A RESEARCH REPORT ON

A STUDYOF
"A STUDY ON EFFECT ONSOCIAL
E-COMMERCE
MEDIA MARKETING ON
(with reference
PREFORMANCE to Technologies
OF MICRO AND SMALLused atENTERPRISES."
present)
Mini Project Report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements
for the award of the degree of
For the partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of

MASTERS OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Dr. APJ ABDUL KALAM TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

LUCKNOW

Under the guidance of - SUBMITTED

SubmittedBY-
by-
Dr.Rohit
Mayank Pallavi Yadav
Mr. VermaTripathi Pradumn
Roll no. Patel
2100460700031
st
{ASSISTANT
(Assistant PROF.}
Professor) MBA n d1 year
MBA
Roll no. –22100460700033
YEAR

MAHARANA PRATAP ENGINEERING COLLEGE

KOTHI MANDHANA KANPUR
 PREFACE
A
BUSINESS DISSERTATION
As a part of MBA curriculum and in order to gain knowledge in the field of management, we
are required to make a report on “A Study onON Effect of Social Media Marketing On Performance
Of Micro And Small Enterprises ”. The basic objective behind doing this project report is to get
knowledge on“EFFECT
the “A StudyOF SOCIAL
on Effect MEDIA
of Social MARKETING
Media Marketing ON Of Micro And
On Performance
PERFORMANCE
Small Enterprises OF MICRO
” and the changes & SMALL
that has taken place from ENTERPRISES.”
earlier

Submitted to
Doing this project report helped me to enhance our knowledge regarding the work. Through this
report we come to knowSCHOOL OF PETROLEUM
about importance MANAGEMENT
of team work and role of devotion towards the
work. PANDIT DEENDAYAL ENERGY UNIVERSITY, GANDHINAGAR

,
PALLAVI YADAV
MBA 2nd YEAR
Roll No: 2100460700031
IN
PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

Faculty Guide
Prof. Sudhir Yadav

Submitted by
Yash Mewada
General Management – 20205023

April,2022

1|Page
 DECLARATION BY THE STUDENT

I hereby declare that “A Study on EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING ON PREFORMANCE

OF MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISES. ” Is the result of the project work carried out by me under
the guidance of Assistant Prof. Dr. MAYANK TRIPATHI in partial fulfilment for the award of Master’s
DECLARATION
Degree in Business Administration by ABDUL KALAM TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

I also declare that this project is the outcome of my own efforts and that it has not been
submitted to any
I,Yash other university
Mewada (20205023) or institute
student for
of the
MBAaward of any
Batch other degree
2020-2022 or diploma
School Of or
certificate.
Petroleum Management, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar
hereby declare that the Business Dissertation entitled EFFECT OF SOCIAL
KANPUR
MEDIA MARKETING ON PERFORMANCE OF MICRO YADAV
PALLAVI & SMALL
ENTERPRISES” is a result of my own research work and our indebtedness to
MBA2nd YEAR
other work publications, references, if any, have been duly acknowledged. I shall
be solely responsible for any plagiarism or other irregularities, if noticed in the
Roll No:2100460700031
thesis.

I assert that the statements made and conclusions drawn are the outcome of my
own research work. I further declare that to the best of my knowledge and belief
that the Business Dissertation does not contain any part of any work which has been
submitted for the award of any other degree/diploma/certificate in this University
or any other University in India or Abroad.

Place : (Signature)

Date : Yash Mewada

2|Page
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have been associated with
me and played a key role towards the completion of this project work. I would like to thank
my internal guide, Dr. MAYANK TRIPATHI, Assistant Professor, Maharana Pratap
Engineering College for his guidance in shaping my project. Last but not the least, I would
like to thank all the teaching and non- teaching staff of college, and my friends who have
PLAGIARISM
provided me with all the support DECLARATION
and assistance required for completing the study.

I know that plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarism is to use another’s work and pretend
that it is one’s own. Dissertation has significant new work / knowledge as compared
already published or is under consideration to be published elsewhere. No sentence,
equation, diagram, table, paragraph or section has been copied verbatim from
PALLAVI YADAV
previous work unless it is placed under quotation marks andMBA
duly referenced.
2ND YEAR I have
used a recognized convention for citation and referencing. Each significant
contribution and quotation from the works of other people has been attributed, cited
and referenced

The thesis has been checked using <Turnitin> (copy of originality report attached)
and found within limits as per PDPU Plagiarism Policy and instructions issued
from time to time.

I certify that this submission is my own work. I have not allowed and will not allow
anyone to copy this work with the intention of passing it off as his or her own work.

Place : (Signature)

Date : Yash Mewada

3|Page
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
Social media marketing is the latest "buzz" in marketing. India is probably among the first
proponents of social media marketing. These days, the organizational cause has replaced the
social cause as companies seek to engage with their audience via the online platforms. Online
presence is a must for businesses today. Apart from a basic website; consumers look for a blog,
a Facebook page, shopping cart, e-brochures, etc. 92% of micro and small businesses agree
that social media is an effective marketing technology tool. They are evenly split on the
effectiveness of social media for attracting new customers and engaging existing customers.
(e-Strategy Trends)

Social media marketing strategies are valuable tools for small business owners to reach new
customers, increase sales, and grow profitability; yet, some owners lack the resources and
expertise to implement effective strategies.

SMEs' performance is defined by using the value added (VA) by SMEs, as a percent of the
total VA by enterprises.

Performance of Micro and small enterprises can be measured by the following indicators:
increased profits, financial condition, ability of micro and small enterprises products, in
competition, increase customer, increase in sales volume, employee satisfaction, employee
motivation. Performance also depends on the competency of the entrepreneurs as the owners
who make an important decision for their business.

Problem statement
Business leaders who do not use social media as a marketing tool experience decreased sales
and profitability (Stavrianea & Kavoura, 2015). Taneja and Toombs (2014) posited that only
26% of micro & small business owners use social media marketing to increase sales. The
general business problem was business owners who do not use social media marketing limit
profitability growth. The specific business problem was that some micro & small retail business
owners lack social media marketing strategies to increase sales.

Purpose of the study

Social media was a brand-new concept. Many individuals had no idea what social media was
or how it will affect our lives five years ago. It was an exhilarating interactive medium that
swept the globe by storm, to the point that no business, large or little, local or global, could
afford to ignore it. Small company owners frequently found the notion of internet marketing

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intimidatig at first since it was difficult to determine which areas to focus on. As a result, the
fact that social media marketing is a vast subject with a complicated structure prompted a desire
to become acquainted with it and discover the plan or strategy used by small and micro
businesses.

The study's goal is to investigate how micro and small companies may use social media to enter
their markets, engage their consumers, and establish connections in a personal and direct
manner that can rocket their brand and boost their recognition as successfully as any major
firm. The study also sheds insight on the impact of social media on online purchasing decisions
and behavior among consumers.

Objectives
• Identifying the various types of businesses that use social media for marketing
• Examining the influence of social media on company performance
• Exploring the impact of various online promotional activities on brand presence
• Analyze the performance of micro and small enterprises after adopting social media
marketing.

Research methodology
Primary data will be collected from micro and small businesses and customers by using a
questionnaire designed to capture their perception and use of social media. The report will
present detailed analysis to describe various aspects related to Social Media Marketing and its
influence on businesses and consumers, based on which certain findings and conclusion on the
research topic will be penned down.

Online research questionnaires will be prepared for the survey, one for the small business and
other for the consumer. Questionnaire will be categorized with Multiple Choice closed-ended
questions as they are ideal for calculating statistical data and percentages. Further specifically
Closed-Ended Importance Questions, Likert Questions, Dichotomous Questions, Open Ended
question to get Descriptive Information about the topic will be asked to collect data and achieve
the purpose of study.

Scope
With the social media boom, many marketers use social media advertising to increase sales;
however, some business owners lack the knowledge and technological expertise to implement
social media marketing strategies. Small business owners who use social media marketing
strategies experience significant increases in customer engagement and company revenue.

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Small business owners can create an inexpensive marketing campaign using social media,
resulting in viral marketing, virtual word-of-mouth advertising, and increased sales. I chose the
social media marketing strategy theory as being a useful lens for this study because social
media marketing is an essential element of small business owners’ strategies to increase sales.

Limitations
The use of an online questionnaire is frequently faster and less detailed. The drawbacks of this technique
include the exclusion of those who do not own a computer or mobile device and do not have access to the
internet. Furthermore, the legitimacy of such surveys is problematic since individuals may be in a rush to
finish them, thus they may not offer correct replies and may be unwilling to divulge details. Time and
resource constraints were unavoidable. Furthermore, not all social media interaction methods are
investigated

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Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ 7
CHAPTER-1 ........................................................................................................................... 12
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 13
Introduction to Medium & Small Business ................................................................................... 13
Marketing ...................................................................................................................................... 15
Social Media .................................................................................................................................. 16
Social Media and Small Businesses ............................................................................................... 18
India Leads Worldwide Social Networking Growth ...................................................................... 19
The Concept of Social Consumer / I-consumer............................................................................. 19
Social Consumer ............................................................................................................................ 21
CHAPTER-2 ........................................................................................................................... 23
LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................................................... 24
Social Media and its Significance .................................................................................................. 24
Social Media .................................................................................................................................. 25
Social Media Marketing ................................................................................................................ 27
Social Media Influences on the Purchase Decision in Buyer's Decision Process .......................... 28
Small & Micro Enterprises............................................................................................................. 29
Marketing Opportunities of Small & Micro Businesses ................................................................ 30
Social Media Marketing Applied to Small & Micro Businesses..................................................... 31
CHAPTER-3 ........................................................................................................................... 33
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................................. 34
Purpose of the Study..................................................................................................................... 34
Research Objectives ...................................................................................................................... 34
Type of Study ................................................................................................................................ 34
Methods of Data Collection .......................................................................................................... 35
Research Tool ................................................................................................................................ 35
Sample Method............................................................................................................................. 35
Data Analysis ................................................................................................................................. 36
Research Limitations ..................................................................................................................... 36
Scope of Future Research ............................................................................................................. 36
CHAPTER-4 ........................................................................................................................... 38

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 MARKET RESEARCH:.......................................................................................................................... 39
Definition ...................................................................................................................................... 39
Objectives of Market Research ..................................................................................................... 39
Types of Market Research ............................................................................................................ 39
Steps for Conducting Market Research ........................................................................................ 41
Benefits of an Efficient Market Research...................................................................................... 44
SOCIAL MEDIA ................................................................................................................................... 45
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 45
The Rise of Social Media Marketing.............................................................................................. 46
Social-Media Makes Sense for Startups and Small Businesses..................................................... 48
Benefits of Social-Media Marketing for Micro and Small Businesses........................................... 48
CHAPTER-5 ........................................................................................................................... 51
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS.................................................................................................... 52
RETAILERS ..................................................................................................................................... 52
CUSTOMERS .................................................................................................................................. 64
FINDINGS ....................................................................................................................................... 82
CHAPTER-6 ........................................................................................................................... 85
CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................................... 86
CHAPTER 7 ........................................................................................................................... 89
SUGGESTIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................ 90
REFERENCES....................................................................................................................... 92

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CHAPTER-1

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INTRODUCTION
Social media marketing is the latest "buzz" in world of marketing. India is probably among the first
supporters of telecommunications marketing. These days, the cause of the organization has taken
over social media as companies seek to engage with their audiences through online platforms.
Online presence is a must for businesses today. Along with a basic website; a shopper wants a blog,
Facebook page, shopping cart, e-brochure brochures, etc. 92% of small and medium enterprises
agree that social media is an effective marketing tool. They are equally divided on the functioning
of the social media platform to attract new customers and attract existing customers.

