The impact of social media on buying behavior of generation Z consumers

Entered our lives with the advancements on information and communication technology, the social media, by accelerating the globalization process, has played a significant role arising a generation that have same needs and characteristics all over the world. Born in information age and named as generation Z, this generation has an important place on social media usage. Understanding this new generation, which will become much more important for businesses as being more active in the market in near future, is quite significant in terms of marketing discipline. In this study, it has been attempted to determine how buying behavior of generation Z individuals are affected in what way and to what extent from social media. In the theoretical part of the study, a literature review has been made about social media, consumer behavior, and social generations. In the application part, a survey study conducted on 569 persons consisted of generation Z individuals, has taken place. Data acquired from survey study has been analyzed and interpreted via SPSS 23 software package. As a result of the study, determinations about Generation Z; a) They had started to use social media tools since they were children, b) They are frequently using social media tools, especially media sharing sites and social networking sites, c) The time they spend weekly on social media is much more than the previous generations do, d) Social media tools, especially media sharing web sites, have an important effect on their purchasing decisions, e) Their educational levels, expense amounts that they perceive and their frequency of using social media are important factors playing a significant role on their pre-purchase and post-purchase behaviors on social media, f) There is a considerable relationship between their pre-purchase behaviors on social media and post-purchase behaviors on social media. Keywords: Social Media, Consumer Behavior, Generation Z