Online Impulsive Buying: Influence of E-Word of Mouth and Social Media Marketing

Abstract

The paper aims to investigate the impact of electronic word of mouth and social media marketing on impulse buying behavior of female online shoppers as females have more tendency towards buying impulsively. Moreover, it also examines the mediating role of brand knowledge. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire via an online and personal distribution method. Stimulus-organism-response model was the theoretical model for the study. The findings indicate that both electronic word of mouth and Social media marketing have a tendency to lead to online impulse buying behavior but electronic word of mouth has no direct relationship with impulse buying it only leads to impulse buying if it results in brand knowledge while social media marketing can also lead to impulse buying behavior directly and the connection strengths in the presence of brand knowledge. It offers the direction to the marketers through which they can maximize the fruits of social media by utilizing it to increase their online sales through impulsive buyers. It also gives us valuable insight into cheap and effective marketing tools i.e. electronic word of mouth and social media marketing.

Keywords: impulse buying, electronic word of mouth, social media marketing, SOR model, brand knowledge (brand awareness and brand image)