




































AGORA International Journal of Economical Sciences, http://univagora.ro/jour/index.php/aijes 

ISSN 2067-3310, E-ISSN 2067-7669 

No. 1 (2023), pp. 31-38 

 

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THE INFLUENCE OF DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING ON CONSUMER 

BEHAVIOUR 

 

K. KAUR 

 

Komalpreet Kaur 

Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of “Aurel Vlaicu” Arad, Romania  

orcid.org/0000-0003-4814-2561, E-mail: komal.preet.kaur00009@gmail.com  

 

Abstract. In today’s digitalized world, where internet and social media undoubtedly 

have a massive impact on our daily lives (including our buying decisions), it becomes 

indispensable for any manager or entrepreneur to be well aware about the influence of 

online marketing (also known as digital marketing) on consumer behaviour, so as to make 

the most profitable business decisions that are in their best interests. This study is an 

evaluation of some recently published articles and reports that tell about consumers in 

digital and social media settings. To write this article, a literature review is conducted and 

an attempt is made to highlight all the noteworthy ideas. In the end, the paper concludes 

traditional marketing is at the verge of disappearing as the marketers have found a better 

and more efficient way to reach the target audience. 

Keywords: Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Influencers 

 

INTRODUCTION  

With a growing number of internet users on a global scale, the average time spent on the 

internet is also increasing. As a result, people are getting more accustomed with the technology 

and exposing themselves more to the digital world. This trend is nothing less than an 

opportunity for companies and businesses who desire to attract the public's attention and be 

more visible.  

Firstly, traditional ways of promoting products and services (such as print marketing) are 

slowly disappearing. Hence, if a company wants to remain relevant in the marketplace in the 

long-run, it has to adapt according to the external environment.   

Secondly, the emergence of the internet has transformed many industries and the way 

businesses operate, including the way they promote their products or services. Statistically, the 

traditional advertising techniques and medium are losing their significance over time. 

Therefore, business owners are moving away from medium such as newspapers, radio and 

television. (Navarro, 2022) 

Lastly, the arrival of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and 

LinkedIn has brought major transformation in people’s lifestyles and the way people interact 

with each other. People, especially the ones from younger generations spend much more time 

online for different purposes. Although, initially social media appeared with the purpose to 

build connectivity among people, slowly it has started to be used for completely different 

purposes. Online or digital marketing as well as social media marketing are the classic 

examples of modern marketing strategies that are actively used by the companies to create 

brand awareness.  

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4814-2561
mailto:komal.preet.kaur00009@gmail.com


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The main purpose of this paper is to analyse the current status of online and digital 

marketing. Since companies are heavily relying on these practices to sustain in the competitive 

business environment, it is extremely crucial to understand the marketplace and study the 

existing literature to gain insights. For this purpose, recent studies, reports and research on 

online marketing (also commonly known as digital marketing) as well as social media 

marketing are reviewed. This literature review, apart from providing interesting insights, also 

serves the purpose of highlighting new emerging concepts such as social media influencing 

and its impact on younger generations. 

 

I. Methodology  

The present study is a result of a thorough analysis of the existing literature. Therefore, 

the methodology used is literature review. It is a type of academic writing, which helps in 

understanding a subject in detail. 

In this article, the sources of information were collected through a search engine named 

Google Scholar by searching the following keywords: digital marketing, social media 

marketing, digital marketing statistics and social media marketing statistics. The primary 

sources used for literature include articles published in journals between years 2016-2022 while 

Statista is used for citing statistical data about recent marketing trends. Statista is an online 

platform which provides insights and findings of global and local surveys. 

After the selection process, a total of thirteen sources are cited in this paper. Out of these 

thirteen sources, there are two statistical reports/surveys and an article by a company that 

provides marketing services. In order to maintain credibility, only trustworthy sources are 

utilized. All of these sources are mentioned in references. 

