Digital Marketing: A Study On Influence of Social Media Marketing During Covid-19

Digital Marketing:
A Study on Influence of Social Media Marketing During Covid-19
A Project
Submitted by
Nishra S Nagori 1920666
Sakshi A Fagnia 1920667
Sneha D Khurana 1920668
Under the Guidance of
Dr Sunanda Vincent Jaiwant
Assistant Professor
In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Award of the Degree of
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Date of Submission: November 2020
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DECLARATION
We, Nishra S Nagori, Sakshi A Fagnia, and Sneha D Khurana (Reg. No: 1920666,
1920667, 1920668) hereby declare that the project, titled ‘A study on influence of social
media marketing during Covid-19” is a record of original research work undertaken by us
for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration. We have completed this
study under the supervision of Prof. Sunanda Vincent Jaiwant, Assistant Professor, School of
Business and Management.
We also declare that this dissertation has not been submitted for the award of any degree,
diploma, associate ship, fellowship or other title to any other Institution/University.
Place: Bengaluru
Date:
School of Business and Management
CHRIST (Deemed to be University)
Bengaluru
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CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project submitted by Nishra S Nagori, Sakshi A Fagnia, and
Sneha D Khurana (Reg. No: 1920666, 1920667, 1920668) titled ‘A study on influence of
social media marketing during Covid-19’ is a record of research work done by us during
the academic year 2019-2020 under my supervision in partial fulfilment for the award of
Bachelor of Business Administration.
This project has not been submitted for the award of any degree, diploma, associate ship,
fellowship or other title to any other Institution/University.
Place: Bengaluru
Date:
Prof. Sunanda Vincent Jaiwant

Assistant Professor
Dr Amalanathan S
Head of Department
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to express our profound gratitude to all those who have been instrumental in
the preparation of this CIA report. We wish to place on record our deep gratitude to our class
coordinator, Dr Sunanda Vincent Jaiwant, for her expert advice and help. We would like to
take this opportunity to thank Dr (Fr) Thomas C. Mathew, Vice Chancellor and Dr
Amalanathan S, HOD for their support. We are deeply grateful to the respondents of our
study, for their cooperation and for helping us connect with the objective of our study and
furnishing the required information.
Lastly, we would like to thank God, our parents and our friends for their constant help and
support.
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TABLES OF CONTENTS
SL.NO CONTENT PAGE NO.
Introduction 6-9
1.
2. Review of Literature 10-24
3. Research Methodology 25-33
4. Data Analysis and Interpretation 34-53
5. Major Findings and Suggestions 54-56
6. Conclusion 57-59
References 60-61
Annexure 62-65
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CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
Digital marketing is the component of marketing that utilizes internet and online based digital
technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones and other digital media and
platforms to promote products and services. Its development during the 1990s and 2000s,
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changed the way brands and businesses use technology for marketing. As digital platforms
became increasingly incorporated into marketing plans and everyday life, and as people
increasingly use digital devices instead of visiting physical shops, digital marketing
campaigns have become prevalent, employing combinations of search engine optimization
(SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), content marketing, influencer marketing, content
automation, campaign marketing, data-driven marketing, e-commerce marketing, social
media marketing, etc.
Digital marketing turned out to be more modern during the 2000s and the 2010s, when the
multiplication of gadgets equipped for getting to computerized media prompted unexpected
development. In 2012 and 2013, statistics indicated that advanced showcasing was all the
while developing. With the improvement of online media during the 2000s, for example,
LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, buyers turned out to be exceptionally subject to
advanced gadgets in day by day lives. Consequently, they expected a consistent client
experience across various channels for looking through item's data. This change in the
behaviour of customers improved the expansion of marketing technology.
Most of the marketers increase their brand awareness by marketing through social media
platforms, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp are listed as the top platforms currently
used by businesses all over the world. Many marketers believe in creating content on the
social media pages – brand centred blogs, videos, articles, posters which thereby increases
brand awareness and encourages customer engagement.
One of the biggest advantages of Social media marketing is that it allows businesses to
promote themselves to a large audience that could not have been achieved through traditional
marketing strategies. This kind of marketing social media platforms comes at little to no cost-
making it accessible to virtually any size business. It can accommodate personalized and
direct marketing that targets specific demographics and markets. Companies can engage with
customers directly, allowing them to obtain feedback and resolve issues almost immediately.
It is an ideal environment for a company to conduct market research. It is also used as a
means of obtaining information about competitors and boosting competitive advantages.
Social platforms can be used to promote brand events, deals, and news. Platforms are also
used to offer incentives in the form of loyalty points and discounts.
The world witnessed the start of a global pandemic this year. The Covid-19 pandemic
impacted everybody in all possible ways. This life-threatening disease forced all of us to halt
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our lives for months. People are suffering physically, emotionally and financially too. There
are a lot of people who lost their jobs as businesses were going down. There was no source of
income for businesses and people in various sectors. Small businesses were massively
impacted. The pandemic made it extremely hard for them to survive in the market as there
was no scope to grow and take their business on a higher level. However, technology had
come to their rescue and Digital Marketing played a vital role for small businesses.
After the pandemic fell upon the world, digital marketing became a need for big as well as
small businesses to survive in the market. As the world changes, it is important to make new
strategies in order to grow a business. The lockdown period made almost all of us engage in
the digital world, which was the main advantage for companies to generate sales as they
could connect to their target audience. This not only allowed businesses to continue
producing goods or offering services but also created employment opportunities.
Digital Marketing brought a new way of thinking and took out the creativity among
businesses. This type of marketing analyses the business and indicates the business owners
the customer reaches and helps them know what the customers wants are. These tools help
business owners to accurately find the right audience and target them. Digital marketing has
made it comparatively easy to form strategies and track the campaigns you are running and
evaluate every step to make changes for effective targeting.
Before the global pandemic situation, businesses were not thinking of digital marketing
strategies, or we can say that they have less time to focus. However, during the global
pandemic, they have enough time to plan effectively for digital marketing strategies. During
the pandemic, a wide range of businesses have worked to increase their online presence.
Many businesses have done everything imaginable to generate more business and the online
space is where businesses are turning to open new sources of revenue. Music festivals, for
example, have been hosting online live events. With so many more people staying in, there
has been a massive increase in internet usage and thus, in audience size for online businesses.
To grow in this pandemic, adopting change is the only key to success and fight against the
pandemic. Taking businesses to digital platforms is the step to achieve higher success and
surviving your business even during the pandemic. Hence, this research paper mainly studies
on how effective social media marketing has been during the Covid-19 pandemic. Further the
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research paper also aims to study if social media marketing influences the buying decisions of
consumers or not during the pandemic in particular.
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CHAPTER 2:
REVIEW OF
LITERATURE
2.1. LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Citation: (Naeem, 2020)
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The use of social media and information exchange increased during Covid-19 pandemic
because people were isolated and working from home. The use of social media enhances
information exchange in a global society; therefore, customers are uncertain and not in a
better position to make decisions before the situation goes worse everywhere in the world.
The current study helps to understand how social media facilitates social and global
engagement and information exchange which ultimately leads to the development of the
customer psychology of stockpiling. This study aims to develop a research framework which
helps to understand the customer psychology of stockpiling during a global pandemic.
Results highlighted that institutional communication and social public interpretation of
uncertainties and risk enhanced misinformation and sensationalism through social media
platforms; therefore, stockpiling behaviour increased during Covid-19 pandemic. The fear of
items being out of stock, illness, misinformation, family fear and going out were some of the
possible causes that led to the development of panic stockpiling behaviour. The global
uncertainty proof, as well as a public social consensus for staying at home and protecting the
future also increased customers’ intention to buy in bulk for their future. Although social
media played an important role in transferring relevant and timely information, it also
increased uncertainty and social proof which may have led to stockpiling of retail products.
2. Citation: (Duygu Akdevelioglu, Selcan Kara, 2020)
This paper aims to examine innovativeness and extraversion as antecedents of perceived and
social media opinion leadership in different country-level contexts and explore how these
antecedents influence product adoption differently. The countries chosen were The United
States of America and Turkey. This paper extends prior literature on opinion leadership by
uncovering consumer dynamics internationally, which are known to influence social media
use. Specifically, by examining the effect of innovativeness and extraversion on opinion
leadership in different countries, this research contributes to the literature on new product
adoption and has implications for effectively identifying influencers in social media. The key
words used in this research are: Social media marketing, International marketing, New
products, Innovation marketing and Opinion Leadership.
3. Citation: (Paul Blaise Issock Issock, Mornay Roberts-Lombard, Mercy

