Does social media advertising enhance consumers’ purchase intention?

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of social media advertising features on consumers’ purchase intention in the context of Bangladesh. Data was collected from 318 social media users through an online questionnaire survey and analyzed using Partial Least Squares–based Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The study found diverse results; specifically, interaction and eWOM have a significantly favorable influence on brand image, while entertainment does not. Likewise, entertainment, interaction, and eWOM are effective in creating brand awareness. An improved purchase intention of consumers is found because of the brand image; however, brand awareness was incapable of improving consumers’ purchase intention. Furthermore, the study also estimated an indirect (mediation) analysis and found that brand image has a significant mediating role in the relationships between interaction and consumers’ purchase intention, while brand awareness does not. The findings will expand the current knowledge of similar studies, and policy-makers can use it in practice. The implications and future research directions are also outlined.