The Impact of Social Media Marketing on Customer Engagement and Sales

The provided assignment content appears to be a collection of research papers, books, and online resources related to research methodology, social media marketing, and customer engagement. The materials cover topics such as qualitative research design, data collection on social media, retail marketing, and brand management. The questionnaire at the end aims to gauge the user's opinions on various aspects of social media marketing, including its importance for business, customer reachability, information provision, and sales generation. Overall, the content appears to be a mix of theoretical and practical resources for understanding research methodology and social media marketing.

A study of the impact of
social media marketing
for customer
engagement
With specific reference to Next
PLC, UK

Acknowledgement
This research study has been an extraordinary journey that ended one chapter in my life,
only to begin another. This journey could never have been completed without the kind and
support of my family, friend and relatives. I would like to dedicate a special thanks to my mentor
who guided me throughout this thesis.

Abstract
Social media is the latest buzz in the marketing world and it has created a huge impact on
the business houses. Different types of social networks are acting as important communication
channels for firms due to immense growth of internet. The online environment has been viewed
by the users from a different perspective in the recent years. It is more being used in a
commercial manner. The purpose of this report was to identify the impact of social media
marketing for customer engagement with specific reference to Next PLC, UK. A qualitative as
well as quantitative study was performed. Primary data was collected from 50 employees of Next
PLC by using the approach of questionnaire. Technique of SPSS has been used for evaluation.
Chi-square tests was performed in order to test the framed hypothesis. The research has
concluded that social media is an effective method for engaging both potential as well as
potential customers. It has been a genuine game changer for business as social media can
facilitates high profitability and sales for the company.

Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................1
1.1 Research Background............................................................................................................1
1.2 Background of the organization.............................................................................................4
1.3 Rationale for the study...........................................................................................................5
1.4 Research issue........................................................................................................................5
1.5 Structure of the report............................................................................................................6
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................................7
2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................7
2.2 Importance of social media marketing for business firms.....................................................7
2.3 Advantages and disadvantages associated with the social media..........................................9
2.4 The relationship between social media marketing and customer engagement....................12
2.5 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................17
Conceptual framework...............................................................................................................18
Chapter 3 Research Methodology..................................................................................................19
3.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................19
3.2 Research Tools and Techniques..........................................................................................19
Chapter 4 Data Analysis................................................................................................................28
4.1 Introduction..........................................................................................................................28
4.2 Hypothesis development......................................................................................................28
4.3 Tables and findings..............................................................................................................29
Pie charts and graphs.................................................................................................................35
4.4 Chi Square Tests..................................................................................................................46
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION......................................................55

5.1 introduction..........................................................................................................................55
5.2 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................55
5.3 Recommendations................................................................................................................58
5.4 Scope for further research....................................................................................................59
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................60

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Internet users across the globe.........................................................................................2
Figure 2 Percentage reporting the importance of social media.......................................................8
Figure 3Benefits of social media marketing..................................................................................10
Figure 4 Process of engagement....................................................................................................14
Figure 5 Top 10 Facebook brands.................................................................................................15
Figure 6Typology of consumer’s online brand related activity.....................................................17
Figure 7: Types of Sampling Techniques......................................................................................24

