Running head: CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL MEDIA 1

Consumer Behavior and Social Media

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CONSUMER BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL MEDIA 2

Consumer Behavior and Social Media

Introduction

The internet has become a very fundamental part of life in the 21st Century. A vast

majority of the global population is nearly fully dependent or at least spends a considerable

amount of time browsing through the internet (Stelzner, 2012). This is the similar case with

Social Networking Sites (SNS). Social Networking Sites are generally sites that are used to

connect individuals, groups of individuals or parties that have similar interests and or

background. They are considerably the newest form of communication whereby, people share

their experiences, emotions and imageries with each other. It is within these social media

spectrums that people are now sharing ideas as well as connecting with each other. This new way

of people connecting can be assumed to be the genesis of the following research paper. Through

sharing pictures, experiences and connecting, the internet and the Social Networking Sites

influence consumer behaviors in different ways (Mersey, Malthouse, & Calder, 2010). With

information only a click of a button away, millions of blogs, podcasts, ads and websites advise

consumers on almost everything they need to know on a product. The following research paper is

going to examine how the internet and social media affect consumer decisions.

Consumer behavior

Consumer behavior regards the manner in which people, organizations and demographic

groups select, buy and or use particular commodities as well as experiences to satisfy their

various needs (Kotler & Keller, 2009). Although the process of selection, buying and use may

sound easy but it is very complex and dynamic. With the coming of the internet and Social

Networking Sites (SNS), the manner in which consumers think and or behave keeps on changing
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rapidly (Dann, 2011). Even with the traditional market, events like globalization and introduction

of new technology has always changed consumer behavior. The consumer decision making

process has five stages namely problem or need recognition, information search, evaluation of

alternatives, actual buying and finally the post-purchase stage.

Need recognition. The recognition of a problem usually occurs at a time or state where

the prospective consumer recognizes a gap or a significant difference between their current state

or level of satisfaction, and their own ideal state or level of satisfaction. With the internet and

SNS, “social identity” has really become a factor where people are very conscious of the way

they are seen, deemed or identified by other people (Evans, 2008). This phenomenon explains

why there are more consumer needs arising from the content posted on social networking sites. A

consumer need is therefore the reaction that emanates from likes, comments or reviews given on

these sites.

Information search. Once the consumer identifies a need, the second step involves

seeking information regarding the product, service or experience that they have identified. The

search for data regarding the need is geared towards helping the consumer make the right and

most reasonable decision. While in the old days people would access information on different

things from magazines, news papers and the mass media in general, the internet is the 21st

Century tool for searching information (Dann, 2011). The internet state of being ubiquitous

means that consumers can search and find information on basically anything from anywhere in

the world as long as there is connectivity. Reviews on products, services and experiences on

social media spectrums are also considered to be very relevant sources of information for

consumers in this era. Some of the downside to digital marketing as identified by Silverman

(2001) is that there is too much competing information in the search engine databases that it
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actually becomes hard for marketers to get their products past the consumer’s filters. This

challenge can however be overcome through channels such as Search Engine Optimization

(SEO) (Dholakia, 2012).

Evaluation of alternatives. The process or stage of evaluating alternatives is quite similar

to that of looking or searching for information. It involves using various search engines and

social media platforms to find reviews on actual products that other consumers have tried, used

and or tested (Silverman, 2001). This information is very useful in enabling prospective

consumers make the decision of exactly what product they want to use in order to fulfill the

problem or gain the experience they need. Evaluating the alternatives involves examining both

the negatives and the positives of each product or service and determines the one with the

optimal benefits or the one that befits the consumer’s needs (Dann, 2011).

Choice and Purchasing. The stage of buying involves the consumer actually taking a step

to pay for the product, service or experience. With the internet and Social Network Sites, the

reviews and opinions of other consumers who might have used or purchased the product affect

the consumer’s decision. Instead of being rational about the product, most consumers tend to be

emotional. This is recognized as spontaneous or impulsive buying (Kotler & Keller, 2009).

