| Abstract: | Consumer buying behavior is known also as consumer decision making is the process by which individuals search for, select, purchase, use, and dispose of goods and services to satisfy require needs. This study has been conducted with general aim of assessing the relationship between social media characteristics and the various stages of consumers’ purchasing decision-making process in case of St. Mary University students. The study also employed descriptive research design to identify and describe the relationships between the social media characteristics and consumer purchasing decision making with quantitative research approach so as to gain a better understanding about the research problem. For this study all the relevant quantitative and qualitative data were used, collected from both primary and secondary data sources, and different quantitative data analysis methods were used. The overall findings and results of the study reveal that there is strong relationship between social media characteristics and the various stages of consumers’ purchasing decision-making process. Each of the specific features of social media has also clear relationships and impacts with the related five stages of buyers purchase decision making stages. More specifically, the openness nature of social media encourage consumer or respondents of the study to identify their need, and has a role on attaining once need for something and also lead to the way how to get goods. The study finding also indicates that the participation feature of various social media has clear relationship and impact on the customers’/respondents’ information search for a product or service, and the majority of customers’/respondents’ searched for product’s information in social media before a purchasing it. With regard to connectedness feature of social media, social media helped respondents to compare and evaluate alternatives in terms of products features and their desires through social media before making a purchase. In addition, the majority of respondents were found to be motivated to buy products that are advertised on social media, and feedbacks on social media affect future purchase as well and that social media conveys the study respondent’s satisfaction and dissatisfaction to the manufacturers. This study concluded that social media does encourage one to recognize a need for something before buying it, information search in social media is straightforward and easy compared to other mass media platforms, and it is more reliable if one has doubts regarding a purchase. |