Introduction to Medium & Small Business

An estimated 40 million small businesses in India, of which, 500,000 are just online while there
are 23 million small businesses in the US.
The Medium & Small Enterprise (MSE) sector continues to be an active sector in the Indian
economy. It is estimated that approximately 12.8 million units (over 90 percent of total industry)
in this sector employ approximately 31 million people. The sector accounts for about 39 percent of
total industrial production and accounts for about 40 percent of total exports. This sector has been
registering the highest growth rate in the entire industrial sector. There are more than 6500 products
from traditional to high quality products, manufactured by small businesses in India. After
agriculture, the MSE sector provides high employment opportunities and jobs in the country.
India's small business sector has great potential for growth and development in the future.
The Government of India enacted the Small, Medium and Medium Enterprise Development Act
(MSMED) of 2006 where the definition of small, medium and micro enterprises is as follows:
a) Businesses involved in the manufacture or production, processing or storage of goods as
described below:
i. A small business is a business where investment in industry and machinery does not
exceed Rs. 25 lakhs;
ii. A small business is a business where investment in industry and machinery exceeds Rs.
25 lakhs but not more than Rs. 5 thousand; and
iii. A medium-sized business is a business where investment in industry and machinery
exceeds Rs.5 crore but does not exceed Rs.10 crore.
In the case of the above enterprises, the investment in industry and machinery is a real expense
that does not include land and property and the assets specified by the Department of Small
Industry by its notice No.S.O.1722 (E) dated October 5, 2006.
b) Businesses involved in the provision or provision of services and their investment in
services (actual costs that do not include land and property and furniture, implements and other

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items not directly related to the service provided or that may be disclosed under the MSMED Act,
2006 are set out below.
i. A small business is a business where investment in equipment does not exceed Rs. 10
lakhs;
ii. A small business is a business where the investment in equipment is more than Rs.10
lakhs but not more than Rs. 2 crores; and
iii. A medium-sized business is a business in which investment in equipment is more than
Rs. 2 crores but not more than Rs. 5 crores.
Therefore, these major types of products and services, manufactured and supplied by small
and medium firms need to reach consumers through the right marketing strategy by
selecting various media so let's take a look at marketing and marketing strategies.
Types of Micro and Small Home-based businesses
A few micro and small businesses are also divided into:
 A home-based business is a business in which all or most of the work is done locally
or from a confidential owner-operator. Home business is one of the fastest growing
sectors of the economy. Ordinary businesses are run at home by commercial
enterprises, where normal administrative tasks are performed at home, the work is
completed in various locations. Examples include painters, plumbers and electricians.
Many small businesses are run by family. Family members will usually own the
business and play an important role in its day-to-day operations. Many of the companies
listed publicly and franchises started from the beginning of the family-run business.
Other common examples of family businesses include cake shops, restaurants, cafes,
flower vendors, designers, photography and more.
 Private contractors run their own businesses, and rent their time to businesses and other
organizations as a subsidy. Their rights and responsibilities vary from employee to
employee in many ways. They are the owners of our business and will usually be able
to negotiate financing and operational arrangements. Other examples of independent
contractors are builders, caterers and personal trainers.
 A franchise is a system in which the founder of a business product or operating system
(franchisor) grants a potential franchisee owner the right to sell these products and / or
to use the business operating system on behalf of the franchisee. Other important
franchises for small businesses include food chains, cleaning business franchises.
 Internet businesses are businesses that use the Internet for business activities,
advertising and marketing. With the growth of internet usage and popularity, as well as

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 relatively low-cost requirements, the emergence of e-commerce has seen a dramatic
increase in the last decade. Some online businesses are only online-based, with all
communication and online activities completed. Some businesses use the website to
support the mobile store and products, by providing product information online. Some
simply use the Internet as a marketing tool.

Marketing
Management is the process by which goods and services go from concept to customer. Sales
are based on business thinking according to customer needs and satisfaction. Marketing is
different from marketing because (in the words of retired Harvard Business School marketing
professor Theodore C. Levitt) "Marketing is concerned with strategies and ways to get people
to exchange their money for once product, to create, evoke and satisfy customer needs. " In
other words, marketing has little to do with getting customers to pay for once product as it
enhances the demand for that product and meets customer needs. Mixing marketing is a
common marketing strategy tool, which may be known as traditionally limited to the basic 4Ps
of product, price, location and promotions. The 4Ps were designed at a time when businesses
were selling products, replacing services and the role of customer service in helping product
development was not well known. Over time, Booms and Pitner added three expanded 'service
mix P's': Participants, Physical Evidence and Procedures, and later Participants renamed
People. Today, it is recommended that complete 7Ps of the marketing mix be considered when
reviewing competitive strategies. The entrepreneur therefore uses the appropriate marketing
combination of his product or services and develops a marketing strategy using various
combinations to reach customers.
Marketing Strategy
Is an organization strategy that combines all of its marketing objectives into one complete plan.
A good marketing strategy should be taken from market research and focus on mixing the right
products to achieve maximum profit and sustain business. A marketing strategy is the basis of
a marketing plan. In earlier times, life for the traders was easy. He owned several TV stations,
some radio stations, a handful of leading magazines and one or two newspapers in each market.
Reaching customers was easy by creating a compelling message. There are now many TV
channels, millions of websites and hundreds of thousands of applications. Marketing has never
been easier, but technology has made it even more difficult. What used to be a matter of
identifying the needs and benefits of communication now needs to build a strong consumer
engagement that requires seamless integration of new skills and strengths. There is so much

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going on in the marketing arena today, everyone is struggling to keep up. At the same time,
every marketing professional feels the pressure to "go ahead" and integrate the emerging
"media" into their marketing strategy. However, most businesses can be taken seriously by
examining only three metrics: awareness, marketing and representation (i.e., customer
transfer). These metrics can be accessed through mainstream media and a new media
combination called SOCIAL MEDIA.

Social Media
The best way to define a social media platform is to explore and divide into parts. The media
is a communication tool, such as a newspaper or radio, so a social media platform can be a
social media tool. The mainstream or traditional media has a one-way street where one can
read a newspaper or listen to a report on television, but have very little power to express their
views on the matter. On the other hand, there are two-way street networks that gives one the
ability to communicate with each-other. Social Media is the future of communication, a host
of online-based tools and forums that enhance and enhance information sharing. This new type
of media makes transfers of text, images, audio, video, and information often fluid among
Internet users. Social Networking works not only for casual internet users, but also for
businesses. Social media refers to the ways in which people interact with each other and create,
share, and / or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks.
Definitions of Social-Media
i. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein described social media as "a group of online
applications that build on the Web 2.0 foundations of ideas and technologies, and that
allow for the creation and exchange of user-generated content."
ii. In addition, social media relies on mobile and web-based technology to create
collaborative forums where individuals and communities share, collaborate, discuss
and transform user-generated content. They introduce major and widespread changes
in communication between organizations, communities, and individuals.
iii. Communication platform differs from traditional or industrial in many ways, including
quality, accessibility, frequency, usability, speed, and durability.
iv. There are many consequences from using the internet. According to Nielsen, Internet
users continue to spend more time with social networking sites than with any other type
of site.
• Wikipedia, the social networking site built by thousands of donors, describes Social
Media as “social media, using the most accessible and dangerous forms of

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 communication. Social networking is the use of web-based technologies and mobile
phones to transform communication into interactive conversations.”
• Social media is a very modern, attractive and co-operative form of public relations. It
combines the real remnants of real-time content with the beauty of true peer-to-peer
communication. Lisa Buyer - Buyer Group
• Social media is not about what each of us does or says, but about what we do and say
together, globally, to communicate everywhere everywhere at any time, in any possible
(digital) way. Michelle Chmielewski - Synthesio
• Social Media is a new marketing tool that lets one to know their customers and
expectations in ways that were never possible before. This information and knowledge
must be paid for with the result of respect, honesty, and trustworthiness. Social Media
is not only fashionable, but I also think it is just the beginning of the marketing
revolution - not the end. Marjorie Clayman - Clayman Advertising, Inc.
Popular Social Media Tools and Platforms
 Blogs: A forum for discussions and discussions on a particular topic or idea.
 Facebook: The world's largest social networking site, Users create a personal profile,
add other users as friends, and exchange messages, including status updates. Products
create pages and Facebook users can "like" product pages.
 Twitter: A social networking site / small blogging site that allows groups and
individuals to stay connected through instant messaging exchanges (140-character
limit).
 YouTube & Vimeo: Video hosting and viewing websites.
 Flickr: A website with photo and video and online community. Photos can be shared
on Facebook and Twitter and other social networking sites.
 Instagram: A free photo and video sharing app that allows users to apply digital filters,
frames and special effects to their photos and share them on various social networking
sites.
 WhatsApp: With its extensive communication features, WhatsApp is considered as a
communication platform. WhatsApp is used by more than a billion users every month
to send messages, photos / videos, etc. In short, WhatsApp is a messaging /
communications program that falls under the category of communication.
 LinkedIn Groups: A place where professional groups with similar interests can share
and participate in discussions that take place in their fields.

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  Pinterest: is a social curation website for sharing and sharing images available online.
Pinterest requires brief descriptions but the main focus of the site is viewing. Clicking
on a photo will take one to a real source, so, for example, if one clicks on a shoe image,
they may be taken to a location where they can purchase them. A picture of blueberry
pancakes can take one to this recipe; a whimsical birdhouse image can take one to the
instructions.

Social Media and Small Businesses

 Social Media Changes Indigenous Ways of Presence
Indigenous marketing strategies using print and electronic media as well as online
marketing and lead production were used to drive traffic to the business and its website.
As search engine algorithms evolve, website owners should always be on hand to
ensure that their website is updated regularly with relevant and up-to-date information
to prevent a reduction in search results. Today, social media platforms such as
Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and YouTube channels are viewed as sites that mark
their presence.
 Social Media Allows Business to Get the Opinion of Public Sources
Before launching a new product or service, one would like to have some ideas about
what people think of it. So, by engaging with prospects and customers through a social
media platform, one can ask fans and fans what colors they like or what types of features
they want. One can therefore engage consumers in important free market research, by
asking their opinions and can help gain credibility by showing that their ideas are
important. After seeing their ideas become a reality, a business has already expanded
its customer base.
  Social Media Allows Competitive Viewing
Businesses change marketing strategies based on the information they receive from
social media feeds from competitors. By keeping an eye on competitors, their strengths
and weaknesses can determine their marketing efforts. This collected information helps
to use the things that may be needed for development such as social media campaigns,
contests, gifts or the types of content that fans can respond to the most.
 Social Media Allows the Business to Become More Clear
The process of taking confidence to the point where the customer has slowed down a
bit due to consumer awareness. People want to buy from those companies that have
established a reputation for being honest and seemingly transparent in their marketing

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 campaigns. Social media changes people's perceptions of business. By delivering open,
transparent, and useful messages, the public audience will learn that one’s business
cares about its customers and potential customers. One can set one's company as a
valuable resource by simply sharing information such as advice, tips, or simply
answering industry questions.

India Leads Worldwide Social Networking Growth

The country is set to control the number of Facebook people worldwide. This year, eMarketer
estimates, 1.61 billion people will log on to social media at least once a month, from any
electronic device. That is a 14.2% gain on social media numbers since 2012, and the two-digit
growth is expected to continue for another upcoming years.
Currently, the highest penetration of social media users as a share of the population occurs in
the Netherlands, where 63.5% of all citizens are social media users; Norway follows just behind
at 63.3%. Many citizens of Sweden, South Korea, Denmark, US, Finland, Canada and the UK
also use social networking sites on a monthly basis.
The fastest growth in social network use is happening in underdeveloped markets, however.
India, with the highest growth this year, will increase user numbers by 37.4%, while Indonesian
numbers will increase by 28.7% and Mexico will increase its network of users by 21.1%.
All three countries are the fastest growing areas on Facebook, the world's largest social media
platform, eMarketer which estimates it will reach 1.026 billion monthly users worldwide. The
US remains the only country with the largest number of Facebook users, at 146.8 million this
year, with India coming in at the moment. But with the Indian population and the high growth
rate expected, eMarketer believes it will improve the number of Facebook people in any
country in the world by 2022. (Since Facebook is banned in China, eMarketer assumes that
there are no social media users in the country.)
Small, Medium and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as mentioned earlier play a key role in
economic development through their efficient, effective, flexible and pioneering business
spirit. Micro & Small Enterprises, thus can improve their marketing skills on social media to
reach customers and gain better future prospects.

