The Effect of Social Media on Customer Buying Decision in the Middle East - Case Study Example

THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON CUSTOMER BUYING DECISION IN THE MIDDLE EAST Student’s Name Course Professor’s Name University City Date Abstract The research investigates the effect of social media usability and influence on the buying decision and purchasing behavior in the Middle East. The research focuses on Middle East region. The buyer’s decisions and purchasing behavior depend on the cosmetic product displayed on the social media platforms. The internet connectivity and increased technology have attracted more internet users to depend on the social media channels in decision making regarding the cosmetic product. The market segment selected of ladies aged 18 to 45 years helps in assessing the Middle East connection to the internet application in advertising and promoting products. This research focuses on the development of the research topic, research aim, literature review and research methods. The research is based on the topic of the effect of the social media on the women buying decisions and purchasing behavior in the Middle East. Section I. Introduction Social media and social technologies have emerged as the aspects influencing the purchasing behavior and buyers’ decision making. In the Middle East, development in technology has led to improvement in the social media applicability and usability (Ahmad, 2017, p. 88). This has attracted sellers and buyers to depend on the social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat platforms in making their decision in purchasing products. The research focuses on women aged between 18 to 45 years on how they are influenced by the social media in purchasing and decision making when buying cosmetic products. The study focuses on Saudi Arabia country in the Middle East to provide the comparative analysis of the Middle East of women decision making in buying cosmetic products. The technology development provides new opportunities and methods that buyers used in making buying decisions. The social network platform contributes in sharing the electronic media of Middle East ladies in the age bracket 18 to 45 years of the cosmetic products in the market. Social media is defined as the group of Internet-based applications that are formulated on the technological and ideological platforms to allow people with shared interests to exchange and generate social ideas. The social media platform uses the electronics and internet in connecting people to share their ideas and information efficiently. The business partners use this platform in targeting customers depending on the products and demographic segmentation such as age group and gender (Das & Subudhi, 2016, p. 22). The approach of social media application in the Middle East relies on the development of the technologies and a large number of the population depending on social media such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram. As the social media broadcast the social information, the buyers tend to follow the trending behaviors in different platforms and hence making the decision on their purchasing behavior (Andreea & Teodora, 2013, p. 807). Therefore, the study focuses on the impact of social media channels to the Middle East women aged 18 to 45 years in cosmetic products buying decision and behaviors. Research Questions and Objectives The research questions are; 1. What are the factors influencing the Middle East women aged 18 to 45 years in finding information to make the decision in their cosmetic product purchasing behavior? 2. How does social media platform applicability influence the purchasing decision making to women aged 18 to 45 years old in the Middle East? Do social media channels affect the women’s purchasing trust? The Objective The research purpose is investigating the impact of social media applicability on women aged 18 to 45 years purchasing behavior of cosmetic products in the Middle East. Section 2: Research topic The research on the effect of social media on the purchasing behavior of women aged 18 to 45 years in the Middle East depends on the technological development and applicability of social media platform in the region. The connection of the social media and purchasing behavior is determined by the presence of the attractive platform for the cosmetic product sellers’ display (Shafigullina & Palyakin, 2016, p. 5). In the social media, the ladies tend to focus on the fashion shows personalities, the advertisement of the cosmetic products and social engagement of the ladies on the cosmetic products. As the social media bring people of the same interest together, ladies tend to focus on the trending cosmetic product and discuss the issue with other women in the social media channel (Lamberton & Stephen, 2016, p. 149). The information influences the decision making depending on the comments and presentation of the cosmetic products. The wider application of the social media in the Middle East has boosted the over-dependence of the Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram and other social media platforms (Gholston, Kuofie, & Hakim, 2016, p. 28). The women are influenced by the others through the social media on the attractive appearance and smell of the cosmetic product (FULGONI, 2015). Furthermore, the sellers target the ladies in the age group between 18 to 45 years in the social media as they contribute to the greater segment of women who uses the social media channels. Therefore, social media contribute in influencing the purchasing behavior of the ladies on cosmetic products. In choosing this topic, I focused on the purchasing trend on ladies and how they use the electronic devices and the internet in making their decisions. The purchasing decision depends on the influence of other people and in this case social media. The sellers’ target specific market segment depending on the product they have in the market. The cosmetic products relate to the women aged 18 to 45 years and hence they are majority women category using the social media. In understanding the purchasing behavior of the women in the age group of 18 to 45 years, I decided to focus on their common interest that is the cosmetic product. This would provide the greater relationship between their decision making in purchasing the cosmetic product and the contribution of the social media in their purchasing behavior. Section 3: Research Aim The aim of the research is indicating the factors influencing the women aged 18 to 45 years in purchasing behavior and decision on cosmetic products. Ladies depends on different issues that guide them in making decisions, especially when it comes to the cosmetic product (Rugova & Prenaj, 2016). The social media platform provides a wider view of the different cosmetic brands, the mode of applications and fashion show trends. Ladies use the social media in developing an appropriate connection to their purchasing behavior depending on what attracts them (Akhlagh, Akbari, & Kasani, 2016, p. 381). The connection between the social media and the ladies aged 18 to45 years depends on the technological development in the Middle East. The cosmetic product customers use the social platform in connecting to other ladies with the experience of the cosmetic products. Furthermore, using the social media, the models, and fashion show trends are essential determinants to influence the ladies in making decision and purchasing behavior (Momany & Alshboul, 2016, p. 