 

II. Discussion and Results 

II.1. Digital Marketing 

Statistics confirm that internet users, around the world, are escalating at an unimaginable 

speed. On top of that, as per the estimations made by scholars, the fourth industrial revolution 

has emerged with the arrival of recent advancements in technologies. As a result of these 

sudden changes, the lifestyles of people have transformed, including the way in which 

consumers perceive the outer world, communicate, engage, interact and make buying decisions 

(Faruk et al., 2021). Besides, social networking platforms like Facebook have further 

contributed in affecting the way people interact with one another. Consequently, the buying 

behaviour of the current consumers have also been impacted as they are spending much more 

time on social media platforms for different purposes such as looking for information and 

purchasing products online at a few clicks. According to Faruk et al. (2021) all these aspects 

have led the marketers to rethink their traditional approaches of promoting products and shift 

to other forms of media for advertising. 

Advertising may utilize any type of media in order to achieve its final objectives. Some 

common examples of media include radio, TV, print, internet. The global advertising 

expenditure has been increasing every year and with the growing number of internet users, 

advertising expenditure through online media is surging because marketers are noticing more 

potential in online marketing than in traditional marketing. iBecause of this reason, the internet 



Komalpreet KAUR 

 

33 
 

is believed to be the most significant medium for promoting goods or services. To further 

support this statement, estimates clearly show that in the year 2022, out of the total amount that 

was spent in advertising, 62% of it was utilized in online advertising. This simply suggests that 

traditional forms of marketing such as print marketing and promotion through medium other 

than the internet, that is, radio, television and newspaper are struggling to maintain their 

relevance (Navarro, 2022).  All these aspects have contributed in shifting to digital marketing. 

This has not only enabled the marketers to reach the target audience in a more effective way, 

but has also allowed them to study the behaviour of potential buyers more efficiently (Faruk et 

al., 2021). 

According to Lamichhane (2022), digital marketing represents reaching out to potential 

buyers with the help of the internet by using numerous digital channels or tools like email and 

social media. Hence, it has an immense impact on people’s life, habits and their buying 

behaviour. As a matter of fact, every coin has two sides. On the one hand, Faruk et al. (2021) 

claim that digital marketing allows businesses to have benefits such as increased revenues, 

more customer engagement, higher customer satisfaction and customer loyalty as well as lower 

additional costs like service and customer acquisition costs. On the other hand, it also 

represents a challenge for the businesses as it can also be used by unskilled people. As per Di 

Domenico et al. (2021), such people may also act as a threat to companies if they intend to use 

it inappropriately or unethically with the purpose of harming a company’s reputation. There is 

known to be an increasing concern regarding the issue of “Fake news” among the authorities, 

business owners as well as scholars. While many researchers have mainly paid attention in the 

past to the problem of fake news in the political context, the subject of the effects of 

disinformation on social media on marketing and consumers remains unfocused (Di Domenico 

et al., 2021). 

Because of the increasing technological advancements, coupled with the emergence of 

concepts like going green, traditional marketing or paper marketing is at the verge of 

disappearing. Taking into consideration the growing internet users, digital marketing has an 

immense potential. The developing nations have already started to embrace it. Moreover, large-

scale companies have already adapted themselves for this change whereas small-sized 

enterprises are slowly transforming and using digital marketing techniques and tools are 

becoming a part of their marketing strategy (Lamichhane, 2022). 

 

II.2. Social Media Marketing 

Initially, the purpose of social media was to allow people to connect with their friends, 

family, relatives, colleagues and acquaintances. This helped them in exchanging their views, 

thoughts and opinions and even exchange content like pictures, videos and documents. 

However, Madhura and Panakaje (2022) state the organizations were quick to adopt them as a 

new communication tool to reach customers easily. Since the consumers are spending more 

time on social media platforms, Faruk et al. (2021) believe that marketers have also started to 

apply their strategies in these media channels so as to make the most of this opportunity. In 

fact, according to the literature, it is considered that the digital world opens new doors for the 

marketers and salespeople who seek more engagement from their target audience to sell them 

suitable goods and services. Therefore, one may conclude that digital media platforms allow 

businesses the opportunity to form relationships with the targeted segment of customers. 



