Title
Does Pinning Lead to Purchasing?: An Evaluation of the Impact Social Media Connectedness has on Online Purchase Behavior
Abstract
Internet retailing has become extremely competitive in recent years, and this trend will likely
continue. While the online retailing universe develops, social media will play an increasing role
in how consumers gain information and interact online. As such, it will become pertinent for
marketers to understand how their online customers utilize social media and online interactions
to shop. Currently, research in this area focuses primarily on brand liking based off of social
sources, but what marketers really care about is how that translates into increased sales. There is
a lack of research around how social media interaction and usage leads to purchase intent for
online consumers. This study utilizes survey data to measure social media usage, and then
examines how usage level affects purchase decision making and intent based on hypothetical
scenarios with varying influences. The study finds evidence that online interactions have a higher
impact for those that are more heavily engaged online, but that this effect does not transcend all
product categories. These findings will help marketers target both heavy and light social media
users and cater to their online shopping habits in the future.
Suggested Citation
Grange, Ryan.
(2015).
Does Pinning Lead to Purchasing?: An Evaluation of the Impact Social Media Connectedness has on Online Purchase Behavior.
Retrieved from the University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy,
https://hdl.handle.net/11299/173997.