The Concept of Social Consumer / I-consumer

Customer
• A customer is a person or group of people, such as a family, who are the last users of a
product or service.

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 • A person who buys products or services for personal use and not for construction or
reselling. A consumer is someone who can decide whether to buy or not buy something
in a store, and someone who can be influenced by marketing and advertising. Whenever
someone goes to the store and buys a toy, shirt, drink, or anything else, they are making
that decision as a consumer.
Consumer behavior
• Consumer behavior is the various processes and methods that people use to satisfy their
needs and wants. They explain how people choose the resources and products they want
and apply them to their lives. It is a process for making purchasing decisions.
• Consumer behavior refers to the way, where or why a person chooses to buy a product
or service or not to buy that product. This behavior can be influenced by geography, a
belief system.
• The buyer may not be the only one making a purchase, but he may be influenced by
just a few people in various fields. Number of people involved in the purchase
• the decision increases with the degree of involvement and complexity of the conduct of
the purchase decision.
• Consumer behavior and the resulting purchase decision are strongly influenced by
cultural, social, personal and psychological factors. Understanding the impact of these
factors is important for advertisers to create the right marketing mix to attract a targeted
customer.
• Cultural aspects include consumer culture, subculture and social class. These factors
are often reflected in our values and in our decisions.
• Social factors include groups (reference groups, interest groups and member groups),
family, roles and status. This explains the external influences of others in our decisions
to buy directly or indirectly.
• Personal characteristics include variables such as age and stage of life cycle,
occupation, economic conditions, lifestyle (occupations, interests, opinions and
demographics), personality and self-esteem. This may explain why what we like often
changes as our `status' changes.
• The psychological factors that affect our purchase decision include motivation (Maslow
needs category), perspective, learning, beliefs and attitudes.

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 • Some people often influence the buyer's purchase decision. The advertiser must know
which people are involved in the purchase decision and what role each person plays, so
that marketing strategies are also targeted at these people. (Kotler et al, 1994).

Social Consumer
Introduction
Twenty years ago, if a person was dissatisfied with a company product or business processes,
he would probably stop buying from them. A person may write an angry letter, even telling his
friends and family not to use the business.
But the game has changed on social media. While one angry tweet may not make much of an
impact, the web allows customers to find and connect with like-minded groups. Critical weight
has never been more than consumer reach. Best of all, companies strive to be more responsive.
Worse still, they now live in fear of these unsatisfactory lakes. And the game changer is a
public buyer.
Social Consumer refers to the consumer who participates in social transactions, social
procurement, and interacts with social media and social networks when making purchasing
decisions. Public service means the integration of a consumer social graph during a typical
purchase.
The term was first introduced by Pete Blackshaw, EVP of Digital Strategic Services of Nielsen
Company during a Consumer 360 session in June 2010. The Social Consumer concept was
further developed by Brian Solis in his article The Dawn of the Social Consumer. The fast-
paced company has seen this change in demographics and cultures recently. Social Consumer
also focused on a Pivot Conference research report entitled Trends in Marketing to Social
Consumers.
During the traditional sales cycle, social consumer features may include:
1. Includes geo-location applications (such as Foursquare) to access.
2. Use Twitter and Facebook as entry points one can purchase.
3. Shopping through affiliate coupon sites such as Groupon or LivingSocial.
4. Consult social media for recommendations.
The moral aspect of social consumers is therefore:
1. Uses information and learns about breaking news on sites like Twitter and Facebook
2. Learns about new products through social channels and networks.
3. It is wise in unsolicited promotion and relies solely on relevant information
4. It prefers conversation with the product rather than one-way ad messages.

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 5. Expect brands to work on the same social media sites to relax.
6. Want brands to listen, engage and respond quickly

This Social Consumer can also be called I-consumer and eats, sleeps and stays on social media.

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CHAPTER-2

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LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter focuses on the literature review based on the research objectives listed in the first
chapter. The category is divided into three main sections; the first part looks at What is Social-
Media and its significance along with how Social-Media influences the pre-purchasing phase
in the consumer buying decision process; the second part looks at what Medium & Small
Enterprises is and how its marketing is done; & section three looks at how to use Media
Marketing strategies for Medium & Small Enterprises.

Social Media and its Significance

Technology has always been something that has changed consumer behavior and that
flexible behavior should be given to brands to produce sales and satisfy their customers.
There was a time when there were only selected forums such as radio and print media
where advertising could not be done (Roche et al, 2017). Today, such forums are also
a major source of revenue for products and advertising agencies. However, the backlog
revealed in recent times that these modes of communication do not allow for two-way
communication that is still a business necessity (Shareed et al, 2019).

During this time, the social media platform has transformed itself into a platform that
provides two-way communication and that customer can provide feedback and reviews
for the same. This is one of the most important reasons why brands find it necessary to
target their customers through social media. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat
are just a few of the many social media platforms used by millions of people
(Glucksman, 2017). The social media platform has also helped brands to target their
targeted audience. Brands are considered to direct and position their products in the
most efficient way (Tuten and Solomon, 2017; Jermsittiparsert, Sutduean, & Sriyakul,
2019).

Other authors contribution in defining Social-Media & its relevance in the market

 Neti (2011) concluded that social media marketing is marketing using online
communities, social media, blog marketing and more, which is considered as the latest
"buzz" in advertising today. International companies saw Social Media Marketing as a
potential marketing platform, using it with new features to empower their social media
marketing campaigns.
 Cox (2012) argued that social media marketing enables companies to better understand
customer needs in order to build effective relationships which is considered as basis of
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 any customer business. Social networking sites offer small businesses, many
opportunities to build closer and more profitable relationships with their customers or
potential customers. However, not all social media platforms are the same and some
have marketing strategies that are better suited to others business sectors.
 Weinberg & Pehlivan (2011) found that social media platforms such as Facebook have
a shorter life span but are having deeper impact. This social media platform can be used
to influence and track consumer beliefs and attitudes.
 Mangold and Faulds (2009) explained that social media is a mixed component of
promotional integration because in the traditional sense it enables companies to talk
about their customers and in a non-traditional way enabling customers to speak directly.
An important factor influencing management performance is based on team
performance, and career progress depends on management leadership.

Social Media
According to a study by Forrester Research, younger generations are more likely to
watch online videos (Haven et al., 2006). The youth numbers of these audiences
suggested by the Forrester report suggest that YouTube may be an effective way to
identify new sponsors for nightclubs. However, Haven et al. (2006) a warning about
service requirements for incorporating YouTube a social media marketing strategy.
Although minimal financial resources are currently needed to launch the YouTube
campaign, great effort and high quality, creative video content is essential for a
successful online video marketing campaign (Haven et al., 2006). Most of the literature
suggests that advertisers should use the social media platform at the same time to
complement their other online marketing strategies. Antion (2005) and Pattison (2009)
also promote the use of an independent website with a domain name in order to reach
potential customers who do not work on social media websites. The general consensus
on literature on the use of social media websites, as opposed to the use of private
websites, has been successfully co-authored by Kirby (2010), who concludes that a
specific website should be accompanied by social media tools to drive traffic to a
company-controlled site (Kirby, 2010). Morrissey (2010) reinforces the cramped
Facebook image and proposes the small Twitter blog site as a non-crowded and unique
alternative for advertisers wishing to engage in advertising on social media. A study by
Jansen et al. (2009) show that 19 percent of small blogs contain content about products,
indicating that small blogging is a viable and effective SME channel for launching

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marketing campaigns and improving customer relationships. Although noting the
widespread use of Twitter among companies of all sizes, Klara (2010) believes that
they are smaller, more successful companies when using Twitter. Kaplan and Haenlein
(2010) describe social media as "a group of online-based applications that build on the
basics of Web 2.0, allowing for the creation and exchange of user-generated content."
Web 2.0 Web Communication technology allows for two-way communication with
consumers allowing products to listen to consumers and respond (Fournier & Avery,
2011). Consumers and organizations alike are increasingly using the web to chat, share,
and share (Jones, 2010). The communications platform enables firms to communicate
with consumers in a timely and direct manner at lower cost and higher efficiency than
most traditional communication tools. This makes communication platforms suitable
not only for large organizations, but also for small and medium-sized companies
(Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). According to Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, Twitter has 200
million registered users and 50 million active users logging in every day. The micro-
blogging service handles approximately 230 million tweets daily (Taylor, 2011). Not
surprisingly, businesses want to embrace the opportunities of these services.
Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter allow consumers to "add friends"
or "follow" favorite products and post comments or post questions as a way to
communicate. By using social networking sites, managers can find out what is being
said about a product and can communicate with consumers (Reyneke, Pitt, & Berthon,
2011). Buyers are able to create a new business and promote or assist the product by
tweeting, blogging, reviewing, following, etc. Loyal customers also help generate the
most important “word of mouth online” for SMEs. Consumer engagement provides
SMEs with opportunities to use social media as a tool for their marketing strategies
(Reyneke et al., 2011). However, many small business owners are struggling to reach
their customers successfully (Small Business Trends, 2011). The social media platform
offers plenty of online services. This makes it difficult for companies to know what to
use and how to use it. Types of social media include: social networks (Facebook,
Myspace, and LinkedIn), micro-blogs (Twitter, Plurk, and Friend Feed), reviews and
ratings (Yelp, Amazon, and Trip Advisor), video (YouTube and Vimeo), and more.
Social media is very popular nowadays in the market of promotion & marketing.
Facebook has 1.19 billion active users since 2019 and more than 50% active users log
in daily (Facebook, 2019). Hutter, Katja et al. (2013) analyze how social media
activities, particularly the automotive manufacturer's Facebook page, and user
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 interaction with these product-related activities affect product perception and ultimately
influence consumer decision making. Wonglimpiyarat, Jarunee (2015) examines a new
Chinese economic challenge regarding its innovative strategies to support small and
medium enterprises (SMEs).

