The influence of COVID-19 on consumer behaviors in Ghana: A study on social media buying behaviorsIAL MEDIA BUYING BEHAVIORS. Dissertation
Date
2022-05
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Abstract
This thesis paper seeks to verify or refute the hypothesis that the Coronavirus caused
Ghanaian consumers to increase their adoption of social media when making a purchase
decision. Existing literature on pandemics and consumer behavior focuses on preventive health
behaviors adopted by individuals. Few studies on epidemics, pandemics, and consumer behavior
focus on consumer buying behavior. Furthermore, out of this subset, few studies are conducted
on the social media buying behaviors of consumers. To address this research gap, the consumer
buying behavior model was used to explore changes in social media buying behaviors of
consumers as they journeyed through the five major consumer decision-making processes. The
Coronavirus pandemic has been marked unique due to its persistence and magnitude. It draws
the attention of various researchers because it provides an avenue for insights to be learned about
consumers in a situation of uncertainty. The study adopted a quantitative research method, and
data was collected primarily through the administration of online questionnaires. The population
of the study included consumers between the ages of 18 and 65. The participants of the study
were selected through convenience and snowball sampling techniques. Google Forms were used
to collect the data, and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for data analysis. The results
showed that during the height of the pandemic, Ghanaian consumers, especially the youth, increased their use of social media while acquiring a product. In detail, the use of social media to
discover product needs, obtain product information, evaluate alternatives, buy products, and
communicate post-purchase satisfaction or dissatisfaction increased.
Description
Undergraduate thesis submitted to the Department of Business Administration, Ashesi University, in partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems, May 2022
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Undergraduate Thesis