Mpinganjira, 2020)
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Social marketing has been successful in changing a myriad of behaviours, maintaining a
long-term behavioural change has often been a challenge. Social marketers should have long
term perspective in engaging with target audiences. It identifies customer trust as the key
enabler for sustained relationship with customers and is also important for successful social
marketing inventions. Study examines the role of customer trust in building the long-term
adoption of energy-efficient products in South Africa. Further it also refers to eco-labelling
schemes which examine the dominant antecedents and outcomes of customer trust in energy-
efficiency labels. It focuses on the trust customers hold towards information displayed on
energy-efficiency labels affixed to electronic appliances. The relevance of customer trust in
environmental claims in the process of behaviour change towards eco-friendliness has been
strongly defended. Research Paper makes important contributions towards the body of
knowledge and social marketing practices.
4. Citation (Stephen, 2016)
The focus of this article is on the digital and social media marketing settings. In this dynamic
age of digital media not only retail consumers but also B2B consumers and sellers are going
rapidly online and are looking to fulfil all needs through the online media, to enable this and
make all of their activities worthwhile, not only they have to sell digitally but also, they have
to promote their products through the online medium. This article also gives us insight into
the on-going research about the behaviour of online consumers, how they react to products
and services they see online and what incentives do consumers online respond to that can
increase online turnover. Social media is known to form perceptions and change people’s
minds that can drive consumers towards a particular product. This article also focuses on the
online word of mouth, OWM is similar to word of mouth we know with one key difference
consumers don’t meet each other, consumers who have purchased products writes a review of
that particular product this lets the new consumers know what to expect of the product, all its
shortcomings, of the product this helps form perceptions and influence consumers decision to
buy that product.
Thus, all together these articles shed light from many different angles on important topics
such as how consumers experience, influence, and are influenced by the digital environments
in which they are situated as part of their daily lives. It also gives us an insight into B2B
online business. The article has also provided us with very detailed explanations about online
word of mouth and how they affect consumer's perceptions.
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5. Citation: (Heini Maarit Taiminen , Heikki Karjaluoto, 2015)
The paper aims to provide insights into the utilization and goals of digital marketing, and
examines factors that influence the adoption and use of digital marketing channels in SMEs.
This study contributes to the understanding of SMEs marketing practices by investigating
digital marketing in the marketing mix of micro and small companies in a regional economy
(Central Finland). Digitization, and especially social media, have been claimed to transform
consumer behaviour, with important consequences for firms, products and brands.
Consumers are increasingly spending their time online and using social media. This research
uses a multiple case study as its research strategy. The objective of the interviews was to
gather knowledge of the companies digital marketing activities, their usage of digital
channels and the difficulties experienced in using them. The study reveals that SMEs seem
not use the full potential of the new digital tools, and so are not deriving benefit from the
opportunities they provide. SMEs seem not to be keeping pace with digital developments,
mostly due to the lack of knowledge of digital marketing. to conclude the study says that
SMEs has participating in this research have not widely adopted digital tools for marketing
purposes. Social media tools differ from company to company size. It also reveals that firms
have started adopting digital marketing and made necessary investments in it. Nevertheless,
social media is about listening, participation and sharing.
6. Citation: (William F. Humphrey Jr, 2017)
The paper seeks to establish the effectiveness of social media advertising and participation by
brands through incidental exposure. Using experimental design, in a social media
environment, this paper aims to extend incidental exposure research in the context of social
media. This paper extends research on incidental exposure and establishes a key positive
brand outcome for practice and research, and it provides the first exploration on the outcome
of incident exposure to brand messages in social media. The results suggest that social media
and advertising by brands have positive impacts beyond traditional measures of success
online. The keywords used in this article are Facebook, Social media advertising, Consumer
behaviour internet, Word-of-mouth marketing, Banner ads and Brand choice.
7. Citation: (Duygu Akdevelioglu, Selcan Kara, 2020)
This paper aims to examine innovativeness and extraversion as antecedents of perceived and
social media opinion leadership in different country-level contexts and explore how these
antecedents influence product adoption differently. This research shows that innovativeness
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affects perceived opinion leadership, whereas extraversion affects social media opinion
leadership, and these effects are moderated by country- level differences. It provides strategic
information on how to identify and target influencers in social media across countries. This
paper has implications for marketers who are trying to find influential consumers to increase
new product adoption. Social media opinion leaders are important seeding points, because
they actively initiate new product adoption for other consumers. Marketers should create
strategies that are in line with the country’s cultural orientation in addition to
personal/psychological traits. It provides valuable information to better explain the
consumers’ adoption of technological products and the factors affecting this process in the
context of social media. It extends prior literature on opinion leadership by uncovering
consumer dynamics internationally, which are known to influence social media use.
Specifically, by examining the effect of innovativeness and extraversion on opinion
leadership in different countries, this research contributes to the literature on new product
adoption and has implications for effectively identifying influencers in social media.
8. Citation: (Wendy Ritz, Marco Wolf, Shaun McQuitty, 2019)
This paper aims to examine small business’ participation in digital marketing and to integrate
the do-it-yourself (DIY) behaviour model and technology acceptance model (TAM) so as to
explore the motivations and expected outcomes of such participation. The results contribute
to the understanding of small business’ digital marketing behaviour by finding support for the
idea that the technological benefits may not be the only motivators for small business
owners/managers who undertake digital marketing. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly,
the authors find that the DIY behaviour model applies to small business owners/managers
who must perform tasks that require specialized knowledge. This study presents empirical
evidence supporting the application of the DIY model to a context outside of home-repair and
extends the understanding of digital footprint differences between large and small businesses.
9. Citation: (Saleh, 2020)
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The purpose of this paper is to provide information on the importance of information and
communication technologies (ICTs) and social media for the development of informal home-
based business (HBBs) communities in Kuwait City. The results of the research showed that
the respondents use Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, email and websites to communicate
with customers and cooperate with business partners. Banks’ applications, such as “Edfali”,
are used for doing the payments related to the business. Home-based owners are usually
motivated by passion and love for the business, independence, additional source of income,
succeeding in a family business, hobby or not finding an appropriate job in other companies.
10. Citation: (Tanya Bondarouk, Huub Ruël, Elena Axinia and Roxana Arama,
2014)
The growing interest in and power of social media seem to be important for companies that
want to make themselves known as interesting employers and to recruit prospective
employees, using techniques that are more common to job seekers and recruiters. This study
aims to explore the immediate future of employer branding through social media, as
envisioned by academics and HR practitioners. Research has revealed differences in the
opinions of academics and HR professionals on the impact of social media on employer
branding. The academics see its general effect as the targeting of the audience for
recruitment, marketing/company brand, and ways of communication/HR competencies. The
practitioners see the image of the employer, visibility of the company, and organization
responsiveness. The study presents other findings within the boundaries of employer
branding value proposition, internal and external marketing, and the role of HR professionals.
According to the academics, HR professionals in the future will need to possess knowledge
about marketing and communication studies and web-based applications/develop new skills.
They think that social media will impact the image of HR in organizations. On the other