Social Media Marketing

Brown et al. (2007) believe that the marketing power of word-of-mouth activities
associated with the media and the level of impact of oral voice in the consumer
decision-making process and the formation of attitudes are determined by a number of
important factors, including binding power. They describe the bonding power as the
closeness of the bond between the information hunter and the source - the tightness of
the tie will work most effectively in the marketing function, thus emphasizing the
importance of the relationship. Social media has made a huge difference in the
strategies and tools of companies that use it to communicate with customers. Mangold
and Faulds (2009) state that “the communication platform incorporates the features of
traditional Integrated Marketing Communication tools (a company that communicates
with customers) with a highly enhanced verbal communication (customer-centered
clients) where marketing managers can control the content and the timing of such
information.” Companies are limited in the amount of control they have over content
and information dissemination. Ignoring such user-generated content is not an option.
Companies must be able to monitor and respond to the discussion, both positive and
negative, surrounding the product. However, there are ways in which companies can
influence negotiations in a way that is consistent with the purpose of the organization
(Mangold & Faulds, 2009). Social media marketing enables companies to gain a better
understanding of customer needs in order to build effective relationships. Authors who
write on social media marketing, such as Preziosi (2007) and Greenberg (2009), readily
accept the inclusion of marketing message messaging (SMS) in the field of social
media, in a broad sense. Chaffey et al. (2009) also sees text messages as the most widely
used channel for communication with consumers, yet they doubt its effectiveness
compared to other social media channels. Andersen, (2008: 2) believes that the speed
at which social media tools are developed can make social networking websites a
dangerous place for advertisers and warns marketers about investing and making more
money on social media advertising, referring to social networking websites as potential
developing buildings. Strong customer relationships are essential for successful social

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 media marketing. Kunur (2010) recommends that employees outside the marketing
department should also be involved in the activities of the communications platform
organization as it can be used at all stages of the marketing cycle. He proposes to adopt
a model that combines a combination of intermediate and distributed responsibility.
However, Gay et al. (2007) believe that acquiring purchases from other business
entities, particularly from managers, can be a challenge for some organizations. This
challenge underscores the need for senior executives to devote themselves to e-
marketing and share their enthusiasm as internal competitors. Social media marketing
books, while not comprehensive, talk a lot about online strategies, tools and behaviors;
little attention is focused on the measurement area. The reason for this lack of attention
in the steps of social media marketing campaigns may be due in part to the difficulty of
evaluating such campaigns. It seems that effective social media platforms are often not
as good as their less effective counterparts. Maddox (2009), one of the few authors who
touched on this topic, highlights the lack of practical steps available to organizations to
accurately determine the real contribution of social media to financial growth.
However, Kirby (2010) underestimates the value of financial measures by suggesting
that "return on investment is the only way to measure the success of a campaign," and
advises to supplement the return on investment and other measures such as return on
investment. Mount, Matthew (2014) explains how it can be applied to open-ended
innovation across all creative design, start-up ideas, R&D, and marketing. Xie, Karen
et al. (2015) investigates the effects of exposure on acquired and managed
communication platform functions and their interaction with product purchases in a
two-phase decision model.

Social Media Influences on the Purchase Decision in Buyer's Decision

Process
Finding the right information is important, so once consumers have found their
alternatives and tested them, they should choose between these alternative options
(Hawkins & Mothersbauugh, 2010). Consumers prefer certain products because the
product appeals to them. Optional can be influenced by information collected from
different sources so social media is an effective tool in this category. Erasmus et al.
(2001) have shown that there are five aspects to learning online ideas that influence
consumer behavior about purchasing and communication: acquisition-related
information (risk reduction), social media awareness (consumers can evaluate and

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 compare between different products), Community membership (consumers live longer
and recommend various online forums), Reward & Pricing (consumers love prize and
reward), and learn about the use of new products.

Blythe (2008) found that although consumers perform product evaluation, there may
be distractions between the purpose of the purchase and the purchase decisions and the
purchase decisions may be subject to various expected conditions such as short-term
cash flow, availability and stock. In many cases, consumer decisions may be associated
with a perceived risk and the consumer may adjust, postpone and avoid the purchase
decision due to apparent risk (Campbell & Godstein, 2001). Consumers may see many
types of risks in their purchasing decisions; performance risks - product not performing
as expected, physical risk - product is a physical threat or threat to the consumer health
or others, financial risk - product is not worth the price, social risk - product results in
embarrassment for others, mental risk - the product does not match the image what
consumer thinks, and the risk of time-failure of the product results in the cost of the
opportunity to find another satisfying product (Kotler & Keller, 2009). Thus, Blackwell
et al., (2006) explains that that time or gap between the two categories enables active
users to communicate through social media about their preferences and future
purchases, which often take the form of booking.

Campbell & Goodstein (2001) found that disclosure of information is an important

factor in decision-making, as it may influence how the search for information is
conducted, and how information can be processed in later stages. By identifying which
channels or platforms are most used, it can be helpful to understand how consumers are
exposed to the information and the type of source they are exposed to. Regardless of
the type, length of time, and method of exposure considered, individual attitudes are
one of the important factors associated with a purchasing decision. During selection
and purchase stages, social media is used as a platform for self-expression and to
announce their decisions (Blackwell et al., 2006).

Small & Micro Enterprises

Small and medium enterprises have an important role to play with small businesses
accounting for 95% of all Indian businesses. A review of the literature reveals that there
is no single, universally accepted definition of a small firm (Storey, 1994). In fact,
different interpretations can be found that work in different contexts. The diversity of a

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 small firm sector means that it is often necessary to adjust the various definitions
developed according to specific sector, local or other contexts in which a small
company is tested, using 'based' definitions. The implication of the study is that
researchers may continue to apply their definitions of small businesses that are relevant
to their ‘target’ group (Storey, 1994). This literature reviews on SMEs is focusing on
various topics related to their competition such as innovation (Torchia & Calabrò,
2019), collaboration (Zahoor & Al-Tabbaa, 2020), performance measurement (Rojas-
Lema et al., 2020), sustanability management (Barbosa et al., 2020), among others.
However, comprehensive literature reviews that include both innovation and
management at SMEs remains as a research gap. An additional incentive involves the
identification of very important papers, and that is why even the smallest potentially is
counted as hot research topic, regarding the development and management of SMEs.
Various methods have been used in the literature to identify relevant papers, in which
the most common methods are calculations based on citation papers, percentages, quote
calculations, and site descriptions such as the most quoted papers from Essential
Science Indicators in Web of Science (Bornmann, 2014).

Marketing Opportunities of Small & Micro Businesses

There are many marketing opportunities for small businesses, namely networking and
word of mouth marketing. Managers of small business owners not only rely on their
social network, but also rely on their customers' networks. Small businesses often rely
on word of mouth for new customers. Word of mouth marketing gives small businesses
the opportunity to give customers a reason to talk about products, making it easier for
word of mouth to happen. Dandridge, Tom et al. (1998) introduced information on the
online marketing opportunities offered by small businesses. Small firms are often
profitable because their small size makes it easy to approach customers and get valuable
feedback (Gilmore et al., 1999). Such profits enable small businesses to take advantage
of the marketing opportunities offered by the network and word of mouth marketing.
But small business owners face many challenges when it comes to advertising.
Stokes and Lomax (2002) state that "many studies have shown that the most important
source of new customers for small firms are recommendations from existing
customers". For many proprietary managers, relying on customer recommendations is
best suited to the resources available in their business (Stokes & Lomax, 2002). The
network is a widely marketed marketing activity for SMEs and is important during their

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 establishment, development, and growth (Walsh & Lipinski, 2009). Siu (as quoted in
Walsh & Lipinski, 2009) found that in advertising for their firms, SMEs rely heavily
on their social network. Traditionally, economic structures favor large firms; however,
today’s economy is divided by relationships, network, and information, which reap
some of the characteristics of SMEs (Walsh & Lipinski, 2009). Instead of relying solely
on their social network, small businesses rely on customer networks as well. Today,
these customers can be reached by electronic word of mouth, or eWOM. Marketing in
small businesses relies heavily on word of mouth to get customers. Word of mouth
marketing involves monitoring what is being said for marketing purposes, engaging in
product-related discussions, involving people and their forums for marketing purposes,
and more (WOMMA, 2011). The Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (2011) sees
all oral marketing strategies as based on customer satisfaction ideas, two-way
discussion, and transparency. The organization describes the basics of oral marketing:
“Educating people about your products and services; identify people most likely to
share their views; provide tools that make it easy to share information; learning how
ideas are shared, where, and when; and listening to and responding to supporters,
insiders, and neutrals” (WOMMA, 2011). Eddy, Nathan (2013) explains that the
majority of small businesses or 66% of 1,000 respondents uses tools such as websites,
social media, and online marketing program to invest in digital marketing. Frativelli,
Fabio et al. (2015) are based on a study of the negative effects of Cooperative
Communities (CoP), i.e., on those activities which may conflict with the main and
publicly announced objectives (statements) of the company of which CoP members are
a part.

Social Media Marketing Applied to Small & Micro Businesses

Social media marketing enables companies to gain a better understanding of customer
needs in order to build effective relationships - The basis of any customer business.
Social networking sites offer small businesses many opportunities to build closer and
more profitable relationships with customers. However, not all social media platforms
are the same and some are better suited to certain marketing strategies than others. The
study aims to discover MSME strategies that can be used to acquire and retain
customers through a social media platform. Henry, Mark et al. (2012) explain that
businesses have invested a lot of time and money in increasing their access to all the
most effective communication platforms.

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Wolny, Julia et al. (2013) review consumer interactions with fashion products on social
media, focusing on consumer motivation to engage in electronic word-of-mouth
(eWOM) communication. Tania Yuki (2015) conducted research on what actually
makes shared content and psychological drivers faster for sharing. He, Wu et al. (2015)
show that social media statistics use data mining platforms, tools and analytical tools
to collect, monitor and analyze large amounts of social media data in order to produce
useful patterns, gain market awareness and improve business intelligence.

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CHAPTER-3

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter includes all the necessary steps that are mandatory for performing research. The
steps are as follow:

Purpose of the Study

Social media was a mint concept five-six years ago, most people did not know what a social
network is and how it can affect our lives. It was an exciting social network that took over the
world to the point where no business, small or large, local or global, could ignore. At first small
business owners often found the opportunity to market online as a paradox, because it was
difficult to know which areas to focus on. Therefore, marketing a social media platform to be
a comprehensive topic with complex executives creates a desire to become familiar with it and
to discover a program or strategy that has been tested by small and medium-sized businesses.

The purpose of the study is to learn, how Small and Medium Businesses can use the social
media platform to enter their markets, reach their customers and develop relationships in a
personal and direct way that can enhance their brand and increase their awareness effectively
equal to big business. The study also highlights the impact of the social media platform on
online shopping decisions and consumer behavior.

Research Objectives
• Identify different types of small and medium enterprises that use social media for
marketing.
• Learn the impact of various online advertising activities on product visibility
• Learning the impact of social media on Business Performance
• Learn the performance of small and medium-sized businesses after the introduction
of social media marketing

Type of Study
Exploratory research is the first study conducted to identify and describe the type of problem
that does not provide complete evidence and that is why subsequent research is expected. The
purpose of the study is to understand what is happening on social media marketing and access
to new information about it. The results of this study can’t be generalized to people, which is
why the study is exploratory study.

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Methods of Data Collection
Quantitative data collection method is used to make the generated results easier to summarize,
compare, and combine. Primary and Secondary methods are used for the data collection.

Ways of Secondary data collection:

A variety of information is collected by reference to books, journals, newspaper articles,

research reports, published articles, research papers, websites, online journals and articles.

Ways of Primary data collection:

An online survey questionnaire was prepared for the survey, one for small & medium
businesses and the other for a consumer.

Data collection process

The online survey form designed for this study were used to capture data from the selected
sample. The form was built using the Google form service. A new Google Account was created
specifically for this project. New forms were used in each case and the data collected was used
for analysis. Respondents' identity protection was maintained. The created links were uploaded
to social media and sent to the contacts available via message/WhatsApp.

Research Tool
Two Formal Questionnaires were prepared well in advance after reviewing and adding
previously collected data. Both the questionnaire has straightforward and practical questions.

Type of questions:

The questionnaire was divided into closed Multiple Choice questions as it is suitable for
calculating mathematical and percentage data. Other Closed Key Closed Questions, Likert
Questions, Different Questions, Open Question for descriptive information on the topic asked
to collect data and achieve the purpose of the study.

Sample Method
The survey includes all consumers using social media and small and medium-sized enterprises
involved in business forums, which includes a large number of people which is why it is
difficult to collect data in a census, thus using a sample method to gather information.
Therefore, appropriate samples were made. And considering the time, resources available, data
collection from a large sample was also a difficult task, which is why a less invasive sample

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method was used. And Snowball sampling was intentionally used which is when one eligible
participant is asked to recommend a few other people with knowledge about the social media
platform, thus increasing the number of participants.

