RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

CIA-I

TITLE: RESEARCH PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

By

KARTHICCK M
REG.NO: 2228357

Under the Guidance of

Dr. BIKAS KUMAR RUP

MBA PROGRAMME
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
CHRIST (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY), BANGALORE
MARCH 2023
PROBLEM STATEMENT: Influence of Instagram in Consumer Behaviour.

ABSTRACT:

The rise of social media platforms such as Instagram has changed the way consumers
communicate, consume information, and make purchasing decisions. Instagram, in particular,
has gained in popularity as a platform for people to share photos, videos, and stories about
their daily lives, experiences, and purchases. Instagram, a prominent social networking site,
has been ingrained in people's everyday lives, particularly among the younger age. Instagram
has over 1 billion active users globally, making it a critical platform for businesses to reach
their target demographic. The goal of this research is to look at how Instagram affects
customer behaviour, especially how it effects purchase decisions, brand loyalty, and overall
consumer pleasure.

INTRODUCTION:
Instagram is a prominent social networking site that has grown rapidly in recent years.
Instagram has over one billion monthly active users and has become an important marketing
tool for businesses. Businesses may use Instagram to market their products or services,
interact with their consumers, and raise brand recognition. The influence of Instagram on
customer behaviour, on the other hand, remains unknown. The goal of this study paper is to
investigate Instagram's effect on customer behaviour and to discover the elements that
influence this connection.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES:

The overall purpose of this research is to study how Instagram has a stronger impact on
consumer behaviour, how it assists businesses in convincing consumers to buy their products,
and how it influences customer satisfaction decisions. The precise goals are as follows.

 To explore how Instagram usage influences consumer purchase decisions.

 To look into the relationship between Instagram user demographics and the impact of
Instagram on their purchasing behaviour.
 To evaluate how various forms of Instagram material (for example, product reviews,
sponsored posts, and user-generated content) impact customer behaviour.
  To discover the psychological aspects that underpin Instagram's effect on customer
behaviour, such as social comparison, brand trust, and FOMO (fear of missing out).
 To assess the influence of Instagram on customer behaviour in comparison to other
social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.
 To evaluate the impact of various Instagram marketing methods (e.g., hashtags,
stories, paid advertising) on user behaviour.
 To investigate how Instagram's automated content curation influences user behaviour
and purchase decisions.
 To investigate cross-cultural variations in Instagram's effect on customer behaviour.
 To make realistic suggestions for businesses and marketers on how to use Instagram's
effect on customer behaviour to better marketing tactics and increase sales.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Instagram is a picture and video sharing social networking website owned by Meta Platforms
in the United States. Users may upload media to the app, which can then be altered with
filters and grouped using hashtags and geographical labelling. Posts can be shared with the
general public or with pre-approved followers. Users may explore trending material, like
photographs, and follow other people to add their stuff to a personal feed. It also featured
messaging tools, the ability to include multiple photographs or videos in a single post, and a
Stories feature, which enabled users to upload their material to a sequential feed, with each
post available to others for 24 hours, similar to its major competitor Snapchat. (Instagram -
Wikipedia, 2010)

Consumer behaviour refers to the actions and activities that influence a consumer's
purchasing behaviour. What drives customers to choose one product over another is a topic
that marketers constantly investigate and explore. The bulk of buying decisions are
influenced by emotions and rationality. Consumer behaviour is the study of how individuals,
groups, or organisations select, acquire, utilise, and dispose of ideas, commodities, and
services to meet their desires and preferences. It relates to a customer's market behaviour as
well as the causes behind such behaviour. (“Factors Influencing Effectiveness of Online
Advertisement Towards Consumer Purchase Decision,” 2019)
Instagram, like other social media platforms, continues to have an influence on consumer
purchasing habits. According to a recent Dana Rebecca Designs poll of 2,000 Instagram
users, the great majority (85%) reported following accounts that are style, fashion, or
lifestyle-focused, and 63% consider themselves to be fashion-forward.

The research also emphasised Instagram's effect on purchase decisions, with 72% indicating
they had made fashion, beauty, or style-related purchases after seeing something on
Instagram, with apparel, cosmetics, shoes, and jewellery being the most-purchased
categories. (Salpini, 2021)

With the growth of Instagram came the emergence of a new brand of super-user known as a
'influencer,' who shared unrealistically idealised lives, jobs, and houses with their eager
following while earning large sums of money from sponsored posts. Influencers have
achieved massive visibility on platforms like Instagram and YouTube by disclosing every
intimate aspect of their glamorous lives and creating the image of the ideal living. Several
corporations actively employ influencers to improve their potential audience reach, handing
out free items or offering PR event tickets in exchange for visibility to the influencer's
thousands of followers across their account. (Johns, 2022)

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The major data gathering instrument for the project will be a survey questionnaire. The target
audience will be Instagram users who have been active for at least six months. A sample of
500 people will be chosen using a basic random selection procedure. The data will be
evaluated using descriptive and inferential statistics such as regression analysis, t-tests, and
ANOVA. The study's goals are to determine the extent to which Instagram impacts consumer
behaviour, the characteristics that lead consumers to purchase via Instagram, and the impact
of Instagram on brand loyalty. The outcomes of this study will give businesses with insights
on how to strengthen their marketing strategy on Instagram and increase their market
competitiveness.
HYPOTHESIS STATEMENT:

Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no significant influence of Instagram on consumer behavior.

Alternative Hypothesis (Ha): There is a significant influence of Instagram on consumer

behavior

RESEARCH APPROACH:

The research will employ a mixed-approaches strategy that blends qualitative and
quantitative research methods. The study will be cross-sectional, with data collected at a
specific moment in time.