hand, HR professionals think that the future of their activities will depend on their awareness
of recruitment trends, HR innovative thinking, and HR networking skills. Although the object
of their activity will remain recruitment, HR professionals will have to be continuously
updated on what is new in the social media in terms of recruitment.
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11. Citation: (Kian Yeik Koay, Derek Lai Teik Ong, Kim Leng Khoo and Hui Jing
Yeoh, 2020)
The purpose of this research is to investigate perceived social media marketing activities on
consumer-based brand equity, mainly predicated on the S-O-R model. Furthermore, brand
experience is tested as a mediator between perceived social media marketing activities and
consumer- based brand equity, whereas co-creation behaviour is also examined as a
moderator on the relationship between perceived social media marketing activities and brand
experience. The results indicated that perceived social media marketing activities have a
significant positive influence on consumer-based brand equity. In addition, brand experience
mediates the relationship between perceived social media marketing activities and consumer-
based brand equity. Surprisingly, co-creation behaviour was found to have no moderating
effect on the relationship between perceived social media marketing activities and brand
experience. Furthermore, it was found that the indirect effect of perceived social media
marketing activities on consumer-based brand equity through brand experience is not
moderated by co-creation behaviour.
12. Citation: (Ismail, 2017)
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of social media marketing activities on
brand loyalty, value consciousness and brand consciousness. The findings of this research
indicated that social media marketing has a significant effect on brand loyalty; brand
consciousness and value consciousness mediate the relationship between social media
marketing and brand loyalty.
13. Citation: (Duffett, 2017)
This paper aims to examine the influence of interactive social media marketing
communications on teenagers’ cognitive, affective and behavioural attitude components in
South Africa. The study also considers the impact of a number of additional factors such as
usage (access, length of usage, log-on frequency, log-on duration and profile update
incidence) and demographic (gender, age and population group) variables on young
consumers’ attitudes towards social media marketing communications had a positive attitude
on each component among adolescents, but on a declining scale which correlates to the
purchase funnel. The results also revealed that teenagers who used social media for long time
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periods; updated their profiles frequently and were from the Coloured and Black population
groups, displayed the most favourable attitudinal responses to social media marketing
communications.
14. Citation: (Arrigo, 2018)
Digital technologies and social media have improved the connectivity and collaboration
between firms and customers in all sectors. However, in the luxury sector, the approach to
social media and digital technologies has been slower than in other industries. The purpose of
this paper was to review the academic literature on social media marketing in luxury brands
to highlight the current state of the art, the addressed key research themes and the
implications for management research and practice. A critical conceptualization of social
media marketing in luxury brands has been provided and the emerging key research themes
have been categorized into four main areas. The value of this study lies in providing, for the
first time, a comprehensive and critical systematization of social media marketing academic
literature in the field of luxury brands.
15. Citation: (Stefan Olof Lagrosen , Kerstin Grundén, 2014)
The advent of social media is dramatically changing the way marketing communication is
conducted. This paper focuses on a study regarding the use of social media in the wellness
industry. This industry is competitive and utterly dependent on creating mutually beneficial
relationships with customers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of social
media marketing in the wellness industry. Qualitative methods have been used. The data from
the interviews were analysed utilising the constant comparative method from the grounded
theory approach. Dimensions describing the activities, challenges and results of social media
in the hotels have been defined. The findings are related to service quality theory, in
particular the service dominant logic of marketing (SDL) and a comprehensive framework is
proposed. The connections between social media and the SDL have not previously been
studied in the wellness industry and such studies in other industries are rare. The companies
seem not to fully use the interactive possibilities of social media.
16. Citation: (Ramo Palalic, Veland Ramadani, Syedda Mariam Gilani, Shqipe
Gërguri-Rashiti, Leo–Paul Dana, 2020)
This paper aims to investigate the impacts of social media on the Pakistani consumers' buying
behaviour, which could be reflected in complex buying, variety seeking, and dissonance
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reducing or habitual buying. Social media has influenced consumer behaviour from acquiring
relevant information up to sharing post purchase behaviour about products and services.
Entrepreneurs need to know how their loyal and prospective customers feel, think and how
do they decide on purchasing certain products and services. Data was collected to analyse the
relationship between social media and consumer buying behaviour. Social media is found to
have a partially significant impact on Pakistani consumers' buying behaviour; word of mouth
and content credibility are the two factors that influence Pakistani consumers' buying
behaviour. Pakistani consumers, below the age of 40, possess more complex buying
behaviour, which alerts entrepreneurs to consider it for their future marketing strategies.
Entrepreneurs should make an effort to be differentiated from others while keeping customers
aware of the products they provide. In addition, customers should not spend too much time
when comparing brands; rather, businesses should make it more captive.
17. Citation: (Ying Sun, Shanyong Wang, 2019)
The paper aims to observe consumers attitudes toward and intentions to purchase green
products on social media and to explore the relationships among social media marketing,
perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE), product knowledge, subjective norms, perceived
behavioural control, price consciousness and attitudes toward and intentions to purchase
green products. The empirical results suggest that attitude, subjective norms and perceived
behavioural control positively affect purchase intentions, while price consciousness
negatively affects purchase intentions. Product knowledge positively affects consumer’s
attitudes and purchase intentions, and PCE positively affects consumer’s attitudes. As
expected, social media marketing positively affects subjective norms, product knowledge and
PCE and negatively affects price consciousness. However, there is no significant relationship
between PCE and purchase intentions. According to the results of multigrain structural
equation modelling analysis, the effects differ significantly among different consumer groups.
This study explored consumers’ green purchase intentions based on an extended TPB model
and emphasized the importance of social media marketing, price consciousness, product
knowledge and PCE.
18. Citation: (Katja Hutter ,Julia Hautz , Severin Dennhardt , Johann Füller, 2013)
The article seeks to analyse how social media activities, in specifically the Facebook page of
a car manufacturer, and user interactions with these brand related activities affect the
perception of brands and ultimately influence consumers purchase decisions. The article
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analyses the influence of brands’ social media activities and participants' social media
involvement on the purchase decision process of consumers. New marketing communication
reality presents new challenges and opportunities for companies as purchase decisions are
increasingly influenced by social media interactions. People rely more than ever on their
social networks when making those decisions. Their findings demonstrate that engagement
with a Facebook fan page has positive effects on consumers' brand awareness, word of mouth
(WOM) activities and purchase intention. Results further indicate that annoyance with the fan
page leads to negative effects in respect to the overall commitment to and involvement with
the fan page and WOM.
19. Citation: (Athanasios Patsiotis, Marwan Atik, Toula Perrea, 2020)
This paper explores the impact of mobile marketing tools on consumer buying behaviour
within the context of dining. The aim is to examine the influence of mobile marketing tools
through their different functions on the stages of the consumer buying process. The mobile
tools that are found useful for dining were considered in this study. Marketing activity
through the smartphone should focus on loyal customers and opinion leaders with the use of
appropriate mobile tools. The results reveal that mobile marketing tools influence consumers'
decision-making differently and their effect varies according to the customer type.
Additionally, it shows that loyalty has a direct influence on mobile marketing effectiveness,
as the decision-making process of loyal customers is more affected by mobile marketing tools
than the non-loyal customers. The study addresses a lack of relevant research with evidence
from both customer and supplier perspectives. It is found that loyalty is an important factor
that positively affects smartphone apps adoption.
20. Citation: (Nory Jones, Richard Borgman , Ebru Ulusoy, 2015)