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Research Background
People have become more concerned about the social environment surrounding them.
Due to presence of online platforms, companies are being able to business in more effective
manner. Different types of social networks are acting as important communication channels due
to immense growth of internet (Ahmed, 2013). It is increasing the number of virtual communities
across the world. This kind of world is making large number of directions for social
communication. The online environment has been viewed by the users from a different
perspective in the recent years. It is more being used in a commercial manner. The emergence of
the online stores and other developments has turned the users into consumers (Bernhardt, Mays
and Hall, 2012). Along with that, communication between consumers and marketers has also
changed a lot due to emergence of social media. Firms are not been able to see their customer
physically but they are able to influence their behavior with the help of social media.
Social media can be regarded as an instrument, which helps to communicate and interact.
It has emerged as cultural phenomenon and quickly driving towards becoming a business
phenomenon (Brown, 2010). The existing and prospective customers are using this platform in
order to get information about the products and services that they intend to purchase. The
Leading business houses have recognized the importance of tapping into these customer-to-
customer communications. They are making lot of efforts to leverage these social interactions for
their business benefits (Bruhn, Schoenmueller and Schäfer, 2012)
It acts as media for social interaction by making use of highly accessible and scalable
communication methods. The experts make use of web-based and mobile technologies in order
to transform the communication into interactive dialogue (Chott, 2011). According to Andrews
and Kim (2007), a combination of internet-based applications is constructed on ideological and
technological foundations of web 2.0. It facilitates the creation and exchange of user-generated
content. It can also be regarded as the Consumer Generated Media (CGM) (Perrey and Spillecke,
2011). There are certain characteristics of social media that can be described as follows:
 Participation – a very active participation is involved in the contribution process. People
are ready to share the news and to offer feedback
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 Openness – The information is welcomed with openness. Barriers in passing of the
message are very low and the content is reachable to the audience (Wang, Zhang and
Ouyang, 2009)
 Conversation – It is a two sided communication process where responses are derived very
quickly. Information is given but feedbacks are also derived speedily.
 Community – Common interests, hobbies, passions are creating groups where all the
information can be shared (Bernhardt Mays and Hall, 2012).
Social media has been emerging as the next big frontier for the customer engagement and
interactions. Very high number of customer interactions is taking place on these sites in regular
manner (Bruhn, Schoenmueller and Schäfer, 2012). It is expected that this market will grow in
exponential manner over the next 5-6 years. It is because the number of active users is increasing
all over the world. This trend has also resulted in fundamental shift from predominantly
company-customer interactions to customer-customer interactions (Chott, 2011). Hence it has
become imperative for the firms to have a sound social media customer engagement strategy.
Figure 1: Internet users across the globe
(Source: The Rise of Social Media, 2014)
The above graph reflects the number of internet users across different parts of the world
such as North America, East Europe, Middle East, Africa, Central Asia etc. According to the
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industry reports, almost 42% of the world population is having an internet access. This rate has
increased significantly from the last year. Last year figure was 35% and it was estimated that
America is the nation with highest number of internet accesses (The Rise of Social Media, 2014).
So the popularity of the internet can be noticed from the above statistics. It is expected that these
numbers will increase in the coming future. If internet access is increasing then social media is
also coming into the limelight. The online social networks are increasing. They are allowing
people to interact with each other, exchange information about products and services (Perrey and
Spillecke, 2011). It is helping them in making their purchase decisions. Hence companies are
using social media as a business weapon.
According to Bruhn, Schoenmueller and Schäfer, (2012), Social media marketing can be
defined as the process of gaining website traffic or attention through the use of different social
media sites. It is designed to create a content that can attract the attention of the people and
encourages then to share it across other social networks.
According to Andrews and Kim, (2007), Customer engagement is the process of
attracting the attention of the people towards a particular product or services or brand. It has
become very essential for the companies in this highly competitive environment.
The fact cannot be denied that social media networking is playing a major role in the
marketing of firms. It is acting as a client base development platform within business. It is giving
marketers a voice and a direction to make communication with peers, customers and potential
customers (Wang, Zhang and Ouyang, 2009). It gives personalization to the brand and also
spreads the message in a relaxed and conversational manner. It is to be noted that not only small
companies are adopting it but big companies are also getting involved with the social media.
Marketing is a tool which is used to inform consumers about the products. Social media is
capable of doing this. It can be used to identify what the company is and what it is offering. It
can create long term business relations with all the stakeholders (Bernhardt, Mays and Hall,
2012). It helps in making real connections with the consumers. Hence in this way, there are
many more benefits which are derived from the social media networking.
The perception of the social media has now been changed completely. It is no longer
viewed as a trendy or passing fashion. It has become must for any company which is looking to
secure a place in both traditional and digital marketplace (Bruhn, Schoenmueller and Schäfer,
2012). Once what could be accomplished by a traditional website now requires to be
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supplemented by a robust and responsive utilization of the tools offered by social media. In the
