The Impact of Social Media on Consumer Behaviour

Did you know that about 85% of Gen Z are influenced by social media to make purchase decision?

The impact of social media on consumer behaviour has increased. Nowadays, social media is not only a tool for communicating with friend but also plays an important role in many marketing strategies. Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok help brand communicate with their customers and influence the way how consumers discover new products. They are part of the consumer journey. These platforms not only strengthen brand awareness but also enable to create the post purchase reviews. Consumers perceive social media as a place where they can share their experiences with products and services. These comments can definitely influence future buyers later. On the other hand, companies can actively respond to comment about product. This shows us whether the company is really interested in consumer opinions and whether they are trying to improve.

About 50% of consumers are looking for the advice from social media influencers before making buying decision.

The concept of influencer marketing become a crucial part of marketing communication for the brands. The social media influencers play a key role in the marketing landscape now. Most of the company are hiring famous influencers to highlight the product in short form video. This one positive review from famous influencer can lead to significant increase in popularity and higher sales. The major change was in 2016 when TikTok launched they short- form content video. This allows brand to connect quickly with the consumer worldwide and engage them. The integration of e- commerce supporting these platforms as consumer can purchase the product directly from social media posts. This trend is connecting social media and online shopping together which is beneficial for both parts.

Conclusion

The impact of social media has undoubtedly changed consumer behaviour. We can see changes in many ways from purchasing habits to how companies tailor their content to target audience. In recent years, influence marketing has become a key element of almost every brand marketing strategy. Social media influence what consumers buy and how they perceive and trust the brand. The power of recommendation also increased. Consumers are looking for reviews about the product and they are more sensitive to buy things that their favourite influencer recommends because they trust them. With 80% of consumers buy the product based on friend’s social media post. In today’s digital world customers don’t just appreciate the quality of the product but they make decision based on how others talk about the product online.

Sources

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HOW DOES SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE CONSUMER BEHAVIOR. Online. Clootrack. Available from: https://www.clootrack.com/knowledge/customer-behavior-analytics/how-does-social-media-influence-consumer-behavior. [cit. 2025-11-06].

WALK-MORRIS, Tatiana. ICSC: 85% OF GEN Z SAYS SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACTS PURCHASE DECISIONS. Online. Retail Drive. 2023. Available from: https://www.retaildive.com/news/generation-z-social-media-influence-shopping-behavior-purchases-tiktok-instagram/652576/?utm_source=chatgpt.com. [cit. 2025-11-06].

ARORA, Kunal a BORKAKOTY, Karishma. IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOR. Online. Sprinklr. 2024. Available from: https://www.sprinklr.com/blog/social-media-customer-behavior/. [cit. 2025-11-06].