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.