The paper explores the role and economic impact that the internet, specifically websites and
social media, have on small businesses. It aims to investigate the benefits available from the
use of the internet and social media sites for small businesses that operate in underserved
regions. The major reason for this is that “online communication offers the prospect of
replacing physical proximity with virtual interaction and even intimacy as evidenced by the
popularity of websites such as Facebook and LinkedIn” Benefits from the use of websites and
social media sites include an increase in awareness and inquiries, enhanced relationships with
customers, an increase in the number of new customers, enhanced ability to reach customers
on a global scale, and co-promotion of local businesses that enhance the image of small
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businesses in the region. The research provides evidence of potential advantages of utilizing
web pages and social media sites for small businesses in underserved locations. The findings
show that a web presence integrated with meaningful and sustained social media promotion
can have a positive impact on business success in terms of increased traffic, awareness and
revenues.
21. Citation: (Vikas Gautam and Vikram Sharma, 2017)
The reach of internet technology and social media has opened an abundance of opportunities
for marketers as well as for consumers across the globe. To anticipate future purchase
behaviour of consumers, marketers are not leaving any stone unturned. The main objective of
this study is to investigate the direct and indirect impacts of social media marketing activities
(entertainment, customization, interaction, word of mouth, and trend) on consumers' purchase
intentions in luxury fashion brands. We found positive significant impacts of social media
marketing and customer relationships on consumers' purchase intentions. In addition, our
study model confirmed full mediation of customer relationships in the relationship between
social media marketing and consumers' purchase intentions. Based on our research findings,
we strongly recommend that marketers of luxury fashion brands engage in social media
marketing activities to provide value to customers.
22. Citation: (Shu-Chuan Chu,Sara Kamal and Yoojung Kim, 2013)
The articles aim to find consumer’s responses towards social media advertising. Social
media has rapidly risen in popularity as a new advertising platform that allows users to
connect with one another and engage with brands. At the same time, the online luxury market
has experienced rapid expansion due to the rising number of affluent online users between 18
and 35 years old. The current study examined young social media users' beliefs, attitudes, and
behavioural responses toward social media advertising. Brand consciousness was found to
have an impact on users' attitudes toward social media advertising, which in turn influences
their behavioural responses toward social media advertising and consequent purchase
intentions toward luxury products. Social media advertising is an area of growing interest for
researchers of fashion marketing. Results showed that respondent’s beliefs about social media
advertising were important indicators of their overall attitude toward social media
advertising. As posited, product information was a positive predictor of social media
advertising attitude. Social media is a rich information platform in which users are constantly
updated with information about brands from marketers or “friends.” There is a positive
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relationship between social media advertising attitudes and behaviour which it might be
useful for companies to consider developing their social media advertising.
23. Citation: (Yong-Ki Lee, Sally Y. Kim, Namho Chung, Kwanghoon Ahn, Jong-
Won Lee, 2016)
Social commerce using social media has been on the rapid increase. Among various social
commerce models, group-buying has become the mainstream. There is a paucity of research
related to how customers perceive value in group-buying situations. This paper aims to
examine and analyse various factors that influence perceived customer value in group-
buying. Results show that perceived customer value affects customers’ group buying
intentions and that all four antecedents of perceived value (low price, valence of experience,
trust in social media and reputation of the group-buying site) have a significant influence.
24. Citation: (Payel Das, Santanu Mandal, 2016)
The purpose of this paper is to reveal the influence of social media in the development of
brand sacralisation in young consumers in emerging Asian markets. Brand sacralisation is the
phenomenon where consumers (especially young) become an adherent of brands and
consider brands as sacred entities. The paper specifically explores the influence of social
media interaction and social media usability on brand sacralisation and consequently its
influence on online purchase intention (PI) and brand loyalty. The study is the foremost to
investigate the influence of social media in developing brand sacralisation and its influence
on online PI and brand loyalty. The young population is chosen as the target sample as they
possess majority stake in the final product purchase decision nowadays and also contribute as
a dominant consumer category in online marketplaces. The researcher found a strong positive
influence of social media interaction and social media usability on brand sacralisation.
Further, brand sacralisation is found to have a positive and significant influence on online PI
and brand loyalty of young consumers. However, social media interaction does not contribute
significantly to usability of social media. The researcher has also found a significant
influence of brand loyalty on online PI for these young shoppers.
25. Citation: (Angela Hall, Neil Towers, Duncan R. Shaw, 2017)
The shopper journey can cross a number of channels leading up to the point of a possible
purchase, which may be unseen by the retailer or brand for the targeted purchase. The
purpose of this paper is to gain a greater understanding of the decision making and purchase
intention activity for online Millennial shoppers in deciding what fashion garments to buy in
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the digital retail environment. The paper also investigates the use of technology and social
media involvement in the shopper journey leading up to the point of purchase. Consumers
actively seek out novelty, knowledge and inspiration but shoppers employ a variety of
interactions over a much greater period of time to arrive at the moment of purchase. The
findings highlight a picture of shoppers going on very different shopper journeys with
different lengths, influenced by different touch points and using different media and devices.
Each customer has their own individual experience and expectation. They can move through
extremely diverse, long and complicated journeys in the buying process before they purchase
a product. Most striking is their willingness to reach out and be influenced by other people
beyond the control of any retailer – using platforms that are not necessarily specifically
related with any retailer. Shoppers can undertake numerous activities before they make their
final purchase decision, seeking content from different retailers, asking for social validation
of their decision from their social networks both online and offline which is often out of sight
of the retailer or brand.
26. Citation: (Abaid Ullah Zafar, Jiangnan Qiu, Mohsin Shahzad, Jie Shen, Tahseen
Ahmed Bhutto, Muhammad Irfan, 2020)
Considering the rapid adoption of social media among consumers and organizations, this
study intends to examine the impact of online bundle promotions and contextual interactions
on impulse buying as consumers encounter them synchronously. Hence, a research model is
proposed with the integration of perceived transaction value, perceived acquisition values,
top reviews information, impulse buying tendency and emotional intelligence following the
stimulus-organism-response framework, promotional framing effect, and theory of selective
attention. Results reveal the positive impact of targeted constructs on the urge to buy
impulsively with complementary partial mediation of impulse buying tendency. Besides,
emotional intelligence dissuades users' impulse buying tendencies, but unexpectedly, its
moderating effect is insignificant. Further, importance-performance map analysis highlights
the highest importance of impulse buying tendency and better performance of perceived
transaction value for the urge to buy impulsively. This study is persuasive to comprehend the
insights of social media advertising and social factors for scholars and professionals with
appropriate suggestions to persuade impulse buying.
27. Citation: (Mayank Yadav, Zillur Rahman, 2018)
The paper aims to examine the impact of perceived social media marketing activities
(SMMAs) on customer loyalty via customer equity drivers (CEDs) in an e-commerce
22
context. The current study also introduces the stimulus–organism–response model as a
theoretical support to connect perceived SMMAs of e-commerce to customers’ loyalty via
CEDs. This is supposed to be the first study to examine the impact of perceived SMMA on
customer loyalty toward the e-commerce sites via CEDs in the e-commerce industry. The
study revealed three key findings. First, perceived SMMAs of e-commerce comprise five
dimensions, namely, interactivity, informativeness, word-of-mouth, personalization and
trendiness. Second, perceived SMMAs of e-commerce have significantly and positively
influenced all the drivers of customer equity (CEDs). Third, the CEDs of e-commerce exhibit
a significant and positive influence on customer loyalty toward the e-commerce sites. E-
commerce managers should use social media prudently keeping the darker side of social
media also into consideration.
28. Citation (Severina Iankova, Iain Davies, Chris Archer-Brown, Ben Marder, Amy
Yau, 2019)
This paper explores the implicit assumption in the growing body of literature that social
media usage is fundamentally different in business-to-business (B2B) companies than in the
extant business-to-consumer (B2C) literature. The customer engagement cycle is utilized to
compare organizational practices concerning social media marketing in B2B, B2C, Mixed
B2B/B2C, and B2B2C business models. Utilizing 449 responses to an exploratory panel-
based survey instrument, differences in social media usage, and its perceived importance as a
communications channel is identified. In particular, distinct differences in the relationship
between social media importance and the perceived effectiveness of social media marketing
across business models are identified. The results indicate that B2B social media usage is
distinct from B2C, Mixed, and B2B2C business model approaches. Specifically, B2B
organizational members perceive social media to have lower overall effectiveness as a
channel and identify it as less important for relationship-oriented usage than other business
models.
29. Citation: (Eleftherios Varkaris, Barbara Neuhofer, 2017)
This study aims to explore “how social media influences the way consumers search, evaluate
and select a hotel within the ‘evaluation stage’ of the wider hotel decision-making process”
This study provides strategic implications for hospitality marketing and management for a
better understanding of the influence of social media on the hotel customer decision journey.
The study shows that a variety of social media with associated content sources and levels add
to the complexity of hotel-related information search and decision behaviour. Social media
23
transform the consumers’ hotel decision journey by influencing the way consumers search,
decide and book hotels. The findings reveal the determinants shaping this process, by
shedding light on the perceived value of using social media, consumers’ information search
behaviour “then and now”, the advantages and disadvantages of social media use for
decision-making, their trustworthiness and the factors that influence the consumers’ hotel
decision-journey. The findings are conceptualised in an integrated theoretical model, entitled
“hotel consumer decision-journey through social media”.
30. Citation: (Simon Hudson, Rupert Hudson, 2013)
Social media has fundamentally changed the consumer decision process, and in the last
decade a more nuanced view of how consumers engage with brands has emerged. Instead of
the traditional purchase funnel, consumer’s research products and services during an
extended evaluation stage, and after purchase, they often enter into an open-ended
relationship with the brand, sharing their experience with it using social media. This paper
describes the new consumer decision journey, and then adds to the body of research on events
and festivals management by applying this new model to events and festivals. The paper
provides an illuminating view of the use of social media in an event and festival context. It
supports the theory previously developed in this area, and is further evidence of the powerful
impact that new technology can have on consumer behaviour. In general, the music festivals
profiled are proactive in their use of social media, engaging with consumers throughout the
consumer decision journey. In particular, social media is making the “evaluate” and
“advocate” stages of the decision journey more relevant for festival marketers. This paper has
therefore added to our knowledge of a new marketing phenomenon by showing how social
media can be leveraged by festivals and events to expand brand recognition, drive sales and
profitability and engender loyalty.
24
CHAPTER 3:
RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY
25
Research Design
This research paper mainly studies on how effective social media marketing has been during
the Covid-19 pandemic. Further the research paper also aims to study if social media
marketing influences the buying decisions of consumers or not during the pandemic in
particular.
Since the pandemic started digital marketing has become the most popular way for businesses
to promote their products or services. In this type of marketing, Social media marketing is
widely used by companies across the globe. Social media marketing has not been restricted to
only existing companies rather many start-up companies use this marketing way as their main
strategy to increase brand awareness.
Problem Statement
The pandemic has left the entire globe in a state of panic and challenged us to halt our lives
for months. The Covid-19 crisis impacted all of our lives physically, financially and
emotionally. This challenges many businesses to think creatively in order to sustain in the
everchanging market. Hence, this paper seeks to study how effective digital marketing in
specific social media marketing has been during the pandemic and how much social media
marketing influences a customer purchasing decisions online.
Need for the study
Social Media Marketing has witnessed significant shifts from how COVID-19 is changing
consumer behaviour, with many changes possibly permanently altering our industry. Social
media has become an indispensable component in our daily life. Home-bound with little to do
Covid-19 has led to a spike in online media consumption.
Today, more than any other time in recent history, social media platforms have become the
main source of information surpassing print and other digital media platforms. Further the
current situation (COVID-19) has acted as a catalyst to the ever-increasing rise in social
26
media adoption. More and more people are relying on social media platforms like Twitter,
Facebook, and Instagram to stay up-to-date in various fields. The COVID-19 pandemic has
forced the world indoors.
Through this study we will get to know how actually social media influences the behaviour of
the consumer.
Variable – Dependent and Independent
Independent variables –
a. Social media platforms – Social media marketing depends entirely on what kind
platforms businesses use to promote their products or services. Businesses choose
either one platform or multiple platforms to promote their brand. These platforms
influence customers choice of products as well as the brand.
b. Coronavirus pandemic – The pandemic has impacted almost every aspect of
businesses. Many businesses have chosen social media marketing as their main way
to reach out to customers.
c. Types of advertisements – Since there are many ways to advertise a product
companies need to make sure that they choose the right type of advertisement so as to
gain maximum customer reach and hence grow their business.
Dependent variables –
a. Frequency of purchasing online – The purchasing behaviour of customers differs