SAMPLING:

This research's sample will be chosen from Instagram users between the ages of 18 and 35.
There will be 200 responses in the sample. Purposive sampling will be performed, which
entails selecting individuals based on certain qualities relevant to the investigation.

SAMPLE UNIT: Instagram users between the age of 18 to 35

SAMPLE SIZE: 200 respondants who are the users of Instagram

DATA COLLECTION:

An online survey will be used to collect data for this study. The questionnaire will include
both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Quantitative data will be collected using
closed-ended questions, while qualitative data will be collected using open-ended questions.
The poll will be distributed via social media channels and administered using Google Forms.

PRIMARY DATA: Questionaire Method, Surveys and polls

SECONDARY DATA: Past researches, Data from authentic sources which confines to the
particular constraints
DATA ANALYSIS:
The survey's quantitative results will be analysed using descriptive statistics such as
frequencies, means, and standard deviations. To investigate the relationship between
variables, inferential statistics such as correlation analysis and regression analysis will be
employed. Content analysis will be used to analyse qualitative data acquired through open-
ended questions.

CONCEPTS AND TERMS RELATED TO RESEARCH PROBLEM:

Social influence: The impact that other people have on our attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours
is referred to as social influence. In the context of Instagram, social influence may originate
from content creators, influencers, and other platform users who can impact customer
purchase decisions.

Consumer Behaviour: Consumer behaviour refers to the activities and decisions made by
customers when purchasing products or services. Instagram has the potential to impact
consumer behaviour by offering a platform for marketers to exhibit their items and for
customers to find and investigate things before purchasing.

Social Media Marketing: Social media marketing is the activity of promoting products or
services using social media platforms. Instagram is a major social media marketing tool, and
marketers can reach out to customers and influence their purchase decisions by utilising
influencers and sponsored content.

Self Presentation: Instagram is also a place where users can showcase themselves and their
lifestyles to others. Self-presentation is the process of displaying oneself in a certain manner
in order to make the intended impression. Customers may be influenced by others' Instagram
self-presentation, causing them to make buying decisions based on the lifestyle and image
they seek to convey.
THE EVIDENCE WHICH SUPPORTS THE PROBLEM:

Improved brand awareness: Instagram has evolved into a great tool for businesses seeking
to raise brand awareness. Instagram has over 1 billion active users, according to a Hootsuite
survey, making it a lucrative platform for businesses to contact potential clients. Businesses
may boost their exposure on the network and reach a larger audience by utilising hashtags
and other features.

Purchase decisions: Instagram has an impact on customer purchasing decisions. According

to a Shopify poll, 72% of Instagram users have made purchases based on something they saw
on the network. This emphasises the necessity of businesses having a strong Instagram
presence in order to reach potential clients.

Social Proof: Instagram also serves as a type of social proof for customers. Seeing
influencers and other people using and loving a product on Instagram might motivate
potential buyers to buy it. This is especially true for millennials and Generation Z, who are
more likely to believe social media influencer recommendations than traditional advertising.

Brand Loyalty: Instagram also aids in the development of brand loyalty. Businesses may
develop a relationship with customers that goes beyond just selling things by connecting with
customers on the platform and showing a brand's values and personality. This can build client
loyalty and lead to repeat purchases.

ETHICAL STANDARDS:
Ethical concerns will be taken into account during the study process. Participants will be
asked to provide informed permission and will be ensured of the confidentiality and
anonymity of their replies. Participants will be able to leave the research at any time. The
study will adhere to ethical norms for human subjects research.
TIMELINE AND BUDGET:
TASK DURATION
Finding the research problem 1 day
Data Collection 10 days
Data Analysis 10 days
Report Preparation 3 days

The budget for the survey will be around 5000/- Indian rupees. Questionnaires are the most
prevalent survey mode. The questionnaire will be printed for around Rs. 2000/-. This is for a
group of 200 persons.  And Google forms are circulated to the persons  For all such
emergency demands, a total of 3000/- Rupees has been set aside.

CONCLUSION:
The strategies and approaches that will be utilised to examine the effect of Instagram on
customer behaviour are outlined in this research methodology. The study will employ a
mixed-methods approach, with data collected via an online survey. The sample will be taken
from Instagram users between the ages of 18 and 35. The findings of this study will help
businesses and marketers better understand the impact of Instagram on customer behaviour
and will be valuable in developing marketing strategies.
REFERENCE

Instagram - Wikipedia. (2010, October 6). Instagram - Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram

Salpini, C. (2021, August 23). Study: Instagram influences almost 75% of user purchase
decisions. Retail Dive. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from
https://www.retaildive.com/news/study-instagram-influences-almost-75-of-user-purchase-
decisions/503336/

Factors Influencing Effectiveness of Online Advertisement towards Consumer Purchase

Decision. (2019, September 16). International Journal of Recent Technology and
Engineering, 8(2S6), 714–717. https://doi.org/10.35940/ijrte.b1134.0782s619

Johns, R. (2022, March 25). How Instagram Influences - The Power Of The ‘Gram On
Consumers - Foundation Agency. Foundation Agency. Retrieved March 15, 2023, from
https://foundationagency.co.uk/blog/the-power-of-the-gram-on-consumers/

Sridhar, S. (2021, December 9). 4 ways social media impacts consumer behavior. Sprout
Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-consumer-behavior/

Gupta, Sachin & Chopra, Chahat. (2020). Impact Of Social Media On Consumer Behaviour.
10.13140/RG.2.2.26927.15527.

Singh, Amrita & Varghese, Suvin. (2020). A STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF

SOCIAL MEDIA AS A MARKETING TOOL.

Social media’s impact on consumer behavior. (2022, August 31). Times of India Blog.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/marketingempire/social-medias-impact-on-
consumer-behavior-44636/