How social media influence the customers buying behavior dur- ing Covid-19? Evidence from Pakistan

Abstract

The research examined the impact of social media; social networking theory, word of mouth¸ feedback loop, and creditability content on the consumer buying behavior in Pakistan. The structured questionnaire was shared using convenience sampling between 650-700 participants. However, received 392 complete responses. The estimations revealed that there is a significant and positive impact of social media, social networking theory, word of mouth, feedback loop, and creditability content on buying behavior in Pakistan. Social media plays an important role in consumer buying behavior, which means that people are more likely to search, buy and share products using social media channels. Due to COVID-19, the number of responses received was less than expected. Furthermore, the salary of the respondents was not included in the questionnaire, which could have given more detailed information. The study examined the in-depth impact of social media on the people of Pakistan considering their detailed demographic and socioeconomic factors as it lacked the evidence within historical literature. The owners/managers to attract or retain the customers must build their online presence using the most used social channels like Instagram and Facebook. Future researchers need to create a precise yet comprehensive survey. The salary of the respondent can be used to determine the behavior of respondents having different salary levels.

Keywords: Social Media, Consumer Buying Behavior COVID-19, Structural Equation Modelling, Smart PLS

JEL Classification: C12, C25, C35, C38, C80, G40, L1, M3, O3, Z00, Z33