Sample Size Consumers Retailers Total

Proposed undefined 70 -
Collected 136 63 199
Net Collection 136 63 199

Data Analysis
Data analytics is the process of analyzing raw data to draw out meaningful insights. These
insights are then used to determine the best course of action. Quantitative analysis is performed
using the data collected from each respondent both consumer and small-medium businesses.
Tools used are:

• Percentage Analysis
• Graph Chart

Research Limitations
• List of questions online: This type of research is usually quick and detailed. The
disadvantages of this approach could be to exclude people who do not have a computer
or a cell phone and who need an internet connection. And the legitimacy of such surveys
is questionable as people may rush to complete it so as to be unable to provide accurate
answers and may be unwilling to share information.
• Time and resource issues were inevitable. Adding to which the research was done for
the two totally different regions i.e., Ahmedabad & Ankleshwar, due to some
unavoidable circumstances.
• The study area for small and medium enterprises was limited to Ahmedabad &
Ankleshwar for better information on local markets.
• All social media engagement tools have not been tested.

Scope of Future Research

Current research is limited to the city of Ahmedabad & Ahnkleshwar only, which provides an
opportunity for further research to be conducted in other major cities as well as in other I-level
cities.

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CHAPTER-4

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MARKET RESEARCH:
Definition
1. Market research is defined as the process of evaluating the feasibility of a new product
or service, through research conducted directly with potential consumers. This
approach allows organizations or businesses to identify the target market, collect and
document ideas and make informed decisions. The market research process can be done
by sending surveys, contacting a group of people also known as sample, conducting
interviews and other similar processes. The main purpose of conducting market
research is to understand or evaluate the market associated with a particular product or
service, to determine how the audience will react to a product or service. The
information obtained from conducting market research can be used to integrate
advertising / advertising activities or to specify what are the key features / requirements
of the service (if any) for consumers.
2. According to Phillip Kotler “Market research is the analysis of systematic issues,
modeling and fact-finding in order to make important decisions and control over the
marketing of goods and services.”

Objectives of Market Research

A market research project can usually have 3 different types of objectives.

1. Management: Assist the company or business development, with strategic

planning, organization, and control of human and material resources, and thus meet
all specific needs within the market, in a timely manner.
2. Public: Satisfy specific customer needs with the required product or service. The
product or service must be tailored to the needs and preferences of the customer
when used.
3. Economics: Find the economic level of success or failure, a company may have
while new to the market, or present in some other way. new products or services,
and thus, providing certainty to all actions to be implemented.

Types of Market Research

Depending on the methods used, market research may be helpful in reaching the
meaningful conclusions and the types of research are as follows:

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1. Primary Market Research (Combination of both Quality and Size
Research): Primary market research is a process, in which organizations or
businesses consult with end customers or hire an outside company to conduct
relevant studies to collect data. The data collected can be quality data (non-
numerical data) or quantitative data (numerical or statistical data).

While doing primary market research, one can collect two types of information:

It's exploratory and specific. Exploratory research is open, where the problem
is solved by asking open-ended questions in a detailed discussion of the
conversation usually with a small group of people also known as a sample. Here
sample size is limited to 6-10 members. Specific research, on the other hand, is
very specific and is used to solve problems identified by experimental research.

As mentioned earlier primary market research is a combination of advanced

market research and volume market research. Quality market research includes
partial or informal data collected by some of the most commonly used quality
research methods such as:

• Focus Groups: Focus group is one of the most commonly used methods of
qualitative research. The focus group is a small group of people (6-10) who
often respond to online surveys that are sent to them. The best part about a group
focused on information that can be collected remotely, can be done without
consulting team members. However, this is a very expensive method as it is
used to collect complex information.
• Individual Interview: As the term implies this method involves personal
communication in the form of an interview, in which the researcher asks a series
of questions to gather information or data from respondents. Questions are often
open-ended questions that are asked in a way that makes it easy to answer. This
approach relies heavily on the interrogator's ability and knowledge to ask
questions that elicit answers.
• Ethnographic Research: This type of in-depth research is conducted on the
natural conditions of respondents. This method requires the interviewer to adapt
to the respondent's natural environment which may be a remote city or village.
Local barriers may be the barriers to conducting this type of research.
Ethnographic research can last from a few days to a few years.

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 • Advanced Research: methods are used by organizations to conduct systematic
market research using online surveys, questionnaires and surveys to obtain
statistical information to make informed decisions.

This method was once done using pen and paper. This has now shifted to
sending systematic online surveys to respondents for relevant information.
Researchers often use modern and technologically focused survey forums to
design and design their own survey to elicit a high response rate from
respondents.

Using a well-structured approach, data is easily collected and reported and the
necessary steps can be taken with all the information being made available in
person.

2. Secondary Market Research: The secondary study uses information

organized by external sources such as government agencies, the media,
commercial institutions etc. This information is published in newspapers,
magazines, books, corporate websites, free government and non-governmental
organizations and so on. The secondary source uses the following:
• Community resources: Social resources such as a library are a great way
to gather free information. Government libraries often provide free services
and the researcher can record available information.
• Commercial sources: Commercial sources although reliable are expensive.
Local newspapers, magazines, journals, television and television are good
sources of commercial information collection.
• Educational institutions: Although not a popular source of information,
many universities and educational institutions are a wealthy source of
information as many research projects are undertaken in any business sector.

Steps for Conducting Market Research

Step 1: Define the Problem

• Having a well-defined research topic will help researchers when asking

questions. These questions should be directed to problem solving and should be
adapted to the project. Make sure the questions are clearly written and that the
respondents understand them. Researchers can conduct experiments with a

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 small group to determine if the questions will be understood and whether the
questions asked are comprehensible and if it will be sufficient to obtain
meaningful results.
• Research objectives should be clearly written and should include a brief
description of the information required and how to obtain it. They should have
the answer to the question “why do we do research?”

Step 2: Define the Sample

• To conduct market research, researchers need a representative sample that can

be collected using one method for multiple samples. A sample representing a
small number of people representing, as accurately as possible, a large group.
o The organization cannot waste its resources on collecting information from
the wrong people. It is important that the population represents factors that
are important to researchers and that they need to investigate, in the selected
sample.
o Assume advertisers will always be biased towards the sample because there
will always be people who do not respond to the survey because they are
busy, or respond to it incomplete, so researchers may not get the required
data.
o In terms of sample size, the larger it is, the more likely it is to represent
people. A larger representative sample gives the researcher greater
assurance that the included people are the ones who need them, and may
reduce bias. Therefore, if they want to avoid the accuracy of our surveys,
they should have representative and balanced samples.
o Virtually all critical surveys are based on scientific estimates, based on
mathematical and theoretical theories.
• There are two ways to get a damaged sample:
o Sample Opportunity: In sample sampling, sample selection will be
randomly assigned, which ensures that each member of the population will
have the same opportunities for selection and inclusion in the sample group.
Researchers should make sure they have the latest information on the
number of people they will be sampling and evaluate the majority to get
representation.

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 o Non-probability sampling: For non-probability samples, different types of
people want to get a more representative sample. Knowing our
mathematical features of our team will no doubt help limit the sample profile
you want and define variables that researchers are interested in, such as
gender, age, location, etc. By knowing these methods, before acquiring
information, researchers can have control over creating a representative
sample that works well for us.
• If the sample is not representative, there may be an error limit. If researchers
want to have a sample representing 100 workers, they should select the same
number of men and women.
• Sample size is very important, but it does not guarantee accuracy. In addition to
size, representation is related to the sample framework, i.e., the list from which
people are selected, for example, the research component.

Step 3: Carry out data collection

• First, a data collection tool should be developed. That they do not respond to
the study or respond to it incomplete will create research errors. Proper data
collection will prevent this.

Step 4: Analyze the results

• Each point of the market research process is linked to each other. If all of the
above is done correctly, but there is no accurate analysis of the results, then the
decisions made as a result will not be appropriate. An in-depth analysis done
without leaving loose conclusions will be effective in finding solutions. Data
analysis will be included in the report, which should also be clearly documented
so that effective decisions can be made on that basis.
• Analyze and interpret results to find out more about the data obtained. All
previous stages are designed to reach this moment.
• How can researchers measure the results? The only quantity of data that will be
available is age, gender, profession, and the number of people interviewed
because some are the feelings and information that have been passed on to us
by interviewers. In this case, there is a tool called a sensitivity map that forces
us to position our customers for the purpose of identification, really features that

43 | P a g e
 will allow us to make better adjustments between our products or services and
their needs or interests.
• Once the research has been carefully planned, the hypothetical ideas are
adequately explained and the collected collection method used, translation is
often done easily and effectively.

Step 5: Make the Research Report

• When presenting results, researchers should focus on: what they want to achieve
by using this research report and while answering this question they should not
think that research design is the best way to analyze. One of the biggest mistakes
most researchers make is that they present reports in the order of their questions
and do not see the power of storytelling.
• To make good reports, the best analysts offer the following advice: follow a
perverted pyramid style to present the results, and initially answer important
business questions that led to the investigation. Start with the conclusions and
give them the basics, instead of gathering evidence. After this researcher can
provide information to students with time and interest.

Step 6: Make Decisions

• An organization or researcher should never ask “why he did market research”,

he should just do it!
• Market research helps researchers identify a variety of information, for
example, consumer intentions, or provide feedback on target market growth.
They can also access important information that will help them to evaluate the
value of their product or service and to obtain a balance point that will benefit
both themselves and their customers.

Benefits of an Efficient Market Research

Below are the benefits of effective market research:

• Make informed decisions: Organizational growth depends on how decisions are

made by management. By using market research techniques, managers can
make business decisions based on the results obtained which give them
information and information. Market research helps to identify market trends,
therefore, do it regularly to get to know customers better.

44 | P a g e
 • Get accurate information: Market research provides real and accurate
information that will prepare the organization for any future irregularities. By
carefully researching the market, the business will no doubt be taking a step
forward, therefore, it will be taking advantage of its existing competitors.
• Find market size: The researcher can assess the market size to be paid when you
sell a product or service to make a profit.
• Choose the right sales system: Choose the right sales system according to what
the market is asking for, and accordingly, the product / service can be put on the
market.
• Learn about customer preferences: It helps to know how customers' preferences
(and preferences) change in order for a company to satisfy the preferences,
purchasing habits and income level. Researchers can determine the type of
product to be manufactured or sold based on the specific needs of consumers.
• Collect information about customers' perceptions of the product: In addition to
producing information, market research helps the researcher to understand how
customers perceive an organization or product.
• Analyze customer communication: Market research serves as a guide for
current and potential customers.
• Productive business investment: It is a great investment in any business,
because as a result they gain valuable information, show researchers the right
way to follow the right path and gain the necessary sales.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Introduction
Social media marketing refers to the process of getting website traffic or attention
through social media.

Social media marketing programs often focus on efforts to create content that attracts
attention and encourages readers to share it on social media. The electronic word output
(eWoM) refers to any statement that consumers share online (e.g., websites, social
networks, instant messaging, news feeds) about an event, product, service, product or
company. If the basic message still spreads from user to user and sounds awkward
because it appears to be from a reliable, third-party source, as opposed to the product

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 or the company itself, this type of marketing results in more profitable media than paid
media.

Social media marketing (SMM) is a form of online marketing that uses social media
websites as a marketing tool. SMM's goal is to produce content that users will share
with their social network to help the company increase product exposure and increase
customer reach.

Social Media Marketing is a process of meeting expectations with customers, as well

as gaining traffic and visibility through social networking sites such as Facebook,
Twitter, LinkedIn and many more.

Social media has never been heard of, with businesses still opting to sell their products
through visible media such as billboards, pamphlets and direct mail.

Over the past decade, social media has taken over the world, Internet marketing has
replaced traditional marketing methods, and has now been replaced by Twitter,
Facebook, Pinterest and other social media platforms.

