CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING AS A DRIVER OF BUYING BEHAVIOUR

Social media usage has increased tremendously in recent years, and the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated its uptake amongst customers. Furthermore, social media usage in advertising has not only transformed traditional advertising platforms but also assisted in the collection of information regarding consumer taste and consumer behaviour. This study analysed customer perceptions of social media marketing as a driver of buying behaviour.A non-probability sampling technique known as purposive sampling was adopted to select 10 respondents. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of this study show that social media plays an important role in promoting businesses, as an effective source of information, as a source of advertisements and reviews, and as a tool for engaging with brands, ultimately influencing customer purchasing decisions.Thus, managers should ensure consistency and quality in the content they put on social media platforms in order to remain relevant. In addition, social media content must not only be image-based and branded but value-generating, aimed at captivating the interest of current and prospective customers. The ethical usage of social media should be encouraged amongst employees because the modern customer is very wary about data misuse. In this regard, practising honesty and openness in the usage of social media can be a tool for managing sustainable consumer buying behaviour. This study has contributed to the literature on social media marketing in the developing world, where social media usage as a tool for marketing is still in the development phase as a result of infrastructural challenges and the high cost of data.