Influence of social media marketing on customer purchase intention in the fast-food sector in Uganda

Purpose This study aims to explore the impact of three dimensions of social media marketing, interaction, trendiness and customisation, on customer purchase intention, mediated by customer engagement within Uganda’s fast-food sector. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative, cross-sectional survey was conducted, utilising purposive sampling to gather 469 valid responses from digitally active fast-food customers in Kampala. The analysis employed Smart PLS-SEM to evaluate the hypothesised relationships and mediation effects. Findings The findings reveal that customisation has a significant direct positive effect on customer purchase intention. In contrast, interaction and trendiness influence purchase intention indirectly through customer engagement. All three constructs of social media marketing influence customer engagement, which is a strong driver of purchase intention. While customer engagement fully mediates the relationship between interaction-trendiness and purchase intention, its role is partial between customisation and purchase intention. Practical implications For managerial practice, it is crucial to prioritise strategies centred on customisation by utilising consumer data analytics to create personalised offers. Moreover, deploying trend-driven content and interactive marketing campaigns can effectively increase consumer engagement and foster long-term brand loyalty. Originality/value This investigation stands as one of the pioneering empirical analyses of the multidimensional social media marketing–customer engagement–customer purchase intention framework within Uganda’s fast-food sector, integrating social identity theory and social presence theory to explain consumer behaviour mechanisms in emerging digital markets.