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Previous literature (Madhura & Panakaje, 2022) indicates that social media serves various 

benefits such as acting as a tool that helps people to interact with one another. There are many 

reasons why it has been so successful in attracting masses that spend a lot of time online (Mason 

et al., 2021). Firstly, people are able to easily derive gratification by sharing 

information/photos. In fact, the Uses and Gratification theory further supports this statement 

(Malik et al., 2016). Secondly, Mason et al. (2021) mentions that due to a phenomenon named 

as cognitive absorption, social media users lose the ability to remain conscious of their physical 

surroundings and time. This also somehow enables them to temporarily escape the unwanted 

situations or circumstances of the present. Thirdly, it offers the users a sense of high level of 

joy that they don’t usually experience in real life in a few clicks. This comes along with a sense 

of control that further makes the users more than satisfied (Mason et al., 2021). 

Companies are increasingly creating an online presence on different platforms such as 

Facebook, Instagram and Youtube. Some social networking channels are preferred over others 

because they are able to attract people, collect their users’ data, thereby helping the companies 

in reaching the right kind of audience, which is suitable for their products and services. In order 

to gather information, companies must practice effective communication, which ultimately 

allows them to better understand their target audience and offer them what they are searching 

for, ultimately providing them with a better customer experience and higher satisfaction. The 

information gathered about the users is also helpful in increasing customer engagement 

(Madhura & Panakaje, 2022). 

Many aspects of human life have changed since the arrival of the internet including the 

way customers interact. For instance, Jamil et al. (2022) explains that creation of modern 

communication channels has allowed the clients to enhance their overall experience as a 

customer. In the present-day context, firms are sharing brand information, which reaches 

millions of people online. This helps companies in building and sustaining online communities 

in a much more efficient way.  

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram contribute in creating a sense of 

belongingness and community for their users without actually having any physical contact. A 

virtual brand community is a group of people who buy things from a specific brand. Clients 

are interested in more than simply purchasing products and services; they want to have 

meaningful experiences and build long-lasting connections with other clients that share their 

common interest (Jamil et al., 2022). 

Previous studies (Mason et al., 2021)  demonstrate that customer’s social media marketing 

behavior has also undergone a change due to COVID-19 pandemic. Since the beginning of the 

pandemic, changes in consumer’s decision-making behaviors were identified. During the 

lockdown periods, when social distancing was a necessity, social media offered consumers the 

opportunity to interact without any restrictions online. In such times, social media marketing 

strategies were seen as a competitive advantage for companies. To conclude, the usage of social 

media was further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

When it comes to brand promotion on social media handles, another new scheme that 

brands have started to adopt is social media influencing (de Castro et al., 2021). Social media 

influencing is a marketing strategy in which a person is in the position to “influence” or 

“change” the mindset of fellow members within the social media community. The greater 



Komalpreet KAUR 

 

35 
 

influence a person has over the online community, the more valuable it will be for brands who 

wish to promote their products or services. Therefore, it is a mechanism that can be utilized by 

organizations for the purpose of brand awareness.  

SMM (Social Media Marketing) is known to have several benefits as a modern marketing 

strategy. Besides creating and improving brand awareness, SMM makes the communication 

link between companies and potential clients smoother. Due to this motive, it is considered as 

a new marketing strategy but there is very limited research on its relationship with customer 

intention and retention (de Castro et al., 2021). 

 
Figure no. 1 U.S. consumers influenced by social media ads to purchase products in 

2017, by age 

Source: Dencheva, V., 2017 (Statista) 

According to the findings of an online survey conducted in 2017 among US consumers 

aged 18 and above, 49% of the respondents of the age between 19 and 29 years confirmed to 

have bought products shortly after seeing an advertisement on social media (Dencheva, 2017). 

