Research on Influence of Social Media and Emailing Marketing Strategies on Consumers Purchasing Decisions in Chinese Electronics Industry

Research on Influence of Social Media and Emailing Marketing Strategies on Consumers Purchasing Decisions in Chinese Electronics Industry

Abstract

In the information age, organizations are opting for more innovative marketing strategies that are mostly internet based. Social media and email marketing strategies are among the most predominant forms of online marketing strategies at the disposal of organizations and the Chinese electronic industry is no exception. Specifically, firms in the Chinese electronic industry aim at impacting the purchasing decisions of consumers using online marketing strategies. Through these strategies, the electronic manufacturers are able to foster and maintain high loyalty levels from their consumers by influencing their purchasing behaviour. On this basis, this research aims at identifying the impact that both social media and email marketing has on the consumer purchasing decisions. In collecting data, the researcher adopts the survey technique as the preferred research strategy; with questionnaires as the research instruments. Precisely, the researcher distributed questionnaires to users of popular social media sites and emailing services in China. These included Qzone, Tencent Weibo, Sina Weibo, TencentQQ, Netease and Sina. Using SPSS 20, the researcher analysed the collected data using mainly mean analysis. The results indicated that social media as a more effective online marketing strategy compared with email marketing. The Chinese social media space is the largest in the world and this gives its precedence over email services in the country. Secondly, Chinese consumers in the electronic industry use social media sites to actively engage companies. Furthermore, Chinese consumers read product reviews prior to making their purchasing decisions. This research study further establishes that email marketing does not impact on the purchasing decisions of Chinese consumers as companies do not undertake extensive email marketing campaigns.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction        1

1.1 Research Background        1

1.2 Research Rationale        2

1.3 Research Aims and Objectives        4

1.4 Structure of the Research        5

Chapter 2: Literature Review        6

2.1 Introduction        6

2.2 Social Media and Emailing Marketing Strategies        6

2.3 Consumer Purchasing Decisions        7

2.4 Theories on Consumer Purchasing Decisions        9

2.5 Empirical Research and Findings        13

2.5.1 Influence of Social Media Marketing on Consumer Purchasing Decisions        13

2.5.2 Influence of Emailing Marketing on Consumer Purchasing Decisions        17

2.6 Chapter Summary        19

Chapter 3: Research Methodology        21

3.1 Introduction        21

3.2 Research Philosophy        21

3.3 Research Approach        22

3.4 Research Strategy        23

3.5 Data Collection        24

3.6 Sampling        25

3.7 Data Analysis        26

3.8 Reliability and Validity        27

3.9 Ethical Considerations        28

Chapter Summary        29

Chapter Four: Findings and Analysis        30

4.1 Introduction        30

4.2 Demographics        30

4.3 Social Media Marketing and Consumer Purchasing Decisions        33

4.3.1 Consumers and Social Media Platforms        34

4.3.2 Impact of Social Media Marketing and Consumer Purchasing Decision        36

4.4 Email Marketing and Consumer Purchasing Decisions        41

4.4.1 Consumers and Email Marketing        41

4.5 Chapter Summary        46

Chapter 5: Conclusions And Recommendations        48

5.1 Introduction        48

5.2 Conclusions        48

5.2.1 Impact of Social Media Marketing on Consumer Purchasing Decisions        48

5.2.2 Impact of Email Marketing on Consumer Purchasing Decisions        49

5.3 Recommendations        50

5.4 Research Limitations        51

References        53

Appendix        60

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Research Background

In 2015, it is prudent to presume that social media in China has come of age according to Statista (2015). At the moment, China has the largest social network market in the world in terms of online activity. Tencent Qzone, Tencent Weibo and Sina Weibo are the predominant social networking sites in the country. The lack of internationally renowned social media networks is attributable to the Chinese censorship project, the Great Firewall (Statista, 2015). In spite of this, Men and Tsai (2012) concede that instant messaging has a higher penetration rate than social media in the country. The most popular are QQ and WeChat. In terms of numbers; Qzone has 560 million subscribers, Tencent Weibo has 337 million whereas Sina Weibo has 324 million subscribers (Statista, 2015). These figures are impressive and are the main reason behind the increased social media marketing that currently characterizes the country. According to Statista (2015), Chinese social media has the most active consumers in the world due to their enhanced social networking platforms. Platforms such as WeChat allow consumers to undertake e-Commerce conveniently through the integration of services such as PayPal. As such, this presents an opportunity for Chinese companies to take advantage of these social networking trends in the country. This is achievable through social media and email marketing strategies that form the focus of this research paper. In regards to the topic, previous research has extensively delved into the matter forming an unquestionable precedent. To begin with, Hoffman and Fodor (2010) elucidate that the milestones of marketing campaigns are easier to accomplish using social media. These include brand awareness, brand engagement, and word of mouth. Another important aspect of social media marketing campaigns that Hoffman and Fodor (2010) identify is the voluntary participation of consumers in marketing campaigns. This was difficult to accomplish prior to the internet age and the popularization of social media. Mangold and Faulds (2009) further concede the revolutionary nature of the social media in regards to the marketing mix. Specifically, Mangold and Faulds (2009) establish that social media has significantly increased the reach of companies in regards to their marketing efforts. This translates to companies utilizing social media marketing to influence consumer purchase intentions.