from individual to individual and can be manipulated through various factors such as
attractive advertisements, incentives (discounts, coupons, etc.)
b. Factors involved while purchasing online – There are many factors that influence a
person while purchasing online both positive and negative factors. It is crucial to
know what factor highly influences a customer while purchasing online.
Research Questions
1. Have people started purchasing more because of the pandemic situation?
2. Which product was highly purchased more online since the pandemic started?
3. What kind of social media advertisements influence customer’s buying decisions?
27
4. Which social media platform was the most effective during this Covid-19 crisis?
Research Objectives-
To find out:
1. If social media marketing has been effective during the Coronavirus pandemic.
2. If social media marketing has had an influence in the purchasing behaviour of customers
during the pandemic.
3. If there is a relationship between age and the frequency of purchasing online during the
pandemic.
Hypothesis Statements
1. H0: - Social media marketing has not been effective during the coronavirus
pandemic.
H1: - Social media marketing is being effective during the coronavirus pandemic.
2. H0: - Social media marketing has not influenced the purchasing behaviour of
customers during the pandemic.
H1: - Social media marketing has influenced the purchasing behaviour of customers
3. H0: - There is no significant difference between age and frequency of purchasing

online during the pandemic.
H1: - There is a significant difference between age and frequency of purchasing
Scope of Study
The parametric study aims to evaluate the buying behaviour of consumers through social
media marketing during Covid-19 and analyse where consumers are willing to buy through
social media platforms.
For this purpose, a study was conducted in Bangalore, in which 201 respondents participated.
This paper analyses with different demographic variables such as gender, age etc. have an
impact on how social media marketing influences the buying behaviour of consumers.
28
Questionnaire Design
Our questionnaire had a total of 15 questions. The design of the questionnaire is as follows -
This questionnaire is solely designed for the purpose of research of effect of social media
marketing during this pandemic.
1. Name:
2. What age group do you belong to? (Please tick your answer)
 15-25
 26-35
 36-45
 45-55
3. Gender
 Male
 Female
 Do not wish to reveal
4. Did you consider online purchasing before the pandemic started?
 Yes
 No
 Maybe
5. Have you had any experience in buying products through internet?
 Yes
 No
6. Which social media platforms are you active on? Please tick your options
 Instagram
 Facebook
 Twitter
 LinkedIn
 Telegram
 Any other
29
7. What influences your decision while purchasing online?
 Contactless mode of Payment

 Following the safety precautions
 Security
 Ease of Usage
 Speed /saving of time
 Reliability
 Deals offered by the company
 Gathering information
 Wide range of choice
 Easy payment mechanism
 Quick delivery of product and services
 Access to global markets
8. Since the pandemic started how often have you been purchasing online from the
application?
 Less than once a month

 Once a month
 Once every two weeks
 Once a week
 Twice or thrice a week
 Daily
9. Do you think social media is influencing your buying decisions now?
 Yes
 No
10. What kind of products have you started purchasing more online since the pandemic
started?
 Groceries
 Clothing (Lifestyle)
 Essentials (sanitizers, face masks, etc.)
 Food (from Swiggy, etc.)
30
 Electronic gadgets
 Others
11. When you purchase online what procedure do you follow?
 I buy online after analysing the information provided online

 I get information from the internet and discuss it with others before placing orders
online
 I buy according to the brand of the product
12. What kinds of social media advertisements grab your attention?
 Videos
 Posters
 Articles
 Blogs
13. Are you more likely to visit the brand’s website or download their app if you see a
product on their social media that you like? (Choose your option)
 Website
 App
14. How many social media advertisements do you come across in a day? (Next question is
a follow up)
 0-5
 5-10
 More than 10
15. After watching these advertisements do you go and check out the brand’s website/app
for similar products you make like?
 Yes
 No
 Sometimes
 Never
31
Report Cronbach’s Alpha
The data is reliable since the Cronbach’s Alpha value is .7
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's Alpha N of Items

.752 10
Sampling Type and Sample Size

 Sampling type: The sampling technique used in the present study is random
sampling. A random sample is a subset of persons (a sample) selected from a larger
set (a population). Each individual is selected randomly and completely by chance so
that each individual has the same probability of being selected at any stage of the
sampling process and each sub-set of individuals has the probability of being selected
as individual's sample as any other sub-set as any other sub-set of an individual.
 Sample size: The sample size is 201 respondents which include 99 male and 102
females.
Statistical Design:
SPSS software of version 26, developed by IBM, is used for statistical analysis.
1. Regression: Regression analysis is a method of determining the impact of one

variable on another variable. In order to analyse the extent of regression, the R- square
value is taken into consideration. The R-square value should be less than 0.5 to reject
the null hypothesis.
2. Correlation: Correlation analysis is conducted to determine the strength or extent to

