DIGITAL MARKETING DETERMINANTS AND SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR AMONG STUDENTS OF FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, AKURE, NIGERIA

This paper examines how digital marketing activities influence the shopping behaviour of students at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Nigeria. The research shows that the most important shopping behaviour driver is convenience, one-click checkouts, and simple navigation positively impact it significantly. These factors were important as indicated by the regression analysis and this finding is consistent with other studies in Nigeria that have found convenience to be a key determinant of e-commerce adoption among university students. The study also brings out the effect of peer recommendations on shopping. Peer influence was rather influential overall (Mean = 3.24, RII = 0.65), but it had a strong effect when one takes into account direct referrals by friends (260 beta = 0.345, p < 0.001), which indicates that personalized recommendations by close social circles can be more effective than general trends in social media. Another major determinant of shopping was brand reputation. Positive reviews, verified seller badges and other visible trust signals were discovered to be a significant factor in increasing the chances of students to make a purchase, which once again proves the necessity to build credibility and a strong, consistent presence online. The research concluded that high quality images and emotionally stimulating stories were essential in promoting online engagements, and emotional appeals increased the affiliation of students to products. To sum up, brand reputation, peer influence, and emotional content must be used strategically in marketing practices to encourage both adoption and customer loyalty.