The effect of social media marketing on consumer purchasing decision process: A study on the preferences of generations Y and Z

As social media becomes more widespread, its areas of use in our daily lives have also expanded. Consumer comments expressed freely on social media quickly go viral and are effective in the development of consumer behavior. Shared positive and negative experiences have enabled the consumer to access information quickly and have led to the formation of a conscious consumer. The database consisting of social media shares constitutes an information source and data collection area for both consumers and companies. The use of social media in the purchasing process varies between generations. In this study, the impact of social media on the purchasing decision process of Generation Y and Z consumers was researched and evaluated. Two separate scales were used in this study. The first of these is the social media marketing scale consisting of 6 questions, and the other is the purchasing decision process scale consisting of a total of 19 questions. The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of social media on the purchasing decision process through the differences between generations Y and Z. In the analysis of the data obtained during the research process, factor and reliability analysis will be performed first. Afterwards, correlation analysis will be performed to determine the relationships between the variables and regression analysis will be performed to determine the causality relationships. As a result of the research, it is expected to determine the positive impact of social media on the purchasing decision process of Generation Y and Z The research is concluded with recommendations for marketing experts.