Abstract In the current digital era, social media marketing has become one of the most effective marketing techniques. The way businesses engage with customers and advertise their goods and services has changed dramatically as a result of the growing usage of social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and WhatsApp. Online ads, influencer marketing, product reviews, digital campaigns, and interactive content are all constantly present to consumers and have a direct impact on their purchase decisions and habits. The current study intends to investigate how social media marketing affects consumer purchasing behaviour and pinpoint the key elements influencing consumers via social media platforms. Both primary and secondary data served as the study's foundation. While secondary data is gained from books, journals, research articles, websites, and published reports pertaining to consumer behaviour and digital marketing, primary data is obtained from social media users and online customers using a structured questionnaire. In order to examine how consumers perceive social media ads, influencer marketing, online reviews, promotional offers, and purchase intentions, the study uses a descriptive research approach. The study's conclusions show that social media marketing significantly affects consumers' purchasing decisions. Online reviews, recommendations from influencers, eye-catching ads, and special deals all have a significant impact on consumers' decisions to buy. Additionally, the survey shows that social media platforms assist companies in raising product visibility, consumer involvement, and brand awareness. However, depending on psychological and demographic aspects, consumers' reactions to social media marketing differ. According to the study's findings, social media marketing has emerged as a crucial instrument for influencing contemporary consumer behaviour, and companies should implement successful digital marketing techniques to draw in and keep customers in the cutthroat marketplace.
Abhishek S. Khandelwal (Fri,) studied this question.