The Influence of Social Media Advertising on Consumer Purchasing Decisions: The Role of Electronic Word-of-Mouth as a Moderator in the Fast Fashion Sector

Given the current circumstances, social media advertising has emerged and is considered as a vital element of successful marketing strategies for top fashion brands. With the proliferation of social media platforms, most of the fashion marketers have recognized the potential to leverage these networks to impress potential customers. This study attempts to investigate the impact of social media advertising on consumer purchasing behaviour with the moderating role of electronic word of mouth in the context of fast fashion. Additionally, it assesses the broader influence of social media advertising on decision-arriving processes of customers within the fast fashion industry. This study employs a descriptive quantitative research design, collecting data through self-administered questionnaires. The study's population consists of active social media users in Sri Lanka, and a sample of 400 consumers was chosen using the convenience sampling method. However, the data collected from only 262 were analyzed due to the suitability for analysis. Hypotheses were tested using Correlation and Regression analyses since the study seeks to gauge the effects of each and every independent variable on the selected dependent variable. The findings of this study reveal that social media advertising has a positive impact on consumer buying behavior in the fast fashion industry. Among the five independent variables examined, namely familiarity, social imaging, entertainment and perceived usefulness significantly influence consumer behavior. However, the remaining variable of advertising expenditure does not exert a statistically significant influence. More Importantly, this research study further found that electronic word of mouth weakens the association between social media advertising and consumer buying behavior, yet it works as a moderator. Furthermore, this study offers valuable insights for the fast fashion industry, enabling marketers to better understand their consumers' actual purchasing behavior in the digital landscape and make informed decisions accordingly.