present context, it is not enough to just have a website. There is a need to make sure that the
message reaches the target audience effectively (Andrews and Kim, 2007). This is the time to
start capitalizing on different networks such as Facebook, Twitter etc. It also helps the firms in
increasing their sales. When businesses will stay in front of their customer base, it is expected
that they will more likely to buy from them. It also keeps the name of the company in front of the
potential buyers. Further these days marketing costs for the firms are increasing rapidly. The
strategies are very expensive to execute. In such scenario, use of social media offers a relief to
the users as it is not costly (Perrey and Spillecke, 2011).
1.2 Background of the organization
Next Plc is a British multinational retailer which offers different kinds of products such
as clothing, footwear, home appliances etc. The organization is headquartered in Enderby at
Leicestershire. Next Plc is having 700 stores across the world. Among them, 502 stores are in
UK and Ireland and rest of them are placed in parts of Asia, Middle East and Continental Europe
(About Next PLC, 2015). It is considered as the largest retailer in terms of clothing segment. The
brand is listed on London Stock Exchange. It is a constituent of FTSE 100 index. The business
can be divided into three categories which includes Next Retail, Next Directory and Next
international. Competition is very high for the company in retail industry due to presence of
biggies such as Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury, Asda etc. Currently company is making use
of social media platform such as Twitter, Facebook etc in order to mark the presence and to
create more awareness about the brand.
For this research, Next Plc has been selected because it will be interesting to identify
what impact the social media has created on the retail industry. There are many drawbacks
associated with this form of marketing. In that context it is important to find out why social
media marketing has been chosen by the business houses (About Next PLC, 2015). This report is
about identifying the impact of social media marketing for customer engagement in the context
of Next Plc. It will also be interesting to know whether the organization has been moving on the
current trends of marketing or not. The research will examine the existing marketing strategies of
Next Plc and will identify what improvements can be made.
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1.3 Rationale for the study
The growth of online social networks has provided many benefits to the customers such
as blogging, chatting, messaging and gaming. In the present context, people take advice from
other regarding making their decisions related to buying of products. In such scenario, social
network platforms are good platform for consumers to gather information and advices. This
phenomenon has influenced the life of the customers in many ways. Further retail industry in UK
is also strongly related with the people’s life. It is also important to know the potential impact of
social media marketing on retailing firms in UK.
Further this research work will prove to be a valuable source for other researchers who
wish to work on this subject. The findings of the study can be taken as source of inspiration. The
retail industry experts in UK can give their opinions and view after reading it. In this way
improvements can be encouraged in the industry with respect to marketing. It is expected that
this research will achieve its aim and objectives.
1.4 Research issue
It deals with the issue that what can be the impact of social media marketing on customer
engagement. It is an issue because it is essential to find out why such form of marketing is being
preferred by the companies. They are ignoring the traditional methods and driving towards the
modern ways of marketing. So it is important to analyze how these modern methods have
transformed the marketing process of the companies. Further it will be identified how this
section of customers can be targeted and what kind of tools of social media can be used.
Research aims
The major aim of the thesis is to identify the impact of social media marketing for
customer engagement with specific reference to Next PLC, UK
Research objectives & questions
Following research objectives have been laid down
 To assess the various dimensions of social media marketing
 To identify the importance of customer engagement for the firm
 To examine the advantages and disadvantages associated with the social media
 To identify the relationship between social media marketing and customer engagement
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 To make recommendations regarding how social media can be used for customer
engagement in the business.
Research questions
 What are the social media strategies adopted by the Next Plc?
 What are the benefits and challenges associated with social media marketing for Next
PLC?
 How Next Plc is using social media marketing for customer engagement?
 How Next Plc can improve its social media marketing practices?
1.5 Structure of the report
 Chapter 1 Introduction – This chapter speaks about the clear purpose and a rational for
the study. It states the research background, issue and the problem statement. Further
research objectives are also framed. This chapter has a great significance from the point
of discussion
 Chapter 2 – Literature Review – The chapter includes the past research findings. It
reflects the theories and concepts related with the subject. A critical review of the
literature will also be made. It will try to make a link between existing literature and this
research.
 Chapter 3 – Research Design and Methodology - The chapter talks about the
methodology approach and the directions for conducting the study. The reason behind
using the approach in the thesis will be explained. Different types of data collection
methods will be described. Primary and secondary data will be explained and the purpose
of using them will be stated
 Chapter 4 Results & Discussion – This chapter folds the empirical findings in relation to
the subject of the study. Researcher will make efforts to achieve the objectives of the
study. The gathered findings are related and compared to the theory
 Chapter 5 Conclusion – The chapter concludes the thesis through summarizing the
findings from the research and literature. The evaluated data is concluded and meaningful
outcomes are derived. Relevant recommendations are also posted so that improvements
can be made further.
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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
The present study is based on the customer engagement with special reference to social
media marketing. Nowadays most of the people are highly concern with the use of various social
