The Impact of Social Media Advertising on Consumer Purchase Intention of Fashion Clothing Industry in Sri Lanka

Abstract

This study focuses on the impact made by social media characteristics on purchasing intention on fashion clothing through online platforms. The main research objective of this study is to identify the level of impact made by the characteristics of trust, perceived online risk, convenience, and online reviews on the consumer buying intention. The survey method was used to collect data from the sample and a sample of 384 consumers was selected through convenience sampling method. The 384 responses were collected from the western province through a properly structured questionnaire which was distributed among the selected sample. These responses analyzed through the SPSS software. A multiple regression was run to test the hypotheses and the results showed that there is a strong positive relationship between online reviews and the consumer purchasing intention. Further, it was found out that there is a moderately positive relationship exists between the trust and the consumer purchasing intention. In conclusion based on the findings it can be recommended that fashion and clothing companies to focus more on their core business activities on online platforms which may lead to positive reviews and recommendations. This would enhance the consumers’ purchasing intention in the long run. Further the study mentions that the online businesses should pay more attention on factors highlighted by the customers in purchasing clothing online.