Journal of African Development

A great deal has changed since the emergence of social media as of late – in fact, the world of social media has revolutionized the way apparel brands communicate, attract, and retain customers. This study is an attempt to examine the mediation between social media marketing (SMM) activities and purchase behaviour of fashion and apparel products consumers with the help of consumer engagement. Based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) model and the theory of consumer involvement, a conceptual model was created, where five dimensions of social media marketing, namely entertainment, interaction, trendiness, customization and word of mouth, act as antecedents of consumer involvement, which in turn affects purchase intention and actual purchase behaviour.

Data were gathered using a self-administered and structured questionnaire from 350 active social media users who follow at least one apparel brand on Instagram, Facebook, and/or TikTok. The proposed hypotheses were tested using the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and bootstrapped mediation analysis. The results of the study show that social media marketing activities have a significant positive impact on consumer engagement, β = 0.61, p < 0.001; consumer engagement, in turn, significantly predicts purchase behaviour, β = 0.58, p < 0.001. The mediation analysis also supports that social media marketing affects the purchase behaviour through consumer engagement, while the indirect effect represents a significant portion of the total effect. The mediated model accounted for significantly more variance in purchase behaviour (R² = 0.52) than did the direct-effects-only model (R² = 0.28).

The results indicate that social media should not be regarded as a broadcasting medium, but an instrument that fosters relationships with customers, and the business potential of which is more likely to be seen in the interactions it creates. Theoretical and managerial implications, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.