The growth of online social networks around the world has created a new place of interaction
and communication among people. Individuals can share their knowledge,
opinions, and experiences with one other due to the online social networks provided
features and may have an impact on people’s behavior in terms of communication
and purchasing.
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of online social networks (Facebook)
on consumers’ purchasing decision process in food retailer shops. More precisely,
the authors are trying to find which steps do online social networks influence
consumers’ purchasing decision when it comes to food retailers; and why are these
steps influenced by online social networks.
A theoretical framework based on previous study showed there is a gap regarding
online social networks on consumers’ purchasing decision behavior in the study of
food retailers. In order to have a further understanding on consumers’ purchasing behavior
regarding food retailers on online social networks, face-to-face and telephone
in-depth interviews with eleven interviewees are conducted during the study. The
empirical data are presented under the research questions, and sorted by the type of
information. The author analyze empirical finding by linking the finding with theories
from theoretical framework. The authors found out that online social networks
impact every step of consumers’ purchasing decision process to different extent regarding
food retailer shops. The reasons are mainly because Facebook’s features
bring convenience to people, consumers spend more time on it, and Facebook’s features
allow consumers to interact with supermarkets and other consumers and see
comments from other consumers on supermarkets’ Facebook pages.