Social media marketing: A new platform that influences Nigerian Generation Y to engage in the actual purchase of fast-moving consumer goods

Abstract

The emergence of social media in marketing has transformed the business world and introduced new tasks to manage. Advertisers must live up to these ever-changing consumer desires and preferences. Social media marketing presented ample prospects to explore new groups of consumers underserved, popularly known as Generation Y. The social media marketing platform supports firms in creating a cordial relationship by personalising information for individual Generation Y consumers and influencing these groups of consumers to engage in the actual purchase. The purpose of this study was to establish social media marketing as a new platform that can influence Generation Y to engage in the actual purchase of fast-moving consumers in the Nigerian sample population. This study adopted quantitative research. This study captured 463 Generation Y. The completed data collection scale was through self–administered questionnaires (printed) and used online surveys. The population of this study consists of undergraduates full-time students of the University of Lagos, Nigeria. The study adopted a cross-sectional time horizon. In addition, the study adopted purposive and virtual snowball sampling. Inferential statistics results showed that the platform's convenience could easily influence purchases on social media marketing platforms, engagement on brand Fan-page events, and prior information about a brand. This study recommended that organisations targeting Generation Y be proactive on social media marketing platforms and partner their brand with trending influencers on social media platforms.