Post-purchase stage. Once a consumer has purchased a product or enjoyed a service or

experience, they often feel like sharing this experience. Different digital groups exist to provide

an avenue or a spectrum where consumers can share their experiences and tastes of products or

services they purchased. These digital groups include consumer clans, Anti-brand communities

and Brand communities where people can dislikes, thoughts, likes as well as preferences towards

a product (Evans, 2008). While in conventional marketing an angered or displeased consumer

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would tell off the product to about 10 people, in the digital age, such displeasure can reach

millions of prospective consumers through blogs, podcasts, Digital groups and across the entire

social media spectrum (Mersey, Malthouse, & Calder, 2010). Consumer behavior is greatly

affected by any negativity towards a product, even if the negative information or review is not

true.

Other factors affecting consumer behavior. Besides the aforementioned factor of the

internet and Social Network Sites, there are various other factors that affect or cause a change in

consumer behavior. The most common are the psycho-graphical variables which are internal

factors that affect consumer buying behavior and include learning, motivation, memory,

perception, attitudes as well as self-conception (Kotler & Keller, 2009). When a prospective

consumer sees a product or service being advertised, they may not be interested but it is recorded

in memory. This is the reasoning behind advertisers showcasing their products so many times.

By doing this, they are trying to create a vivid image in the prospective consumer’s mind so that

when a need, problem or necessity arises, they will automatically remember that particular

product. Frequent exposure to a product causes a stimulus that creates a familiarity of the

consumer to the product (Kotler & Keller, 2009). Based on the fact that images sell products

best, the internet and SNS are filled with imagery of varying and divergent products making

these spectrums very useful in today’s marketing strategies. These images affect consumer

behavior in many different ways.

Implications for marketers. According to the facts unearthed by this research paper, the

influence of the internet and the social media realm is undeniable in consumer behavior. In order

for marketers to be able to come up with efficient marketing strategies and actions, they need to

understand the variables involved in the decision making process. This can be achieved through
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interactions with active users and prospective users on social media platforms. Creating and

maintaining websites that have an interactive segment where users can raise concerns and hold

discussions can also be a very good tool of understanding the ever changing consumer behavior

(Dholakia, 2012).

Conclusion. Most people who join the social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter,

Instagram, Palmchat, Snapchat and many others, share dynamic and mostly lively pictures,

conversations, experiences and so on, with friends and or followers. Such social relations,

interactions and dealings play a very significant role in changing the behavior of prospective

consumers of a product and their buying decisions. Dholakia (2012) acknowledges that the

exponential growth of social networking sites and other online businesses enable consumers to

not just make purchases, but also chat, interact, blog, comment on products and so on while they

carry on with their daily routines. This is facilitated by the growing use of the internet for trade

all over the globe. Additionally, networking through Social Network Sites allows consumers to

interact, discuss, raise and share opinions, perceptions as well as thoughts. It also enables these

users to share their experiences and knowledge with other users and prospective users.

Advertising and marketing through the internet and social media spectrums enables marketers to

address any concerns that might arise, rectify comments as well as address inquiries (Stelzner,

2012).

The internet and social media has grown from what was just an addition to a company’s

profile, to a complete necessity. Stelzner (2012) acknowledges that the social media realm is no

longer just a fad, with more than 83% of marketers placing a very high value on their online

presence and the social media of their businesses. This statistics have undoubtedly risen

exponentially since then with almost all businesses having an online presence.
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References
Dann, S. (2011). E-Marketing: Theory and Application. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Dholakia, N. (2012). Being Critical in Marketing Studies: The Imperative of Macro Perspectives.
Journal of Macromarketing , 220-225.

Evans, D. (2008). Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.

Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2009). Marketing Management. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Mersey, R. D., Malthouse, E. C., & Calder, B. J. (2010). Engagement with online media. Journal
of Media Business Studies , 39-56.

Silverman, G. (2001). The Secrets of Word-of-Mouth Marketing. New York: AMACOM.

Stelzner, M. (2012, March 24). Social Media Marketing Industry Report: How Marketers Are
Using Social Media to Grow Their Businesses. Retrieved August 15, 2018, from
socialmediaexaminer.com:
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/SocialMediaMarketingIndustryReport2012.pdf