict Purchase Decision Making b = - 0.084, p < 0.05; product attributes was able to
significantly predict Purchase Decision Making b = 0.045, p < 0.05; social media platforms

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 Prabha Kiran and Dr. S Vasantha

was able to significantly predict Purchase Decision Making b = 0.302, p < 0.05 and consumer
created content was able to significantly predict Purchase Decision Making b = 0.909, p <
0.05.
Therefore based on the regression analysis the following regression equation is derived for
influence of social media information search on purchase decision making.
Purchase Decision Making = 16.641 + 0.707 (Using social media) - 0.084 (social media
features) + 0.045 (product attributes) + 0.302 (social media platforms) + 0.909 (consumer
created content) + ε
Even though the overall model accounted only for 45 percent of the total variance in
Purchase Decision Making; Using social media, social media platforms and consumer created
content were able to positively predict Purchase Decision Making among social media users.
Social media features were able to predict Purchase Decision Making with a negative value
(-0.084) implying that social media was able to negatively predict the Purchase Decision
Making. Conversely this implied that much of the variance in Purchase Decision Making still
remains unexplained and might be due to other factors.

9. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

The paper attempted to analyse the influence of social media on purchase decisions of
consumers. The multiple regression analysis has revealed that purchase decision making is
very complex and has become all the more complicated with the advent of social media. The
regression model depicts consumer created content having the maximum impact on the
purchase decision making (0.909) followed by using social media 0.707). The antecedent that
was found to be least impacting was product attributes. Product attributes needs to be given
more importance by the marketers so that consumers can gain more information. The
consumer created content is generated when social media users interact with one another in
the social media domain. The experience shared by existing users on the social media
platform will be more beneficial to the consumers who are looking for information regarding
product of their choice. Future work can focus on other factors that have not been included in
the study and can also focus on product specific or platform specific in order to gain more
insight on the subject matter.

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