which the two variables are related. The r value is between -1 and +1. This range
measures the strength of the relationship and is called the correlation coefficient, also
called Pearson’s r. p-value has to be lesser than 0.05. If r is 0, then there exists no
correlation. If r > 0, then there is a positive correlation while r < 0 shows a negative
correlation.
32
3. One-way ANOVA: This test determines if a significant mean difference between the
two variables exist. We equate the means of the two groups for determining the
difference between the two groups of variables. If p-value or the significance value
from the table is below 0.05, then there is a difference between the two categories is
statistically significant of variables. Thus, the null hypothesis is rejected.
4. Chi square: It is an inferential statistic - it allows us to make inferences from our
sample to the population regarding the hypothesized relationship with the assumption
that the relationship is due to chance - this is called the null hypothesis (Ho). If the
probability is < or = .05, reject Ho and conclude the relationship is significant. If the
probability is > .05, retain Ho and conclude the relationship is due to chance.
Limitation of the study
1. Time – The period was limited and thus, the various other possibilities to conduct the
research was not taken up.
2. Sample – The population sample was limited to only 201 people.
3. Scope – The study did not focus on any particular brand or company.
33
CHAPTER 4:
DATA ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION
34
Descriptive Statistics:
This includes Standard deviation, Mean, Median, Mode, Variance, Skewness and Kurtosis
 Mean: The arithmetic means the measure of central tendency, commonly
called as average. The average is sensitive to large or small values.
 Standard deviation: It is the quadrangular root of variance. It also measures
the spread or dispersion of the data set. Higher the standard deviation value,
more significant is the dispersion or spread of the observations.
 Median: Median splits or divides the entire distribution into two halves of all
values.
 Variance: It measures the variability. Variance is the sum of the squared
distances of data. Generally, as the variance is in squared units, it not used as
an index of spread. Therefore, we use standard deviation.
 Skewness and Kurtosis:
Skewness: It is the measure of the direction and degree of symmetry. A normal
distribution is an asymmetric distribution with skewness of 0. A negatively
skewed data will be skewed to the left, which denotes that the mean is lesser
than the median. Positively skewed data ss skewed towards the right with a
value above 0.
Kurtosis: It measures the heaviness of tails of the distribution. Normal
distribution with skewness 0 has kurtosis also with 0. Kurtosis is positive when
the tail is more substantial than a normally distributed data, while lighter tails
show negative kurtosis. The heaviness of the tails on the left or right show that
the data is not normally distributed.
35
Test Hypothesis:
Hypothesis-
1. H0: - Social media marketing has not been effective during the coronavirus
pandemic.
2. H0: - Social media marketing has not influenced the purchasing behaviour of
3. H0: - There is no significant difference between age and frequency of purchasing
ANALYSIS OF RESPONSES FROM GOOGLE FORMS:
AGE GROUP
Interpretation:
In the present study being conducted, 201 respondents participated out of which majority
participants are 15-25 years.
36
GENDER
Interpretation:
In the present study being conducted, 201 respondents participated out of which 99 are
maleand 102 are females.
Interpretation:
In the present study, 201 respondents participated out of which majority have considered
online purchasing before the pandemic started.
37
Interpretation:
In the present study, 201 respondents participated out of which majority have had experience
in buying products through the internet.
Interpretation:
In the present study, 201 respondents participated out of which majority of them are most
active on WhatsApp and Instagram.
38
Interpretation:
In the present study, 201 respondents participated out of which for most of them Ease of
Usage, Speed/saving of time and Wide range of choice are the factors that influences their
decisions the most while purchasing online.
Interpretation:
In the present study, 201 respondents participated out of which majority of them purchase
Less than once a month and Once a month online from the application since the pandemic
started.
39
Interpretation:
In the present study, 201 respondents participated out of which majority of them (51.2%)
think that Social media does influence their buying decisions.
Interpretation:
In the present study, 201 respondents participated out of which majority of them have
purchased Clothing, Food, Electronic Gadgets online since the pandemic started.
40
Interpretation:
In the present study, 201 respondents participated out of which majority of them buy online
after analysing the information.
Interpretation:
In the present study, 201 respondents participated out of which for majority of them Videos
and Posters kinds of social media advertisements grab their attention the most.
41
Interpretation:
In the present study, 201 respondents participated out of which for majority of them are likely
to visit the brand’s website to see a product on their social media.
Interpretation:
In the present study, 201 respondents participated out of which for majority of them come
across 0-5 and 5-10 social media advertisements in a day.
42
Interpretation:
In the present study, 201 respondents participated out of which for majority respondents
sometimes check out the brand’s website/app for similar products after watching the social
media advertisements.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE
A. Reliability Test
Reliability analysis is used to determine the extent to which the items (questions) are
related to each other. It checks if all the questions give us the same results and are
directed towards measuring the same variable. It attempts to give an overall index of
the repeatability or internal consistency of the scale and helps to identify problem
items that should be excluded from the scale. A simple reliability analysis is now used
to check the reliability of both variable items.
Cronbach’s alpha is a measure for internal consistency. It establishes how closely

related the items of a set are. It is a measure of scale reliability. A “high” value for
alpha denotes that the measure is unidimensional. It also means high internal
consistency. The number of items specifies the number of questions considered for
the analysis.
43
Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's Alpha N of Items

.752 10
Interpretation:
The data is reliable since the Cronbach’s Alpha value is .752.
B. Frequency Table
Valid Cumulative
Frequency Percent Percent Percent
Valid 1 145 71.8 72.1 72.1
2 37 18.3 18.4 90.5
3 13 6.4 6.5 97.0
4 6 3.0 3.0 100.0
Total 201 99.5 100.0
Missing System 1 .5
Total 202 100.0
3. Gender
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 1 99 49.0 49.3 49.3
2 102 50.5 50.7 100.0
Total 201 99.5 100.0
Missing System 1 .5
Total 202 100.0
44
Histogram
Interpretation:
In the present study being conducted, 201 respondents participated out of which majority
participants are 15-25 years.
Interpretation:
In the present study being conducted, 201 respondents participated out of which 99 are male
and 102 are female.
C. Correlation:
45
Correlation analysis is conducted to determine the strength or extent to which the two
variables are related. The ‘r’ value is between -1 and +1. this range measures the strength of
the relationship and is called correlation coefficient also called Pearson’s r. P value has to be
lesser than 0.05. If r is 0, then there exists no correlation.
This is to test the first hypothesis which is –
H0: - Social media marketing has not been effective during the coronavirus
pandemic.
Correlation
13. Are you
more likely to
visit the brand’s
1 or download
their 2 if you see
9. Do you think a product on
social media is their social
influencing your media that you
buying decisions like? (choose
now? your option)
9. Do you think social media Pearson Correlation 1 .023
is influencing your buying Sig. (2-tailed) .746
decisions now? N 201 201
13. Are you more likely to Pearson Correlation .023 1
visit the brand’s website or Sig. (2-tailed) .746
download their app if you see N 201 201
a product on their social
media that you like? (choose
your option)
Interpretation:
It is observed that the value of Pearson’s Correlation is < 0.05, therefore, we can conclude
that H0 is rejected. It is also observed that there is a positive correlation.
46
D. Chi – square test
Chi square is an inferential statistic - it allows us to make inferences from our sample to the
population regarding the hypothesized relationship with the assumption that the relationship is
due to chance - this is called the null hypothesis (Ho). If the probability is < or = .05, reject Ho
and conclude the relationship is significant. If the probability is > .05, retain Ho and conclude the
relationship is due to chance. This is to test the first hypothesis which is –
H0: - Social media marketing has not been effective during the coronavirus pandemic.
1)
Case Processing Summary
Cases
Valid Missing Total
N Percent N Percent N Percent
8. Since the pandemic 201 99.5% 1 0.5% 202 100.0%
started how often have
you been purchasing
online from the
application? * 10. What
kind of products have
you started purchasing
more online since the
pandemic started?
47
10. What kind of products have you started purchasing
more online since the pandemic started?
1 2 3 4 5 Total
8. Since the 1 4 19 25 20 8 76
pandemic started 2 6 10 39 11 4 70
how often have
3 1 9 12 4 1 27
you been
purchasing online 4 0 2 11 1 0 14
from the 5 0 1 9 0 0 10
application?
6 0 0 1 2 0 3
11 0 0 0 0 1 1
Total 11 41 97 38 14 201
Chi-Square Tests
Asymptotic
Significance
Value df (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 46.120a 24 .004
Likelihood Ratio 41.550 24 .014
Linear-by-Linear .128 1 .720
Association
N of Valid Cases 201
a. 24 cells (68.6%) have expected count less than 5. The
minimum
expected count is .05.
Interpretation:
Since the probability is < 0.05 we can conclude that H0 is rejected. Therefore, H1 is accepted
and proves that social media marketing is being effective during the coronavirus pandemic
48
2)
Case Processing Summary

