Effectiveness of E-Marketing Platforms and Consumer Buying Behaviour of Akwa Ibom State University Students Towards Selected Online Products

Abstract

This study examined the effectiveness of e-marketing Platforms and buying behaviour of students at Akwa Ibom State University (AKSU) towards selected online products. It was carried out based on a paradigm shift in product positioning from conventional ways to online platforms. The study objectives were to determine the relationships between independent variables (Facebook usage, Instagram usage, and Twitter usage) and the buying behaviour of AKSU students. It employed a survey research technique to collect data from a sample of 384 to draw inferences on the total population of 9254 students. The data were collected through an online Microsoft link, and descriptive data were analyzed using frequency tables and simple percentages. The regression analysis in (SPSS Version 21) was used to test the hypotheses. Findings from the results revealed that all three null hypotheses were rejected. This implies that there is a significant relationship between Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter usage and buying behaviour of AKSU students. The authors recommended that; marketers on the Facebook platform should create Facebook groups in order to find a niche within their customers’ interests and also to give them a space to connect. Furthermore, marketers on the Instagram platform should endeavour to apply an attractive design on their advertised product with a simple and understandable description of the product in order to attract positive buying behavior among students. Finally, the study recommends marketers using the Twitter platform should endeavor to retweet their tweets at least every day in order to keep their online target audience updated with their products related tweets.