GREAT ZIMBABWE UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF COMMERCE
DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCH

DIGITAL MARKETING: AN
ANALYSIS ON SOCIAL
MEDIA MARKETING AND
CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR
MELLISSA GAZA M121517

BACKGROUND
Since the dawn of the Internet the importance of electronic mails has
significantly grown over time. Email and bulletin board services (BBS) are
the foundation to the social media revolution of the 2000s. It is now at the
point where it can be considered an essential component of our everyday
lives. Use of electronic mail was the most used form of communication,
However the needs of society constantly evolve through time and
technology must adapt to satisfy new requirements and to adapt to the
dynamic business environment brought about by globalization. Ambitious
programmers recognized that certain aspects of society were changing
and decided to develop a new technology, in an attempt to meet emerging
new needs and this led to the birth of Social Media Networks. The social
media networks have proved to be versatile and applicable in a number of
different environments because it could suit the needs of both individuals
and organizations. By embracing social media as communication and
engagement channels, businesses can begin to transition towards
becoming a social business which facilitates business to human and
human to human relations. Social networking sites also work as a low
cost advertising and marketing tool for the current global business and
organizations. The main thrust of this research study it is to investigate the
effect of social networking sites on young adults purchasing intentions.
Currently the social networking is at its peak point. The biggest game

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Historically it used to be enough to have an online presence on the Internet for the
one-way broadcasting and dissemination of information. Today, social media
networks such as Facebook and Twitter are driving new forms of social interaction,
dialogue, exchange and collaboration. Social media enable users to swap ideas, to
post updates and comments, or to participate in activities and events, while sharing
their wider interests. Social networking services are not just bringing Internet users
into fast-flowing online conversations, social media are helping people to follow
breaking news, keep up with friends or colleagues, contribute to online debates or
learn from others. There has been a shift in the way of doing business. Most
organizations both profit making and nonprofit making are moving away from
`brick and mortar` to `click and mortar`, and this has created vast
opportunity for Zimbabwean businesses to embrace the new technology. Quite
considerable has been conducted on social media and how it has become a
powerful communication tool for both social and business activities. However,
very few scholarly researches have been done on how social media marketing
influences the consumer buying behavior in particular, their purchasing
intentions. This study intends to investigate how social networking sites are
influencing young adults purchasing intentions. This includes understanding how
content shared on the social networking sites affects consumer decisions
concerning a product or service. Some experts suggest that social media will
become the Internets new search function, predicting that people will spend less
time navigating the Internet independently and instead search for information or
make decisions based on word-of-mouth recommendations from their friends, the
so-called friend-casting. Thus most businesses instead of fighting the trend of

OBJECTIVES
To assess the impact of social media on
young adults buying behaviour.
To explore the extent to which social
media should be engaged in an
organization as a marketing tool.
To examine the impact of social media
on young adults purchasing intention.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What is the impact of social media on
young adults buying behaviour.?
To what extend should social media be
engaged in an organization as a
marketing tool?
What is the impact of social media on
young adults purchasing intention?

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES
Qualitative approach - involves describing in detail a
specific situation. Qualitative research is that research
that produces findings not arrived at by means of
statistical
procedures
or
other
means
of
quantification. The findings are based on data
collected through interviews, observations and
surveys. using research tools such as interviews,
observations and surveys.
Quantitative approach - requires quantifiable data
involving numerical and statistical explanations.
Quantitative research methods are survey and
experiments, laboratory experiments and formal
methods.