So, the point is, man does not know what the future holds; no one could predict that we
would have to rely so heavily on social media as a means of communication. But there
is one thing that has remained strong since 2007; the rise of social media marketing.

The Rise of Social Media Marketing

What could be a better example, Facebook became a $ 100 billion industry. The social
networking site earns the bulk of its revenue through online advertising. Companies
pay good money so that their products are advertised on social media. It's hard to
believe but it can be very hard to believe the fact that 93% of traders use social media
for business purposes. The increase in social media marketing may be due to a number
of factors, one of which is a large consumer base, estimated at 1.3 billion users on
Facebook alone. Other features include customer information managed by social media
accounts, which can help guide customers.

Social media marketing is the next big thing for small and medium-sized businesses,
but it’s not just about producing lead - it’s about building relationships. Social media
marketing is the knowledge and ability to gain Twitter followers, and then use Twitter
marketing to get them to buy. Social media marketing is the information to set up a
Facebook follower, find Facebook followers, and build relationships and start

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conversations about your brand and products on Facebook. And social media marketing
is about using free social media tools to monitor your online reputation and create a
buzz.

One of the most important components of social media marketing is social media
optimization (SMO). Like good search engine optimization (SEO), social media
optimization is a strategy to draw new and unique visitors to a website. Developing a
social media platform can be done in two ways: adding social media links to content,
such as RSS feeds and sharing buttons or promoting work through social media by
reviewing status or tweets, or blog posts.

Social media marketing helps the company get direct feedback from potential
customers and potential customers while making the company look human.
Collaborative social media platforms give customers the opportunity to ask questions
or voice complaints and feel that they are being heard. This aspect of social media
marketing is called social CRM management.

Marketing on social media is growing exponentially with the popularity of websites

such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Social media marketing refers to
the advertising that is done through social media or social networking sites. Although
many companies and organizations have their own websites, it can be difficult to reach
users who do not already know about the organization. Therefore, many organizations
have found it helpful to improve the presence of Web 2.0 websites, such as Facebook,
LinkedIn, and Twitter. Social media marketing provides an inexpensive way for
businesses to reach large numbers of users and gain product recognition. Since social
networking sites already have large online communities set up, businesses and
organizations can gain exposure by joining these websites. Organizations can create
custom social media profiles, and then build their communities within these sites by
adding users as friends or followers. Many companies attract users by regularly
submitting updates and providing social media profile pages. Although social media
marketing is a powerful online marketing tool, it is often used to add alternatives to
online marketing instead of replacing it. As with almost any company or business and
joining a social media website, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd. Therefore,
many companies still rely on Web advertising and search engine optimization to drive
traffic to their websites. Social media marketing programs often focus on efforts to

47 | P a g e
 create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it on social media.
The company message is still transmitted from user to user and is also heard because it
appears to be from a trusted, third-party source, as opposed to the product or the
company itself. Therefore, this type of marketing is driven by word of mouth, which
means it results in more profitable media than paid media.

Social media has become an accessible platform for anyone with an internet connection.
Increased networking of organizations promotes product awareness and, more often,
customer service improvement. Additionally, the social media platform serves as an
inexpensive platform for organizations to conduct marketing campaigns. Too many
people approach social media advertising as if it were a step-by-step process that should
be done in the form of a daily checklist. As a result, one can see a large number of
webmasters posting a fixed number of status updates, following a certain number of
new people and sharing a certain number of articles, day by day.

Social-Media Makes Sense for Startups and Small Businesses

This social media event has attracted millions. Everyone is here, doing it, discussing it,
evaluating it by:

1. Affordable - No need to go out to start a business profile / page on Facebook

or Twitter or any other social networking sites that convince you as free.
2. Global - There is no limit to access to the available social media platforms. It's
all over the world.
3. Real Time Selling - This is a great place to talk to your customers and be part
of their circle whenever someone wants.
4. Building People's Networks - As individuals, small businesses thrive in social
media. With the internet, collaboration is no longer just a physical presence. It
is now possible to set up a large social network with the click of a button.
5. Effective - One can measure the impact by seeing the visible number of
followers on the social media, communication, chat and business page.

Benefits of Social-Media Marketing for Micro and Small Businesses

With the advent of the social media platform a few years ago, it may be difficult to find
a marketing expert who does not recommend a social media platform as part of a
complete marketing strategy. But, is it really worth the time and effort to build a social
presence at this point?

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There are simple ways a business can benefit from using an effective social media
marketing system:

1. Social-Media can Reduce Total Cost of Sales

First and foremost, the ability to tweet or post something on Facebook is more
expensive than using a paid ad or sending thousands of marketing pieces. However,
there are also advanced advertising tools on social media that allow you to run a
keyword-and-demographic marketing campaign to get the best bang for your
marketing.

2. Social-Media can affect Biological Search Results

The social media platform allows you to stream business content to a wide variety of
interested readers. Interested prospects then visit your content, ask questions, share with
their friends, and eventually connect to it. Google and Bing both pay attention to
communication signals like these and list links on the search results page.

3. Through Communications, Businesses can Provide Better Customer

Service

If customer feedback, concerns, and questions are very important, then a social media
platform can be very useful. Customers using one of the common forums such as
Facebook or Twitter can easily contact them directly and quickly in a public way that
allows other customers to see your response.

4. With Social Media Self Online Personality can be designed

The idea is that a social media platform is more like a cocktail party than a business
meeting. One will always do better in a social setting if one is like him and less like a
company robot. Social media is a great way to showcase our business personality, as
well as background information about us, our employees, our workplace, and more.
When you make a type of person this way, it makes it easier for consumers to contact
us and improve trust.

5. Social-Media allows a business to integrate with other businesses.

The fact that one can connect directly to the consumer means that one can use this
forum to connect with other entrepreneurs and business owners. From strategic business

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partners to new distributors, social media allows you to have real conversations with
real people who may not be socially or geographically accessible in the real world.

6. Customers can verify business on Social-Media

The idea of allowing customers to contact us directly is to be able to get the best
customer service possible. When this happens, it happens at a public forum that is not
seen by other prospects. So when customers use praise from their friends not only
reassures us, but it also increases the likelihood that someone else will give you a shot
next time they need your services.

7. With Social-Media one can provide Price

The idea that we can provide a truly valuable service to our targeted market means that
we place ourselves in the position of an expert in the industry. Whether those are
informative and interesting blogs, posts, or tweets, when we solve a problem or provide
information, add value to the customer will appreciate it.

8. Social-Media Allows one to Benefit from Competitiveness

Used properly, social media can enhance our search quality, allow us to offer better
customer service, build more effective online personalities, connect with new business
partners, build connections, and ensure professional standing at all times while
providing consumers with the value they need.

In fact, social media marketing represents a great opportunity to connect with fans and
produce both lifelong customers and market research information needed to keep our
product and services up to date.

Ultimately, success on the internet really depends on how smart a person is to connect
to the internet with clear strategies to benefit from the abundance of resources.

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CHAPTER-5

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DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
The following chapter includes data collection and analysis for both the retailers and the
customers. The analysis is done on the inputs given by the retailers and the customers for their
respective set of questionnaires. By the end of the chapter a brief about the findings is given
for the analysis.

RETAILERS
This part includes a detailed analysis of the retailer’s segment where the data evaluation is done
from the inputs given by the retailers for the asked questions.

1. Please indicate your gender

Gender

27%

73%

Male Female

The above graph is used to indicate the gender of the retailers. Out of 63, 73% were
male and remaining 27% were females.to add to this out of that 27% female retailers
majority of them were from Ahmedabad.

2. Please indicate your age

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 Age
6% 10%

14%

30%

19%

21%

18 to 24 years 25 to 34 years 35 to 44 years

45 to 54 years 55 to 64 years 65 or older

The following graph represents the age groups of the retailers. Majority of the retailers
were in the age group of 25 to 34 years, followed to that 21% in 35 to 44 years and so
on.

3. Please indicate the type of business you own * (select the correct size) Note all that
apply.

Type of Business
0%
11%

21%

51%

17%

Manufacturing Distribution Retailing Customer Service Others

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 The graph here represents that out of the 63 respondents out of which 32 pertained to
manufacturing, 13 in retailing and so on. This indicates the use of social media is
maximum in manufacturing industry and minimum in customer service.

4. Please indicate the amount of your first investment that you made in the Business?

Investments done in Rupees

27%

41%

19%

13%

00-05 lakhs 05-10 lakhs 10-15 lakhs 15-20 lakhs

The above graph represents that these 26 respondents started their business by having
upto 5 lakhs as their initial investment and 17 respondents have invested 15-20 lakhs,
which indicates that, with a small or very less amount of investment has been done by
majority of the micro and small businesses and they are also promoting their business
by social media.

5. Do you use social media to market / promote your products / services?

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 Use of Social Media

17%

83%

Yes No

The above graph indicates that out of 63 online respondents 52 were found to be using
social media for business while 11 weren’t using social media

6. Which of the following social networking sites do you have the most access to? *
(Select as many as possible) Note all that apply.

Platform
5% 1%
1%

36%

37%

4%

16%

Facebook Twitter YouTube WhatsApp Google+ Instagram Others

This graph indicates the preference of different platforms by the retailer. Majority of
them use WhatsApp that is 37% followed by it, Facebook hold 36%, them YouTube at
16% and so on.

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7. Time (approximately.) Spent on social networking sites per week

TIme Spent
8% 0%

24%

27%

41%

0 hrs 1-3 hrs 4-6 hrs 7-9 hrs 10+ hrs

8. What is the average number of participating customers before social media marketing?
(This includes liking, commenting, sharing and number of subscribers for the day)

Average number of customers

35%

43%

5%
3%
14%

less than 50 50 - 100 100 - 150 150 - 200 more than 200

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 The above graph represents 27 respondents had customers more than 200 and 22
respondents had customers less than 50 which indicates the variance in the scale of
business is due to various factors such as type of business, startup etc.

9. What is the purpose of your engagement on the social media platform? * (Select as
many as possible) Note all that apply.

Purpose
3%0% 6%
10%

11%

70%

Research Platform to highlight brand development

Generate leads Customer service
Build community Others

This pie chart represents thoat: 44 respondents are using social media for brand
visibility and 7 respondents for following leads. This shows the main purpose of using
social media is to spotlight all the information about their product and service and
increase brand awareness and visibility.

10. Do you regularly engage with clients / promoters?

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 Engagement
2%

33%

65%

Yes Sometimes No

Graph here represents that; 41 respondents are using social media frequently and only
1 respondent has denied it which clearly indicates that the frequency to engage with
social media tools is more and thus it can be used to spread brand visibility.

11. Do you include information about your social media campaigns in your print / TV
campaigns?

Use of other methods

43%

57%

Yes No

The above graph indicates that 27 out of 63 respondents do not use other media and 36
out of 63 use other media supplementing social media. This shows that almost 50%
respondents use traditional media along with social media
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12. Have you planned special deals / promotions for online fans?

Use of promotional deals

19%

38%

43%

Yes May be in future No

The graph above indicates that 27 respondents are willing to arrange deals and
promotion in future and close to these 24 respondents have said yes which indicates
that it is the oldest and tested method to attract customers.