Cases
Valid Missing Total
N Percent N Percent N Percent
4. Did you consider 201 99.5% 1 0.5% 202 100.0%
online purchasing
before the pandemic
started? * 8. Since the
pandemic started how
often have you been
purchasing online from
the application?
8. Since the pandemic started how often have you been

purchasing online from the application?
1 2 3 4 5 6 11 Total
4. Did you 1 45 60 25 13 10 2 1 156
consider online 2 18 3 1 1 0 1 0 24
purchasing 3 13 7 1 0 0 0 0 21
before the
pandemic
started?
Total 76 70 27 14 10 3 1 201
49
Chi-Square Tests
Asymptotic
Significance
Value df (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 29.684a 12 .003
Likelihood Ratio 33.338 12 .001
Linear-by-Linear 12.477 1 .000
Association
N of Valid Cases 201
a. 12 cells (57.1%) have expected count less than 5. The
minimum expected count is .10.
Interpretation:
Since the probability is < 0.05 we can conclude that H0 is rejected. Therefore, H1 is accepted
and proves that social media marketing is being effective during the coronavirus pandemic.
E. One-way ANOVA:
This test determines if a significant mean difference between the two variables exists. The
means of the two groups are compared for determining the difference between the two groups
of variables. If p value or the significance value from the table is below 0.05 then there is a
statistically significant difference between the two groups of variables, thus the null
hypothesis is rejected.
It is used to test the third hypothesis:
H0: - There is no significant difference between age and frequency of purchasing

50
ANOVA
8. Since the pandemic started how often have you been purchasing online from
the application?
Sum of
Squares df Mean Square F Sig.
Between 5.681 3 1.894 1.014 .387
Groups
Within Groups 367.841 197 1.867
Total 373.522 200
Interpretation:
Since the value is > 0.05 we can conclude that H0 is accepted. Therefore, there is no
significant difference between age and frequency of purchasing online during the pandemic.
F. Regression:
Regression analysis is a method of determining the impact of one variable on another
variable. In order to analyse the extent of regression, the R- square value is taken into
consideration. The R-square value should be less than 0.5 to reject null hypothesis. This is to
test the second hypothesis which is –
H0: - Social media marketing has not influenced the purchasing behaviour of
1)
Descriptive Statistics
Std.
Mean Deviation N
51
8. Since the pandemic 2.15 1.367 201
started how often have
you been purchasing
online from the
application?
9. Do you think social 1.82 .912 201
media is influencing
your buying decisions
now?
Model Summary
Std. Change Statistics
R Adjuste Error of R F
Mo Squar d R the Square Chan Sig. F Durbin-
del R e Square Estimate Change ge df1 df2 Change Watson
1 .026a .001 -.004 1.370 .001 .135 1 199 .714 1.945
a. Predictors: (Constant), 9. Do you think social media is influencing your buying
decisions now?
b. Dependent Variable: 8. Since the pandemic started how often have you been
purchasing online from the application?
2)
Descriptive Statistics
Std.
Mean Deviation N
7. What influences your 6.34 1.745 201
decision while
purchasing online?
6. Which social media 3.73 .953 201
platforms are you active
on? Please tick your
options
52
12. What kinds of social 2.10 .784 201
media advertisements
grab your attention?
Model Summary
Std. Change Statistics

R Error of F
Mo Squar Adjusted the R Square Chang Sig. F Durbin-
del R e R Square Estimate Change e df1 df2 Change Watson
1 .092a .009 -.001 1.747 .009 .853 2 198 .428 1.796
a. Predictors: (Constant), 12. What kinds of social media advertisements grab your attention? 6.
Which social media platforms are you active on? Please tick your options
b. Dependent Variable: 7. What influences your decision while purchasing online?
Interpretation: Since R square value is < 0.05, we can conclude that H0 is rejected.
Therefore, it is proved that our first and second hypothesis have been rejected and the third
hypothesis has been rejected hence proving that:
1. Social media marketing is being effective during the coronavirus pandemic.

2. Social media marketing has influenced the purchasing behaviour of customers
3. There is no significant difference between age and frequency of purchasing
53
CHAPTER 5:
MAJOR FINDINGS AND

SUGGESTIONS
54
Major Findings and Suggestions
1. 51.2% of the respondents think that social media does influence their buying
decisions after the pandemic started.
2. It is found that people have started purchasing online more since the pandemic
started. People stocked up goods in the fear that they might run out of items in stores
because of illness, family fear and misinformation and it would increase the chance
of them contracting the virus. Hence, increasing the value and need of digital
marketing mainly social media marketing during this pandemic.
3. Our study proves that groceries, clothing and food were chosen by most of the
respondents due to this fear and social media platforms helped them purchase the
items. Businesses saw the opportunity to put out advertisements about products that
were most required during this time of the pandemic through social media platforms
such as Instagram.
4. It was noticed that the respondents used Instagram and WhatsApp the most. Thus, we
can conclude that these social media platforms were highly effective in marketing
products for businesses during the Covid-19 crisis.
5. 201 respondents took part in this study out of which majority have considered online
purchasing before the pandemic started.
6. Customers prefer to buy online majorly because of the ease of usage, saving time and
a wide range of choice is available.
7. It is noticed that majority of the respondents purchase online at least once in a month.
8. Majority of the respondents by online after analysing the information.
9. The study finds that Videos and Posters are most likely to influence a customer’s
buying decision for a product compared to blogs and articles.
10. It was also observed that customers tend to use the brand’s website after viewing the
advertisement rather than download their application. It can be assumed that they
download the application to view more varieties of product and then make the
purchase.
11. Majority of the respondents come across at most 10 advertisements on social media
platforms daily.
55
12. Majority of the respondents were between the age of 15-25 years.
Businesses can promote their products or services by choosing video marketing in this era of
digital marketing. Video marketing has proven to be more effective and makes a customer
confident in making online purchasing decisions. This will also enable customers to check
out the brand’s website after viewing the video. There are plenty of ways to drive higher
engagement with video marketing, as businesses can make a video post or start a live
broadcast on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. However, they should keep in mind that the
video content must be as interesting as possible as to grab the attention of customers.
Consumer attitudes, behaviours and purchasing habits are changing and many of these new
ways will remain post pandemic. After the pandemic fell upon the world, digital marketing
became a need for big as well as small businesses to survive in the market. As the world
changes, it is important to make new strategies in order to grow a business. While purchases
are currently centred on the most basic needs people are buying more consciously buying
local and embracing digital commerce.
56
CHAPTER 6:
CONCLUSION
57
Conclusion
Digital marketing is the component of marketing that utilizes internet and online based digital
technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones and other digital media and
platforms to promote products and services. Social media marketing is the use of social
media platforms to connect with your audience to build your brand, increase sales, and drive
website traffic. This involves publishing great content on your social media profiles, listening
to and engaging your followers, analysing your results, and running social media
advertisements. With the improvement of online media during the 2000s, for example,
LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, buyers turned out to be exceptionally subject to
advanced gadgets in day by day lives.
The importance of Social media marketing is that it allows businesses to promote themselves
to a large audience that could not have been achieved through traditional marketing
strategies. This kind of marketing social media platforms comes at little to no cost- making it
accessible to virtually any size business. It can accommodate personalized and direct
marketing that targets specific audience. Companies can engage with customers directly,
allowing them to obtain feedback and resolve issues almost immediately. It is an ideal
environment for a company to conduct market research. It is also used as a means of
obtaining information about competitors and boosting competitive advantages. Social
platforms can be used to promote brand events, deals, and news. Companies use these
platforms to offer incentives in the form of loyalty points and discounts.
Close to three billion people use social media. By being present on social media platforms,
you give your brand an opportunity to be discovered by your future customers. Thus, social
media marketing can be quite helpful for small businesses and it gives their brand an
opportunity to be discovered by potential future customers. Companies must ensure that
planning content ahead of time is extremely important rather than publishing content
spontaneously. This not only helps in reaching the target audience but also engages them with
the company’s content.
This research paper confirms that social media marketing is being effective during the
coronavirus pandemic. This indicates that businesses have been successful in influencing
58
customers to continue buying their products majorly through social media platforms. Further
proving that social media marketing has influenced the purchasing behaviour of customers
during the pandemic. The paper proves that there is no significant difference between age and
frequency of purchasing online during the pandemic. Due to the pandemic situation social
media marketing has become a need for various businesses and companies must ensure they
take their business on a higher level to sustain in this competitive market.
Future Research Areas
There are many relevant propositions which can be developed and tested in future studies
which are –
 The same research can be conducted keeping in mind a particular brand or company.
 A research can be conducted on how small businesses can improve their social media
presence thus attracting more customers.
 Examining the modern ways of social media marketing in the new normal of business.
59
REFERENCES
(n.d.).
(n.d.).
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August 21). Impulse buying in social commerce: bundle offer, top reviews, and emotional
intelligence. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics.
Angela Hall, Neil Towers, Duncan R. Shaw. (2017, May 8). Understanding how Millennial shoppers decide
what to buy: Digitally connected unseen journeys. International Journal of Retail & Distribution
Management, 45(5), 498-517.
Arrigo, E. (2018). Social media marketing in luxury brands: A systematic literature review and implications for
management research. Management Research Review.
Athanasios Patsiotis, Marwan Atik, Toula Perrea. (2020, June 19). The influence of m-marketing tools on
consumer buying process: evidence from the dining sector. International Journal of Retail &
Distribution Management, 48(10), 1037-1057.
Duffett, R. G. (2017). Influence of social media marketing communications on young consumers’ attitudes.
Young Consumers.
Duygu Akdevelioglu, Selcan Kara. (2020, April 10). An international investigation of opinion leadership and
social media. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 71-88.
Eleftherios Varkaris, Barbara Neuhofer. (2017, March 13). The influence of social media on the consumers’
hotel decision journey. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 8(1), 101-118.
Heini Maarit Taiminen , Heikki Karjaluoto. (2015, November 16). The usage of digital marketing channels in
SMEs. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 22, 633-651.
Ismail, A. R. (2017). The influence of perceived social media marketing activities on brand loyalty: The
mediation effect of brand and value consciousness. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics.
Katja Hutter , Julia Hautz , Severin Dennhardt , Johann Füller. (2013, August 19). The impact of user
interactions in social media on brand awareness and purchase intention: the case of MINI on
Facebook. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 22(5), 342-351.
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Mayank Yadav, Zillur Rahman. (2018, November 29). The influence of social media marketing activities on
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3882-3905.
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Naeem, M. (2019, August 12). Do social networking platforms promote service quality and purchase
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Naeem, M. (2020). The role of social media to generate social proof as engaged society for stockpiling
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social media advertising and purchase intention toward luxury products. Journal of Global Fashion
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30(4), 398-410.
ANNEXURE
62
This questionnaire is solely designed for the purpose of research of effect of social media
marketing during this pandemic. Your accurate response will help us in obtaining the best
results. Please fill this questionnaire and let us know your thoughts (your answers will be
anonymous). Thank you.
1. Name:
 15-25
 26-35
 36-45
 45-55
3. Gender
 Male
 Female
 Do not wish to reveal
4. Did you consider online purchasing before the pandemic started?
 Yes
 No
 Maybe
5. Have you had any experience in buying products through internet?
 Yes
 No
6. Which social media platforms are you active on? Please tick your options
63
 Instagram
 Facebook
 Twitter
 LinkedIn
 Telegram
 Any other
7. What influences your decision while purchasing online?
 Contactless mode of Payment

