The impact of social media marketing activities on consumer behavior: An empirical study on e-commerce brands

This study examines the effects of social media marketing activities of e-commerce platforms adopting the marketplace business model on relationship quality and consumers' behavioral responses, namely purchase intention, participation intention, and brand loyalty. The theoretical foundation of the research is built upon the Relationship Marketing, Uses and Gratifications, Theory of Planned Behavior, and Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theories. Furthermore, the study investigates the mediating role of relationship quality in the relationship between social media marketing activities and consumers' behavioral responses. The target population of this research consists of individuals aged 18 and older residing in Turkey who use social media, have made at least one online purchase through e-commerce platforms adopting the marketplace business model, and follow at least one e-commerce brand operating in Turkey on social media. To best represent the target population, participants were accessed using the convenience sampling method, and data were collected via an online survey form. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis in IBM SPSS 20 software, while confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted using SmartPLS 4.1.0.6 software. The findings of the study reveal that the social media marketing activities of e-commerce marketplace brands have a positive and significant effect on relationship quality as well as on consumers' behavioral responses, including purchase intention, participation intention, and brand loyalty. Additionally, while relationship quality was found to have positive and significant effects on behavioral responses, a partial mediating role of relationship quality was observed in the relationships between social media marketing activities and both purchase intention and brand loyalty. However, no mediating role of relationship quality was found in the relationship between social media marketing activities and participation intention. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for e-commerce brands to optimize their social media marketing strategies, strengthen their relationships with consumers, and foster long-term brand loyalty.