The Impact of Facebook Advertising on Young Consumers Purchase Intention of Casual Fashion Industry in Colombo District, Sri Lanka: Examining the Mediating Effect of Advertising Value

Abstract

With the proliferation of social media and its integration into modern lifestyles, many modern marketing communication initiatives are being channeled using platforms such as Facebook. This is especially true for products such as casual fashion, which are primarily targeted at the youth segment of the market. The present study explores the impact of Facebook advertising on young consumers` purchase intentions in the casual fashion industry in Sri Lanka and how that relationship is mediated by advertising value. The advertising value model was used as a framework for this study. The independent variable of Facebook advertising was further subdivided into four-dimensional segregations such as informativeness, entertainment, credibility, and interactivity. A quantitative approach was adopted for this study, and data was collected from 388 Facebook users. The findings indicate that purchase intentions for casual fashion products are significantly influenced by the degree of informativeness, credibility, and interactivity of Facebook advertising. It was also demonstrated that advertising value can partially mediate the relationship between Facebook advertising and the purchase intention of youth consumers of casual fashion products. The findings contribute to understanding how the value-enhancing potential of Facebook advertising campaigns can be leveraged to inform and attract target customer groups. The study findings will also deepen our understanding of consumer behaviour within the casual fashion industry in Sri Lanka.