media sites. It helps them in enhancing their communication with the company as well as giving
them several feedbacks and reviews on the basis of their products and services. Most of the
organizations nowadays try to develop their online presence in order to attract huge number of
customers. According to Bronner and De Hoog (2014) social media is a new buzz within the area
marketing which provides appropriate brand jump to different companies in terms of their
followers. Companies can develop and create any type of news and go through its promotion
with the help of different social media sites. Further, it also determines that in order to achieve
their target companies are required to go through appropriate marketing. With the help of this,
they can easily attract large number of customers and enhance consumer engagement by
providing them quality services. Moreover, this section helps in identifying all the data related to
the past studies of different authors. Different authors have done various studies on social media
marketing as well as consumer engagement and loyalty (Fortin and Dholakia, 2005). Under this
section, gap from existing literature sources can be fulfilled and appropriate conclusion as well
as findings can be developed on the basis of present information and data.
2.2 Importance of social media marketing for business firms
Social media can be defined as a most important tool through which individuals can
interact with each other. It is considered as a most effective tool nowadays under which is used
by most of the companies. According to Blank (2013) Social media is the use of web based
technologies in order to turn communication in an interactive dialogue. There are various tools
through which companies can communicate with their customers and provide them any type of
information such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+ etc. It mainly allows the creation and
exchange of user generated content and present that in user friendly way. According to (Kane,
Alavi, ALabianca and Borgatii (2014) 73% of small businesses are using social media these
days. It is clearly showing the growing importance for the same.
Agnihorti, Kothandaram, Kashyap and Singh (2012) stated that social media marketing is
becoming one of the most essential and crucial tasks for the company because of its cost
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effectiveness. With the help of using various types of social media marketing tools companies
can easily reach through their target audience. Wang, Zhang and Ouyang (2009) stated that most
of the entrepreneurs believes that social media has given their business more exposure as they
can done branding more effectively. As per the past survey and studies it has been revealed that
83% of customers prefer to connect to the brand on Facebook whether 53% on Twitter. Almost
50% shoppers made their purchase on the basis of recommendations and reviews on the social
media website.
Figure 2 Percentage reporting the importance of social media
(Source: V3B Marketing Reimagined, 2014)
Considering the importance of social media marketing it is being stated that consumer
acquisition is easy on social media. According to e-marketers approximately 1.74 billion social
media users are registered with different social media platforms. It enables direct customer
interaction and people can easily get connected with each other. In this technological advanced
world companies are trying to develop their existing presence in terms of online marketing. With
the help of this they can generate more sales and leads. According to Perrey and Spillecke (2011)
businesses that have increased the time and investment on the social media marketing can easily
avail their services worldwide. It is the most common and effective tool to enhance the brand
image of company. It further helps in generating more revenues by attracting huge number of
customers.
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According to Kirtis and Karahan, (2011) social media plays an important role in
increasing sales to every business. Most of the users stated that they are more likely to purchase
their products from brands that they are connected on social media sites. Nowadays people are
highly concern about the convenient services that helps them in saving their time. Kaplan and
Haenlein (2009) argue that the whole marketing landscape has changed with the introduction of
social media. With the help of using social media companies can reach out to the other parts of
their marketing strategy. It is quite important for organizations to use social media in order to
increase their traffic. Every website owner wants to increase their traffic and allocate their
resources on different sites (Chott, 2011). With every coming update to a search engine, more
social results are being integrated. Search engine optimization is the most essential tool through
which company can reach up to the top level. In this way, it is being stated by several authors
that somehow companies can enhance their brand image and attract more number of consumers.
Alvarez (2014) argues that communication is important for any business. By using most
appropriate communication technique as well as social media Tool Company can reach through
their target customers. It might leads to develop positive engagement with the higher consumer
base and leads to the improved reputation of company.
2.3 Advantages and disadvantages associated with the social media
According to Bruhn, Schoenmueller and Schäfer, (2012) there are various advantages as
well as barriers of using social media sites. Brown (2010) in his article on social media strategy
stated that social media are changing the way companies of business and how leaders are
perceived. In today’s competitive advantage most of the leaders embrace the social media mainly
for three reasons. First, they are able to provide low cost and highly accessible platform on which
a personal brand can be built. It is the best way through which companies can easily attract and
retain large number of customers (Hajli, 2014). They can also communicate their brand identity
within the company as well as outside the company. Another major reason to use social media is
to leverage better relationship by showing their commitment. In addition to this, they can also
give an opportunity to learn from instant information as well as unvarnished feedbacks. It is the
best way through which organizations can learn and grow their business within the era of
competitiveness. Kane, Alavi, ALabianca and Borgatii (2014) in his article, focuses on the
threats of social media to the reputation of business company. There are various ways which
have been identified by different researchers and states that through which entrepreneurs can
9