13. Have you ever launched a campaign using social media or has social media been a
major part of any campaign?

Use of social media for campaign

46%

54%

Yes No

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 The above graph shows 34 respondents haven’t used social media while 29 respondents
have used social media for various campaigns may be some cause or promotion

14. What is the number of average frequency updates for your Social-Media / Networking
Sites?

Frequency of updates
11%

10%

44%

35%

1 post a day 1 post every 1-2 days 2-3 posts a day more than 3 posts a day

The pie-chart above indicates that 28 respondents post updates every day and near one
22 respondents post it in 1-2 days. This shows that people regularly engage themselves
with social media for different reasons such as: to update about the brand, news,
resolving queries, answering comments and many more reasons

15. Do you find Social-Media advertising profitable for your business?

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 Finding social media useful
5%

35%

60%

Yes Maybe No

The above graph shows, 38 people found social media beneficial and only 3
respondents have denied it which indicates majority of the respondents believe that
social media benefits their business though actual reasons are difficult to gauge

16. How do you measure your success / ROI on social media? * Note all that works.

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 Measurement of success
8% 0%

13%
36%
3%

40%

Specific parameters viz. Likes, People Talking about this, Comments, Impressions, views, etc
Sales
Change in sentiment
Brand visibility
Generating leads
Others

The above graph shows 25 respondents out of 63 measures their success by increment
of sales and 23 respondents talks about specific parameters such as likes, comments,
talking about this, views as the measurement of success.

17. Can you see an increase in revenue from your communication engagement?

Revenue
6% 0% 6%

27%
32%

29%

No not yet not measured Maybe 10% Upto 25% upto 50% More than it

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 The above pie chart indicates that 20 respondents out of 63 have said that they have not
measured the increase in revenue while 17 respondents have said by 25 %. Therefore,
it is tough call to give all the credits to social media as there might be other factors too
affecting the revenue, but as 25% is not a number to avoid it can’t go unnoticed.

18. What percentage of your marketing budget do you spend on your social media
platforms?

Spending from amount invested

5%

16% 25%

11%

43%

Zero investments 1 to 5% 5 to 10% 10 to 15% More than 15%

The graph above shows that out of 63 respondents 7 respondents have invested from 5
to 10%, 10 respondents have invested from 10 to 15%, 27 respondents have invested
from 1 to 5% while only 3 of them have invested more than 15% of their invested
amount.

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CUSTOMERS
Here in the part, the detailed analysis for the questions asked to the customers is given. Below
are the questions and their respective analysis.

1. Please indicate your gender

Gender

40%

60%

Male Female

Graph above indicates that out of the total number of participants 60% which is 82
respondents were men while remaining 54 of them were females. This might indicate
that men may be more active on the social media that women.

2. Please indicate your age

Age distribution
5%0%

16%

43%

36%

18 to 24 yrs 25 to 34 yrs 35 to 44 yrs 45 to 54 yrs 55 to 64 yrs 65 or older

64 | P a g e
 The chart above shows a strong prevalence of youngster and middle-aged population
on social networking sites. Out of the total population, 58 of the respondents belonged
to the age group of 18 to 24 years followed by 49 of the respondents who are from the
age group 25 to 34 years. This that younger population is more comfortable with using
social networking sites.

3. Please indicate the level of education you have obtained

Education level
0%
1%
10% 11%

1%

36%
41%

No schooling completed
Nursery school to 8th grade
High school graduate, diploma or the equivalent (for example: GED)
Trade/technical/vocatinal training
Bachelor's degree
Masters's degree
Professional degree
Doctorate degree

The above graph represents the education level of the respondents. Out of the total
number of respondents, 56 of the respondents held master’s degree followed by 49 of

65 | P a g e
 the respondents that were holding bachelor’s degree. This indicates that more of the
educated people are active on social media sites.

4. Please indicate your marital status

Marital status
0%

46%

54%

Single, never married Married or domestic partnership Widowed Divorced Separated

The above graph indicates that the active people on social media sites are unequally
distributed. Out of the total number of participants, 74 of the respondents were
single/never married while the rest of respondents fall into the category of married or
in a domestic partnership, leaving other categories empty.

5. Please indicate your current employment status

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 Employment status
0%

34%
42%

7%
0%
2%
15%

Employed for wages Self-employed

Out of work & looking for work Out of work but not currently looking for work
A homemaker A student
Retired Unable to work

The pie chart above indicates that majority of respondents were either
employed/working that is 57 of the totals, followed by students which is 47. This
indicate that the working class or students may be more active on social networking as
compared to others.

6. Do you have an account on any Social-Media / Networking website?

Social media account holder

7%

93%

Yes No

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 The above graph shows that about 93% of the respondents were holding their accounts
on social media sites. This indicates that most people active on the internet are active
on social media sites.

7. How much time do you spend using Social-Media sites?

Social media usage pattern

2% 3%
6%

9%

12%

68%

Less than 1 month 1-6 months 6 months - 1 year 1-2 years 2-3 years More than 3 years

This graph represents that out of the total number of participants 92 of the respondents
were using their current account on social media sites for more than 3 years while only
16 of them are using for 2-3 years. This indicates the awareness in most people about
social media sites.

8. How would you describe your logging pattern on Social-Media / Networking sites?

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 Login pattern
7%
6%
23%

15%

19%
30%

Always connected Several times a day Once a day

Every three days Once a week Occasionally

This graph represents the login pattern of the respondents. Out of the total, 41 of the
respondents uses their social media sites several times in a day while 32 were almost
always connected to the social media via internet. This indicated that the usage of social
media sites amongst the respondents is high.

9. Which social networking sites do you check? (Select as many as possible) * Note all
that apply.

App/platform
5% 11%

14%

2%
3%

12% 38%

15%

Twitter Facebook Linkedin Google plus Blogs Pinterest Instagram Others

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 The graph indicates that 38% of the respondents prefer using their Facebook account
followed by LinkedIn at 15% and so on. Note that it can’t be said that only one
platform/app is being used by the respondent.

10. Do you have concerns about privacy and confidentiality?

Confidentiality & Privacy

4%0%

21%
33%

42%

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

The above graph indicates that in general concern over the confidentiality and privacy
of the personal information is fairly high amongst the users of social media. Out of the
total number of participants, 42% agree and 33% strongly agree and are concerned
regarding confidentiality and privacy of the personal information

11. What is the purpose of using social media? (Select as many as possible) * Note all that
apply.

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 Purpose of using social media
0%
14%

24%

14%

6%

3%

6% 7%

6% 8%
3%
9%

Connecting with family and friends

Playing games and contests
Exchanging views about the product and services
For online offers and discounts on products and services
Updating profile on social media/networking sites
Unspecified fun
Sharing/consuming content
Time-killing
Debating
Information
Socializing
Other

The graph above indicates that 24% of the respondents used social media sites for
connecting with family and friends, followed by 14% of the respondents using it for
gathering information and another 14% use for socializing. This Indicates that amongst
the respondents more people are on social media sites for connecting with their friends
and family.

12. How important do you think social media is in your social life?

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 Importance of social media
6%
7% 21%

24%

42%

Very important Important Neutral Somewhat not important Not important at all

From the above graph it is clear that for 57 of the respondents, social media is important
for social life followed by 29 who feel that it was very important and another 32 were
neutral. This indicates that there is a slow but steady rising trend of social media sites.

13. How often do you think of ideas / updates posted on Social-Media / Networking sites
to make decisions?

Influence of social media on decision

5% 10%

24%
20%

41%

Always Most often Sometimes Rarely Never

The graph here represents the influence of social media on buying decision. About 41%
of the respondents indicated that they were sometimes influenced followed by about

72 | P a g e
 24% who were rarely influenced & only 20% who were more often influenced than
others.

14. What attracts you to the product through the network / marketing platform? (Select as
many as possible) * Note all that apply.

Reason for brand attraction

1%
9%

27%
12%

5%

21%
25%

Promotional offers such as discounts and coupons Brand information

Facts and factoids Brand invitation
Friends invitation Loyalty towards brand
Other

This graph helps in finding out the reason behind the brand attraction of the customer.
Out of the total participants about 27% of respondents were attracted by promotional
offers, 25% of the respondents were attracted by brand information followed by 21%
of the respondents for facts & factoids.

15. How did you hear about the online retailer you selected in the question above? (Select
as many as possible) * Note all that apply.

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 References for online retailer
5% 1%

16% 28%

2%
19%

29%

Social networking/media Blogs

Friends/family members Google or through other search engines
TV/ Radio advertisements Banners/Posters
Other

This graph indicates the given references of the online retailers. About 29 % of the
respondents reported to be influenced by Friends/Family members and 28% of the
respondents are influenced by social networking/media.

16. How much reliance do you have in online marketing information from personal sources
(family, friends and contacts)?

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 Level of trust from family
2%2%
9%

27%

60%

Very low Low Average High Very high

Above pie chart represents that the majority of participants may not have a high trust
over information offered via advertisements through online marketing. It shows that
60% of the respondents showed average level of trust, followed by 27% showing a high
level of trust.

17. What is the level of your reliance on online marketing information from external
sources (public, product profiles)?

Level of trust from outsider

1% 5%
13%

18%

63%

Very low Low Average High Very high

The above graph represents that 86 of the respondents showed average level of trust,
followed by 24 respondents showing a low level of trust. This shows that majority of
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 the participants believed and trusted the information about online marketing shared by
outsiders as well but the trust is not very high.

18. Do you think ads from your social media platforms are important to you?

Relevance of ads
4% 6%

17%

37%

36%

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Here this pie chary indicates about 37% of the respondents agreed that the
advertisements shown on their social media home pages were relevant to them followed
by 36% of the respondents who are indifferent about this (neither agree nor disagree).
This indicates that most of the participants are not looking at the advertisements with
interest or carefully.

19. How often do you click on ads seen on social media (in terms of site access or product
purchases)?

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 Frequency of clicks
0%
11%
20%

32%

37%

Always Most often Sometimes Rarely Never

This graph indicates that about 51 of the respondents were rarely interested in clicking
on the advertisements seen on the social media home pages followed by 43 of the
respondents who clicked only sometimes.

20. How often do you purchase products / services based on the ads?

Frequency of purchase
0% 6%

26%

34%

34%

Always Most often Sometimes Rarely Never

The graph above represents that the trend of online purchases is more but the actual
sale happening online still has a long way to go. About 46 of the respondent’s purchase
articles online sometimes, followed by another 46 who purchase only rarely and then
36, who purchases frequently.
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21. How do you measure online shopping experience?

Satisfaction
3% 8%
8%

28%

53%

Highly satisfied Satisfied Neutral Not so satisfied Dissatisfied

The pie chart represents that 72 out of 136 of the respondents were satisfied with their
online purchases and while rest were either neutral that is 38 while a small fraction
indicated dissatisfaction. This supports the statement that people making online
purchases are overall satisfied.

22. Which payment method do you usually use? * Note all that works.

Mode of payments

23%

41%

20%

0%
16%

Credit Card Debit Card Shopping Cards Net Banking Cash on delivery

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 This graph represents that 74 out 136 of the respondents prefer CoD as preferred mode
of payment followed by 42 respondents preferring Credit Card. This concludes that
most respondent are more comfortable making payments only on receipt of the product
thus indicating less trust on the retailer.

23. Are you satisfied with the purchase of the product / services available?

Satisfaction with product

5% 2% 9%

27%

57%

Highly satisfied Satisfied Neutral Not so satisfied Dissatisfied

This graph represents that 78 out of 136 respondents were satisfied and 36 of the
respondents were neutral in their decision. This shows a higher level of satisfaction
with the products and services offered online.

24. Are you satisfied with the after-sales services on online shopping products?

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 Satisfaction with aftersales
4% 7%

16%

35%

38%

Always Most often Sometimes Rarely Never

The above pie-chart shows that 51 of the respondents were satisfied but only sometimes
with the aftersales services followed by it there were 48 respondents who were satisfied
most often. This represents that there is a scope for improvement in the aftersales
services by the retailers.

25. How often have you posted your complaint / complaints on the seller's website / social
media page?

Grievances/Complaints
2% 5%

18%

46%

29%

Always Most often Sometimes Rarely Never

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 The graph here represents that 62 out of 136 respondents had never complaint against
the online retailer while there are 40 of the respondents who have rarely complained.
This indicate that most people don’t have complaints.

