Exploring the Influence of Social Media on Consumer Purchasing Behavior in the Fashion Apparel Industry. A study in the Indian Market

The current state of the Indian retail industry is skewed towards the unorganized sector, which is prevalent in rural areas.Metropolitan consumers have access to the best products in the fashion and lifestyle category.Due to the availability of the supply chain, they always have the opportunity to experience the launch of a new product.With the rise of social media, more and more people from tier II and III cities are becoming aware of fashion and lifestyle products.This results in huge potential demand in these cities.However, the characteristics of these potential consumers are different from those of metros and tier 1 cities and it is important for marketers to understand the differentiating factors between these two groups of people so that the product can be redesigned or redefined to meet the needs.customers of smaller cities.Although people from smaller cities do not have direct access to fashion products, but thanks to technological improvements such as smartphones and the Internet, people spend time on social media, and therefore it can be an important tool for communicating new offers to companies.Marketers put their promotional videos or product images on digital media, which has an impact on social media users.With the constant push of such promotional materials, whether or not the customer's buying inclination is changing and possibly how.The study is being conducted in the census towns of Maharashtra to find out their digital habits and preferences for online transactions.The report also explored how social media is making inroads into smaller cities and how it is being used to build brand awareness.The main findings include that they mostly focus on the emotional side of customers and use the local channel to gain space in the minds of consumers.The study investigated the factors that are responsible for the purchasing behavior of customers and whether they are influenced by advertisements on social networks.Price and quality are considered important factors for the customer, and interestingly, celebrity endorsement does not have a significant impact on their purchasing behavior, in which level II and level III customers placed more emphasis on quality, while level III customers focused more on price.product.Among the various social media applications they use, Facebook and YouTube are considered very effective for sharing promotional information.There is not much difference between the two genders, male and female, in terms of purchasing pattern and preferences.