Social Networking Sites’ Influence on Consumer Decision-making Within the Context of Smart Tourism

Abstract

The spread and extensive use of interactive platforms (Web2.0) have transformed the consumers’ behavior. The influence of social networking sites (SNSs) on consumers’ decision-making is on the radar of a multitude of industries and tourism could not be an exception. An in-depth understanding and insights in the consumer decision-making are valuable and critical in the field of tourism and travel that are consumer-driven and technology dominated industries. This article reports on a research project who’s the main aim was to explore the influence of social networks on consumer decision-making within the context of smart tourism, based on the travel life cycle or customer journey model. Data were collected in July to August 2022 using an online survey and the research model was tested with 630 respondents all SNS’ users within the Chinese context. Findings revealed that the greater influence of SNSs is at the second stage (i.e., on site/at destination) without overlooking the other stages (that are the stages before and after trip). The study’s results also suggested a ranking of influence that SNSs have on the investigated nine digital activities (by descending order): making on-site decisions, information searching, evaluating and sharing (online reviews), on-site evaluation, recommending and advocating tourism destinations and suppliers, recollecting/remembering, experiencing destination, preparing, booking and shopping. The article is completed by making suggestions for scholars, the tourism marketers, and those working with SNSs and other smart technologies.