 Following the safety precautions
 Security
 Ease of Usage
 Speed /saving of time
 Reliability
 Deals offered by the company
 Gathering information
 Wide range of choice
 Easy payment mechanism
 Quick delivery of product and services
 Access to global markets
8. Since the pandemic started how often have you been purchasing online from the
application?
 Less than once a month

 Once a month
 Once every two weeks
 Once a week
 Twice or thrice a week
 Daily
9. Do you think social media is influencing your buying decisions now?
 Yes
 No
64
10. What kind of products have you started purchasing more online since the pandemic
started?
 Groceries
 Clothing (Lifestyle)
 Essentials (sanitizers, face masks, etc.)
 Food (from Swiggy, etc.)
 Electronic gadgets
 Others
11. When you purchase online what procedure do you follow?
 I buy online after analysing the information provided online

 I get information from the internet and discuss it with others before placing orders
online
 I buy according to the brand of the product
12. What kinds of social media advertisements grab your attention?
 Videos
 Posters
 Articles
 Blogs
13. Are you more likely to visit the brand’s website or download their app if you see a
product on their social media that you like? (Choose your option)
 Website
 App
14. How many social media advertisements do you come across in a day? (Next question is
a follow up)
 0-5
 5-10
 More than 10
65
15. After watching these advertisements do you go and check out the brand’s website/app
for similar products you make like?
 Yes
 No
 Sometimes
 Never
66

Digital Marketing: A Study On Influence of Social Media Marketing During Covid-19

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Digital Marketing:

A Study on Influence of Social Media Marketing During Covid-19

Nishra S Nagori 1920666

Sakshi A Fagnia 1920667

Sneha D Khurana 1920668

Under the Guidance of

Dr Sunanda Vincent Jaiwant

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Award of the Degree of

BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

Date of Submission: November 2020

Nishra S Nagori 1920666

Sakshi A Fagnia 1920667

Sneha D Khurana 1920668

School of Business and Management

CHRIST (Deemed to be University)

Prof. Sunanda Vincent Jaiwant

Nishra S Nagori 1920666

Sakshi A Fagnia 1920667

Sneha D Khurana 1920668

SL.NO CONTENT PAGE NO.

2. Review of Literature 10-24

3. Research Methodology 25-33

4. Data Analysis and Interpretation 34-53

5. Major Findings and Suggestions 54-56

2.1. LITERATURE REVIEW

1. Citation: (Naeem, 2020)

2. Citation: (Duygu Akdevelioglu, Selcan Kara, 2020)

3. Citation: (Paul Blaise Issock Issock, Mornay Roberts-Lombard, Mercy

4. Citation (Stephen, 2016)

6. Citation: (William F. Humphrey Jr, 2017)

7. Citation: (Duygu Akdevelioglu, Selcan Kara, 2020)

8. Citation: (Wendy Ritz, Marco Wolf, Shaun McQuitty, 2019)

9. Citation: (Saleh, 2020)

12. Citation: (Ismail, 2017)

13. Citation: (Duffett, 2017)

14. Citation: (Arrigo, 2018)

15. Citation: (Stefan Olof Lagrosen , Kerstin Grundén, 2014)

17. Citation: (Ying Sun, Shanyong Wang, 2019)

19. Citation: (Athanasios Patsiotis, Marwan Atik, Toula Perrea, 2020)

20. Citation: (Nory Jones, Richard Borgman , Ebru Ulusoy, 2015)

21. Citation: (Vikas Gautam and Vikram Sharma, 2017)

22. Citation: (Shu-Chuan Chu,Sara Kamal and Yoojung Kim, 2013)

24. Citation: (Payel Das, Santanu Mandal, 2016)

25. Citation: (Angela Hall, Neil Towers, Duncan R. Shaw, 2017)

27. Citation: (Mayank Yadav, Zillur Rahman, 2018)

29. Citation: (Eleftherios Varkaris, Barbara Neuhofer, 2017)

30. Citation: (Simon Hudson, Rupert Hudson, 2013)

Need for the study

Variable – Dependent and Independent

a. Frequency of purchasing online – The purchasing behaviour of customers differs

1. Have people started purchasing more because of the pandemic situation?

3. What kind of social media advertisements influence customer’s buying decisions?

3. H0: - There is no significant difference between age and frequency of purchasing

4. Did you consider online purchasing before the pandemic started?

5. Have you had any experience in buying products through internet?

 Contactless mode of Payment

 Less than once a month

9. Do you think social media is influencing your buying decisions now?

 Essentials (sanitizers, face masks, etc.)

 Food (from Swiggy, etc.)

11. When you purchase online what procedure do you follow?

 I buy online after analysing the information provided online