Viral Marketing and Impulse Buying: The Role of Online Trust in a Pandemic

Yasindee Liyanapathirana

doi:10.4038/sajbi.v1i2.29

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine whether there is an impact from viral marketing on impulse buying with the mediating effect of online trust during the Covid-19 pandemic. A questionnaire with a five-point likert scale was circulated among online customers to collect primary data for the research objective, and the research sample consists of 155 respondents. The data were subsequently analyzed with the help of SPSS and SmartPLS software. Overall, the findings indicated that viral marketing has a positive impact on online trust, that online trust has a positive impact on impulse buying, that viral marketing has a positive impact on impulse buying, and that there is a partial mediation of online trust in the relationship between viral marketing and impulse buying. Theoretically, the study contributes by looking at the relationship between viral marketing and impulse buying, as well as the mediating influence of trust on viral marketing and impulse buying. Marketers can utilize the findings of this research to learn more about their customers and design more effective marketing tactics.

Highlights

Evaluating the external environment is a fundamental and crucial aspect of any company
Viral marketing has a positive impact on impulse buying during the Covid-19 pandemic era
The current study confirmed that there is a positive impact from viral marketing to online trust and online trust to impulse buying agreeing with the previous research findings (Susilowati and Bafadhal, 2019; Iriani et al, 2021)

Summary

Introduction

Evaluating the external environment is a fundamental and crucial aspect of any company. Covid-19 has created a new normal era impacting the culture and economy of the society and it has developed a radical transformation in the traditional workplace moving it to home. To cope with the pandemic's impacts, they must radically rethink their old business structures and ways of integrating digital communication technologies (Carroll & Conboy, 2020). The spread of digital technology was limited to the workplace and within society enhancing the communication between each other. People started utilizing digital platforms such as “zoom” and “teams'' for effective communication. These platforms have shown to be effective for both personal and organizational needs, including conducting meetings, educational purposes, training, and maintaining relationships with family and friends (Kodam, 2020). When considering online buying platforms, amazon, e-bay, rakuten, aliexpress and Walmart can be regarded as some of the top-ranked sites in the world (SimilarWeb, 2021)

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Discussion

Conclusion