The effect of social media on footwear-shoe shopping behavior of generation Y

Digital channels and mobile technologies have removed the time and space limit of communication and interaction. Starting from traditional media to new media, the change has influenced the purchasing behaviour as well as news monitoring and communication habits. With the widespread use of social media, consumers are experiencing changes in their purchasing behaviour. The increasing social media channels have become a medium for members and followers to learn new things, to share personal moments as well as to research about the products they are interested in buying. Consumers are no longer interested in content published by brands and are more engaged with content created by other consumers or family and friends through social media channels, user reviews, reference groups, After the purchase, they share their thoughts and experiences about the product freely for the potential future buyers. This research is conducted to determine the effect of social media on the footwear shopping behavior of Generation Y.Findings obtained from surveys conducted in two cities show that Generation Y consumers spend significant time on social media frequently . They search on social media before making purchases and shop online for footwear. The study reveals the online shopping behavior is limited but using social media before shopping is significantly high with this consumer group. Genereation Y consumers footwear choices, shopping criteria for shoe model etc. are similiar for online and offline shopping yet according to their age group, education and gender social media effect and importance change.