Examining the Factors influencing Purchase intention in social media Marketing

Abstract

The study examines the use and gratification of social media marketing in
Tanzania, with a particular focus on the influence of trust, personalization and
users’ satisfaction on the intention to purchase products advertised via social
media. A purposive sampling method was used to select respondents from a
population of social media app users in Tanzania. Data was collected from 254
respondents using a structured questionnaire. Data analysis involved the
assessment of structural and measurement model using SmartPLS to validate
the hypothesized relationships. The results show that the personalization of
social media marketing and product thereof, trust. and users’ satisfaction have
a significant influence on the intention to purchase products and services
advertised via social media. In particular, personalization, followed by user
trust and satisfaction, have been ranked in that order of priority in terms of
their influence. In addition, an importance-performance map shows that, user
trust in social media plays a crucial role in influencing customer purchase
intent. Personalization is also important and performs well, highlighting the
need to tailor content and experiences to individual users. Although user
satisfaction is important, its performance falls short, emphasizing the need for
concerted efforts in managing social media platforms to increase user
satisfaction. Our findings emphasize the critical role of personalization, trust,
and user satisfaction in shaping purchase intent via social media. Social media
platforms that prioritize these factors can build stronger connections with users
and drive business success.

Keywords: Social media marketing, Personalization, Trust, intention to purchase, Users’
satisfaction