Impact of Social Media on Consumer Purchases: A Case Study of Tesco

Research project
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Table of Contents
Project Title.....................................................................................................................................3
Chapter 1: Introduction/ background to the research area...............................................................3
Chapter 2: Literature review............................................................................................................5
2.1 Introduction................................................................................................................................5
2.2 Decision making process of consumers.....................................................................................5
2.3 Difference between social media marketing and traditional marketing....................................6
2.4 Impact of social media on consumer decision making..............................................................7
Chapter 3: Methodology..................................................................................................................9
3.1 Research philosophy..................................................................................................................9
3.2 Research approach.....................................................................................................................9
3.3 Research design.........................................................................................................................9
3.4 Data collection and analysis method.........................................................................................9
3.5 Timeline of research activities.................................................................................................10
Chapter 4: Expected Outcome.......................................................................................................11
Reference List................................................................................................................................12
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Project Title: To what extent does social media influence consumers’ purchases? – A case
study of Tesco
Chapter 1: Introduction/ background to the research area
Social media had started out as a platform where people could share their photos and other life
events with their family members and friends; however, this platform has evolved substantially
and has become extremely important for business organizations. Social media now constitutes as
a chief component in the marketing strategies for business organizations, because of the increase
in usage of social media among consumers. Due to the presence of internet, people are more
connected to each other than ever before, and it is the same in the case of consumers and
business organizations. The number of households in Great Britain that have access to internet
has increased from 57 per cent in 2006 to 90 per cent in 2017. More than 73 per cent of the
adults now use internet on the go by using their Smartphones, mobile phones or tablets
(ons.gov.uk, 2018).
A high amount of time is spent by consumers on social networking sites in a month, and various
studies show that the purchasing behavior and decision making process of consumers change die
to the use of social media sites. Business organizations have started understanding the
importance of social media as a marketing tool, and use it to interact with consumers and gain a
competitive advantage (Hajli, 2014). It is important for Tesco to effectively use tools and
techniques related to social media marketing and judging how they influence the pattern of
purchase and decision making among consumers. If Tesco does not understand the impact of
social media on consumer buying behavior, it will result in limited growth prospect and
decreased market share.
The aim of this research is to understand the extent to which the purchases made by consumers
are influenced due to social media, so that appropriate marketing strategies can be implemented
by Tesco for increasing its sales. This research will help Tesco in understanding how they can
increase their sales by using social media sites for influencing the decision making process of
consumers. The main objectives of carrying out this research are:
 To understand the process undertaken by consumers for gathering information and taking
decisions before making a purchase at retail organizations like Tesco.
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 To understand the differences between marketing through traditional means and social
media.
 To understand the changes that has been brought about by social media in different stages
of decision making process undertaken by consumers.
 To identify different social media marketing strategies that Tesco can implement.
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