26. Please indicate your agreement / disagreement with the following statement -
"Communication Media / Networks have increased my frequency of purchasing
products online or using online services."

Effect of social media

2% 6%

18%

19%
55%

Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

Graph here shows that there is an increase in frequency of buy a product online. Out of
136 respondents 75 agreed to the statement and followed by 26 who are indifferent and
did not have any effect on their overall purchasing.

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FINDINGS
Retailers:
1. Social media awareness is very high on small businesses - it has become "city talk." As
it has been found that about 70% of respondents use social media platforms in their
business and increase their visibility.
2. But at the same time, on the other side of the coin almost 30% of respondents do not
yet use social media and as a result miss out on good opportunities to connect and
engage with potential customers.
3. Small businesses are slow to use them, especially because they feel that the social media
platform is not important to their business model.
4. Many respondents perceive that their customers do not use social networks or are not
suitable for their type of business. In fact, this feeling was appreciated by 30% of
respondents in a recent survey that mainly involved distributors and manufacturers.
5. The majority of respondents found social media marketing to be very important to their
business and were confident about its potential for a bright future, when asked about
their views on social media.
6. It was found that most small and medium enterprises have invested initially from zero
to 5 lakhs of budget to participate in business communication forums.
7. The main reason for marketing on social media was to create a platform to highlight
their product and create product awareness as it can be difficult for small businesses to
market their product in more expensive and affordable ways with limited resources.
8. Product promotion is done through various social media tools such as facebook, twitter,
pinterest, linkedin through various engagement methods.
9. Many responded that they did not estimate the increase in revenue after the introduction
of social media as a marketing tool, as there may be many other factors that contribute
to business revenue generation.

Customers:
1. Modern social media is the first activity on the web, as most respondents found that
they used social media for over 3 years and that they spent an average of 4-5 hours a
day on it.
2. People of all ages do not use social media. Respondents in the age group of 15 to 35
years are the most active while respondents over the age group of 45 usually do not
engage in social media to make decisions as they prefer the usual method of purchase.

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3. Demographic data can be measured as respondents in the 15-35 age group lead the
survey, indicating that the younger generation is spending as much time on social media
as it regularly enters.
4. Most respondents found that social media is important to their social life and they
engage in it mainly to connect with family and friends, have fun and gather information.
5. Facebook is the most popular and most popular social networking site for respondents
followed by linkedin and twitter, so the information on these social media sites seems
important and important to them.
6. The majority of respondents were not influenced by the views and reviews of family
and friends and by an external source, this may indicate that decision-making is
influenced to the point of obtaining information.
7. Respondents find a link to an ad they see on social media sites and sometimes click on
them to show that they are attracted to the product and want to collect the same
information even though it may not change the purchase.
8. They receive competitions, promotions, photos, exciting donations and love to
participate, which shows that product knowledge influences respondents.
9. In terms of shopping experience, most respondents who shop online respond positively
and are satisfied with the overall experience.
10. The level of trust in online shopping is slowly increasing as most respondents have
admitted that they once bought after clicking an ad.
11. Respondents are satisfied with the after-sales service provided by online retailers and
rarely address a complaint, which can be a step towards building trust and managing
online shopping relationships.
12. Overall, the factors help to conclude that consumers are influenced by the marketing of
a social media platform to some extent in making purchasing decisions.

Consumers are working with businesses or products through the media, to receive
discounts or coupons, to read reviews as part of a shopping process as customers
research product information before deciding to change. Consumers are willing to work
with businesses if they believe it will benefit them, help build trust in the company and
determine that the social media platform is the right channel to use to get the value they
want. That number could be in the form of a coupon or other information. Working
with a company through social media can create a sense of customer engagement - an

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emotional, tangible benefit - but the desire for intimacy is not what drives most of them.
For many consumers, social media is about connecting with friends and family and
accessing news and entertainment - not interacting with products. When asked why
they go on social media or social networks, most consumers prefer, to communicate
with a network of friends and family, In fact, most consumers surveyed say they do not
engage in products through social media at all. Businesses bet that the interaction of the
social media platform will improve customer loyalty. However, many consumers say
they need to have love before they can participate, and are divided about how much
impact they think this interaction will have.

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CHAPTER-6

85 | P a g e
CONCLUSION
Marketing on social media is important because it is in line with how consumers make their
purchasing decisions. Research shows that there is a rise in number of consumers who are using
online resources and research to do initial product research and pricing before making final
decisions. Social media marketing allows one to build customer relationships and prospects
through regular, inexpensive personal communication, reflecting from mass advertising.
Marketing products through a social media platform are less expensive than marketing through
portable marketing. Social media marketing allows one to personalize their offer to customers
by creating a profile of their purchase history and interests. Many entrepreneurs use social
media marketing to build communities close to businesses. These communities are then used
as media outlets managed to spark conversations, spread awareness, increase followers, reward
fans and all in all have better relationships with their online viewers. These active and loyal
communities are directly involved in online / offline marketing and corporate marketing
campaigns. Facebook is still the most widely used social networking site in India, and
advertisers love it. It gives them access to the category, access and advertising to more than
96,000,000 active Facebook users. WhatsApp, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus
are just a few of the fast-growing social platforms that the brands have. As these networks grow
brands there are more opportunities for them to use these emerging platforms to connect,
market and improve public relations. The general content that compels people who like to use
and share with their friends is what businesses want and like to post several times a day to keep
their communities active, interesting and fun to share. Businesses measure results from specific
social network metrics like followers, tweets, likes, sharing, comments, etc. More than half of
the businesses surveyed, finds it difficult to measure the results of their social media efforts.
On the bright side there are businesses that always measure sales or leads generated due to
public traffic, product visibility on social media, user interaction and more. Businesses usually
spend an egg or a lot of time around 1 to 5% of their marketing budget on social media
marketing. This is likely to increase as advertisers discover how to fully utilize their social
media platforms as they contribute to the purpose of the business and how to measure
conversions or other useful metrics from social media marketing campaigns. With so many
affordable smartphones on the market and the ever-increasing mobile penetration rate, it is
likely that the internet and social media will be accessible to many of India's urban and rural
areas. The growth of the social media is inevitable and predecessors are already making a profit
and exposing the product to public relations. Involved buyers already have that kind of

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relationship with a company, and simply participating in a social media platform may not result
in increased trust or spending. But a recommendation from a friend or family member can
make a difference. The power of authorization and the impact of social media can be felt every
time someone “likes” a company on Facebook or re-tweets a company message on Twitter.
Companies can take advantage of this opportunity by designing social media platforms that
have a clear goal of emotionally influencing customers and encouraging them to share
information with others. Organizations need to think carefully about how they can create social
media information that is unique to their product, offering value to the customer and exploiting
the social power of social media. Thus, it can be concluded:
1. social media has become an integral part of our lives. All large or small businesses, one
man or large organizations use the power of Facebook, Twitter etc. to engage with their
customers, the impact of which has never been seen.
2. ‘High thunderstorm does not mean that it has a high impact and vice versa’ The
telecommunications platform is a fledgling industry and like any other sector is facing
an eruption before the best practices. At this point in time, there are several tools that
provide an automatic effect of impact but their accuracy is still a question mark for a
number of reasons.
3. There are no reliable ways to measure return on investment on social media. They also
argue that there is no direct data showing that the social network is creating a business,
or that the number of followers one has on Twitter or friends on Facebook translates
into revenue.
4. Both traditional and social media have a strong impact on marketing performance,
although one social media unit has a much smaller impact than a single mainstream
media unit. However, because the social media platform is created with larger volumes
than traditional media, it has a greater impact on performance (i.e., the social media
platform has a higher volume, low-margin, while traditional media has a lower volume,
high-margin).
5. social media is not about hard numbers (likes, posts, comments, guest number, links).
It's about building a good, old-fashioned relationship.
6. As social media develops at an astonishing rate; it is imperative that small and medium
enterprises stay afloat in order to maximize value in their public marketing and
investment programs.

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It is understandable why companies want to use social media to communicate with customers.
The benefits are real and profound. First, there is social media itself, which can provide a real
value to the business with profits from public trade and cost savings when using customer care
or research, in addition to which social media facilitates, viral distribution of content and
content that may reach beyond. what can be done on traditional channels - all with the
authorization that comes from contacting people’s trust. But that is just the beginning,
companies can also use social media to dig up product monitoring data and important customer
information, which can stimulate improved customer service, products and customer
experience. In a continuous cycle of listen-analyze-engage-evolve, organizations can improve
their social media platforms to further develop their businesses. With significant gains,
companies need to invest an effort to understand how to eliminate noise and provide current
and potential customers with access to it through social media. Businesses, aspiring to get
closer to customers, create pages on social networking sites, post videos and microblogging;
however, if they do not focus on what their most valuable customers are on social media, they
may miss out on the boat. In fact, providing affordable value to consumers can be a powerful
motivator for attracting regular participants who need a good reason to communicate. For
companies that have taken the "build and come" approach to social media, consumers' findings
are an exciting call that more needs to be done if they want to attract more than the most
dedicated product advocates. Social media is ultimately about communicating with others in
anticipation of receiving something in return. Even if that “object” is tangible, such as a feeling
of connection or love, participants are busy seeking value. For businesses, the challenge is to
open up what their customers care about and create the communication experience that brings
that value. But first, companies need to understand the dynamics of consumer growth and
activity on social media and look at consumer attitudes and the factors that compel them to
seek out a company.

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CHAPTER 7

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SUGGESTIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
The social media platform has matured to the edge where advertisers no longer ask if it
should be part of their marketing mix but how and where they should participate. A
clear channel strategy is now needed. The low cost of outsourcing for a social
networking site can entice business owners to create their own solutions. However,
considering the time spent discussing, creating, managing and conducting
communication campaigns and creating content makes it clear that money is at stake
and a well-thought-out plan is needed. Instead of exploring the best ways to engage in
social media and / or reach out to someone who has experience in the marketplace,
many businesses simply start creating accounts and extracting content without a big
plan or purpose. That's a recipe for spending a lot of time and not getting much out of
it. An important part of an effective social media platform determines the following:

1. The product message will be known through the social media platform.
2. The competitive differences with the unique qualities and skills necessary to
communicate business through social media.
3. Integrate the media for other marketing efforts.

These are important factors in working with an experienced person, one can avoid the
pitfalls that many small businesses have encountered so far, save some time and / or
money, and learn how to be successful in doing social media marketing. The following
tips can help one achieve the success they want:

1. Social Media Marketing is a very effective way to develop relationships and

maintain relationships with new and existing customers, which will bring more
work.
2. Online business-focused search queries continue to grow exponentially with people
using social media, with significant growth in mobile search It is important for small
businesses to apply to local basic channels, such as Google Places, and complete
those. Sites with a variety of information that consumers can search for - products
and services, working hours, contact phone number, physical address, etc.

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3. To better maximize business outcomes, small and medium business owners should
understand their digital needs or seek professional help to save time and help
achieve success online - it all starts within a small budget.
4. Small and Medium Enterprises should provide certain value-added services, such
as online shopping, booking or electronic billing and lead to ecommerce guidance.
5. The presence of Facebook, and other social media platforms such as WhatsApp,
Pinterest, Twitter, etc., is highly recommended for small and medium enterprises to
increase awareness between prospects, create and strengthen personal relationships
with current and potential customers
6. social media has reached a point where advertisers no longer ask if it should be part
of their marketing mix, but how and where they should participate-- a clear channel
strategy is now important.
7. Social media can work well, but in order to work its magic, small businesses have
to choose the types of social media that they use wisely in their business.
8. It may be suggested that small businesses can browse online marketing sites to
strengthen their business as they do their own websites and other communication
communications alone will not market immediately.
9. Encouragement program for digital awareness must be held and the consumer as
well as all other person relating to the same must be educated.

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