47). Therefore, social media is among the factors influencing the purchasing behavior of the ladies in the Middle East. The research focuses on elaborating the applicability of the social media in the Middle East in enhancing decision-making by women aged 18 to 45 years in the Middle East. The approach provides essential analysis that focuses on relating the purchasing connection of the social media and the women purchasing decisions and behavior (Atwong, 2015, p. 29). It is important to note that women depend on the social media in making decision regarding the appropriate cosmetic products to use. The connectivity of the women helps them in sharing information and hence understanding the attributes of the cosmetic product. Furthermore, the sellers of the cosmetic products understand the market segmentation and hence focusing on the market segmentation fitting the product details (Ashley & Tuten, 2015, p. 21). The aged 18 to 45 years ladies are the major market segment of the cosmetic products. The seller understands this market segment is the fullness of the social media, especially in the Middle East. Therefore, the seller focuses on displaying through the social media the cosmetic product in the form of advertising and promotion approach to attract more customers. The research base the argument on the customer target, promotion and advertisement, and customer loyalty and trust. The social media channel brings together the targeted customer with the intention of selling ideas and communication. The social engagement provides the ladies with an appropriate aspect of learning about the new cosmetic product in the market (Orzan, Platon, Stefănescu, & Orzan, 2016, p. 149). The engagement of the customers through the social media helps them relate the products and other cosmetic product in making the appropriate decision. The research concentrates on finding out whether the social media influence the purchasing trust of the women aged 18 to 45 years, which depend with the social platforms in making purchase decision. Section 4: Literature Review Social media have been integrated into the human being lives, and hence they tend to connect to one another in idea generation and making the decision. The development of the technology in the Middle East has created the appropriate platform where the sellers meet the buyers (Kumar, Bezawada, Rishika, Janakiraman, & Kannan, 2016, p. 17). The sellers tend to display their products to influence the buyers in the decision-making. The buyers with better command of the social media understanding and skills are in the best position of relating advertised and promotion of the products. Ladies in the age of 14 to 45 years are conversant with the social media and hence focusing on essential details concerning the cosmetic products. The buyers depend on the details and advertisement of the cosmetic products to make their decision. The factors influencing their purchasing behavior are based on the connectivity and the ideas generated on the social platform by other users of the cosmetic product (Sumathy & Vipin, 2016, p. 25). As the targeted market segment by the seller of the cosmetic product range between 18 to 45 years, the promotion details are supposed to be attractive and meeting the demand of the age group. The use of the luxury fashion shows and designers helps the buyers in making appropriate decisions. In the social media, ladies tend to showcase their beauty depending on the cosmetic products they use. The use of the publicly known celebrity, especially in the cosmetic product helps in influencing the purchasing behavior of the ladies. The sellers of the cosmetic product understand that ladies understand different forms of the cosmetic product. In enhancing their attractiveness in the social media, the seller tends to post pictures of different brands used in major events such as fashion shows. Through the social media, the customers of the cosmetic products and in this case the ladies tend to focus on the cosmetic brand and hence making a decision to purchase. Therefore, their purchasing behaviors are influenced depending on the advertisement and promotion details presented in social media. The factors influencing the purchasing behavior of ladies on social media include participation, conversation, and connectedness. These factors are essential as the ladies aged 18 to 45 years use the social media to connect to one another. Through their participation and conversations in the social media, they learn new cosmetic product in the market. This helps to influence the purchasing behavior depending on the presentation and promotion details. Furthermore, ladies focus on the best product in the market. As they connect, participate and converse in the social media, the lean the benefit and limitations of the cosmetic product. Therefore, this information would tend to influence their purchasing behavior and decisions. Section 5: Research Methods Data Collection Interview; Interview consists of direct engagement with the target group in deducting information. Direct interview will involve asking the questions with immediate answers concerning what the user use the social media in making decision of appropriate cosmetic product. The result target group is the ladies aged between 18 to 45 years. The response of these ladies is compiled depending on their social media application and the nature of the information they gather. The data are recorded depending on the social media they use to deduce information regarding the cosmetic product. The ranking of the social media such as Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram helps to provide the overview of the best channel or platform to consider in influencing ladies to make purchasing decisions. Developing questionnaire; the questionnaire consists of the detailed information regarding the social media applicability in decision making and influencing the purchasing behavior of the ladies in the age group 18 to 45 years in the Middle East. The closed-ended questionnaires provide the platform for the buyers to fill in the question to generate data. It is important to use closed-ended questionnaire to obtain essential data depending on the effectiveness and ranking the social media to obtain information concerning cosmetic products. This ensures in data analysis that ranking of these social media platforms depends on the effectiveness in influencing buyers in decision making and purchasing behavior. Tallying; this will involve selecting a viable cosmetic product dealer to obtain the data of the customers. The identified cosmetic product dealer in the Middle East would use different social media to advertise and promote the cosmetic products depending on different brands. From the dealer, it would be possible to tally the customers purchasing the cosmetic product depending on the social media channel or platform. Furthermore, the dealer would also be argued to enquire the reason behind choosing specific social media. Therefore, it would be easier in collecting original data depending on the market segment and detailed reasons of selecting the social media platform in making decision or influencing the purchasing behavior. Bibliography Ahmad, A. M. (2017). Social Media Usability and Its Impact on Buyer Purchasing Behavior Based on Buyer's Trust: Saudi Arabia Context. International Journal of Business Administration. 8(1) , 87-94. Akhlagh, E. M., Akbari, M., & Kasani, H. M. (2016). 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