Social media marketing and customer engagement as strategic drivers of purchase intention for solar energy products in Uganda

Purpose This study aims to investigate the influence of social media marketing (SMM) dimensions on customer purchase intention (CPI) mediated by customer engagement (CE) within Uganda’s solar energy sector. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 339 households in Kampala and PLS-SEM was used to analyse the data. SMM was conceptualised as a higher-order construct comprising entertainment, interaction, trendiness, customisation, electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) and social media influencers. CE and CPI were treated as reflective constructs. Bootstrapping with 5,000 resamples was applied to assess both direct and indirect effects. Findings The results indicate heterogeneous effects across SMM dimensions. Entertainment and e-WOM exert significant direct influences on CPI, while interaction, customisation and social media influencers do not demonstrate significant direct effects. However, these latter dimensions significantly impact CPI indirectly through CE, confirming their engagement-driven roles. Trendiness does not exhibit a significant direct or indirect effect on CPI. These findings support the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) model by identifying CE as the primary mechanism through which most SMM dimensions influence behavioural outcomes. Practical implications Solar firms and policymakers are advised to prioritise engaging content and peer-driven communication and to leverage interaction and customisation to enhance CE. These strategies should be integrated into national clean-energy initiatives to drive adoption and increase household solar purchase intentions. Originality/value This study advances the S-O-R framework within Sub-Saharan Africa’s clean-energy sector by demonstrating that SMM operates through dimension-specific pathways in high-involvement renewable energy contexts.