A study on the effect of social media on e-commerce

In the 21st century, which is also known as the information age, information technologies are developing in an integrated way into human life. Access to and sharing of information is of great importance for the development of societies on a global scale, the increase in welfare, economic development, and competitive advantage. Developments in technological systems bring competitive advantage along with easy access to information. The development of e-commerce, which is an important transformation process in commerce, will therefore provide great support to the economy. In recent years, promotion activities that support sales strategies for e-commerce companies have gained importance through social media platforms. The aim of the research can be expressed as determining the effects of marketing activities on social media platforms on the shopping intentions of young consumers. In parallel with the continuation of the development in information technologies, it can be foreseen that the development of new marketing strategies aimed at global consumers and especially individuals included in the Z generation, which has significant potential, will continue rapidly. The fact that the shopping habits of the individuals of the Z generation, which is formed by individuals born after the year 2000, also called the technology generation, differ from the previous generations, can be shown as the reason for inclusion in the research. Within the scope of the study, the effects of marketing dimensions applied through social media platforms on e-commerce shopping made by the Z generation were investigated. The survey method was used in the research, and the data obtained as a result of the survey, which was reached to 394 university student participants, were analyzed. According to the results of the analysis, it has been determined that the social media marketing dimensions used have a positive and significant effect on the intention to purchase from e-commerce sites. In this sense, this study emphasizes the importance of e-commerce for societies in every field and points out that the strategic studies to be carried out in this field in the future will gain momentum by being supported by different channels.