The figure no. 1 clearly demonstrates that the percentage of people buying products after 

viewing an ad on social media has a strong association with the age that they belong to. 

Observing this graph, one may draw this conclusion: the older you are, the less influence social 

media has on your buying behavior. 

Usually, the most basic way to judge an individual’s influence is by looking at the number 

of followers that the person has on different social media platforms Twitter, Linkedin, 

Facebook and Instagram. However, it is also important for the businesses to take into 

consideration the age groups and the purpose for which the platform is used. For instance, 

Instagram is a platform which is dominated by younger generations while the Facebook 

community includes all age groups. The figure below shows the most popular social media 

sites, the purpose of their usage, the number of active users as well as the age group to which 

they belong. 



THE INFLUENCE OF DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING ON CONSUMER 

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Figure no. 2 Popular social media platforms 

Source: TechTarget, 2019 

 

Once analyzing the particular target audience for their products and services, businesses 

can select which social media site is suitable for promotion. Furthermore, de Castro et al. (2021) 

explain that based on their preference, they can choose social media influencers (SMI) to create 

brand awareness among the specific age group identified and selected as a target audience. It 

is interesting to note that SMI is more common among adolescents because younger 

generations spend relatively more time online in comparison to the older ones. Hence, due to 

greater exposure, young people are more prone to get influenced by the content posted by 

influencers. Therefore, one may conclude that young people such as teenagers and adolescents 

are more likely to get influenced by SMIs. However, it is equally significant to mention the 

fact that influencers have the ability to influence a person's behavior or attitude in both positive 

and negative manner (de Castro et al., 2021). 

Social media is a powerful tool to attract people, especially the ones belonging from new 

generations and there are different mechanisms that can be used to attract these potential 

buyers. Several studies (de Castro et al., 2021) confirm that Generation Z is the most active 

age group when it comes to spending time on social media.  

In a survey, members of Generation Y and Z based in the US were asked about the 

category of products they were tempted to buy due to some brands’ posts on social media. 

Figure no. 3 is a graphical representation of the categories of products answered by the 

respondents that participated in this survey. As shown in the figure below, the majority of the 

respondents claimed to buy apparels due to online influential content. These are followed by 

beauty and make-up products (22.92%). 15.10% of respondents confirmed buying tech 

products as a result of social media influence, which was followed by home products (11.46%) 

and food and beverages (8.85%). Therefore, Chevalier (2021) concludes that more than half of 

the participants agreed to buy clothing and beauty/make-up products because of social media 

content. 

 



Komalpreet KAUR 

 

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Figure no. 3 Product categories that Generation Z and Millennials purchased more as a 

result of social media brands' posts and/or influencers' content in the US as of March 2021  

Source: Chevalier, S., 2022 (Statista) 

 

Such studies show that social media can be used as a tool to attract potential consumers 

and increase content engagement and sales. According to de Castro et al. (2021), this technique 

or method of using social media by the companies, as an instrument to commercially promote 

or advertise different products and/or services is known as social media marketing (SMM). 

 

CONCLUSIONS 

With the rise in the number of internet users and average time spent online, businesses are 

also shifting online and adapting online advertising. Having lost its relevance in the 

marketplace, traditional marketing is at the verge of disappearing.  In the present-day context, 

social media is a powerful tool that assists companies in achieving their goals in a more efficient 

way. By using social media marketing as a means of advertising, organizations are creating 

brand awareness among the target audience. With the emergence of social media influence, 

businesses have discovered a new strategy to attract people from younger generations.  

Several studies have indicated that marketers are using social media marketing as a tool 

to attract target audience. Techniques such as social media influencing are transforming the 

marketing industry and thus, the business owners will have to adapt according to the recent 

shifts.  

 

REFERENCES 

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3. Di Domenico, G., Sit, J., Ishizaka, A., & Nunan, D. (2021). Fake news, social 

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