Social Media Marketing and Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Brand Image and Trust

This research aims to analyse the effect of social media marketing on purchase intention, considering the mediating role of brand image and trust. Given that consumers are shifting their buying behaviour in the direction indicated by digital interfaces, studying the processes through which SMM impacts purchase intentions has become crucial for firms aiming to tailor their marketing strategies. 274 data were collected from Biratnagar, Nepal and structural equation modelling was applied to examine the links between social media marketing, brand image, trust and purchase intention with AMOS 21. Findings reveal that social media marketing positively impacts brand image and brand trust, which positively mediates social media marketing and purchase intention. Furthermore, this study reveals brand image as a significant mediating variable and trust as a building block for perceived risk in purchase decisions. The effect of these mediators highlights the need to develop appropriate brand images and enforce confidence to successfully realise marketing communication into purchase choices. Hence, this study adds to the existing literature on digital marketing by testing the relationship between social media marketing, brand image, trust and purchase intention in an emerging market setting. For marketers, the practical implications are using social media to develop convincing brand stories and focus on creating trust by providing more transparency to consumers and delivering more consumer-oriented strategies.