easily overcome with the risks associated with social media. However, it can states that social
media expands and boost the risk dynamics. Bacile (2013) stated that there is an important role
of social media in recruitment of employees amongst companies.
Figure 3Benefits of social media marketing
(Source: Svijet Androida, 2015)
There are several challenges and risks are associated with the social media. It is being
stated that social media is the top most agenda for many business executives nowadays. They are
able to attain higher success within the area of their filed. Further, there are several advantages
associated with the social media are as follows:
Fortin and Dholakia (2005) argues it allow organizations to improve communication and
productivity by disseminating information among different group of employees. With the help of
sharing important information at the time of requirement company might leads to enhance
information discovery and delivery as well. Further, social media is a major concern through
which companies can go through the widen business contacts. Most of the organizations who
target a wide audience can easily reach out to them. It is considered as a most effective
recruitment as well as marketing tool by which firms can easily make contact with the different
people. Bodnar and Cohen (2011) stated that business firms can expand their market research
and easily go through the implementation of several marketing campaign. It is the best way
through which companies can reach out to the specific people and direct them to specific
websites. Evans (2012) in his literature stated that there are several business advantages of
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effective social media use which increased the consumer loyalty towards the company. Due to
the increasing features within the online shopping context most of the consumers prefers to go
through the online shopping (Levinson, 2010). It is further most effective way to enhance the
brand image and attract more number of targeted customers. It is essential for business firms to
set up their web content in a more effective manner so that they can grab the attention of
potential customers and increase the brand visibility. According to Evans (2010) by making an
online presence companies might leads to improve their services and provide convenient services
to their customers. In such as a way, they can take several feedbacks from their consumers and
try to resolve their queries in a faster and effective way. This helps in providing high quality
products as well as services to customers according to their needs and demands. Within the era
of technological advanced world most of people prefers online shopping in order to save their
time and money (Kabani, 2013). Online services provide them such facilities with other great
and effectual options. It is the most common reasons due to which most of the companies are
compelling their services in order to increase consumer engagement and loyalty.
According to Wang, Zhang and Ouyang (2009) the top most advantage of using social
media marketing is increasing consumer engagement. It is the best and most effective part due to
which business firms are moving towards the online stores options. Consumer engagement can
be enhanced by providing most effective social content. It can directly boost links to website
content by appearing in universal search results. However, companies can come on the top list of
the consumer search by using search engine optimization (Perrey and Spillecke, 2011). It is the
best way through which business firms can improve their search traffic and also enhance their
online sales.
On the other hand, there are various other literatures and articles published by different
authors which determine that disadvantages of using social media. Stieglitz and Dang-Xuan
(2013) in his articles stated that Due to this most of the organizations are not able to find out the
expenses as well as revenue generation which can be attained by using social media tools. There
are various possibilities for the attacks and hackers can commit fraud and launch spam and virus
attacks. Winterberg (2013) argues that use of social media can expose individuals to harassment
or inappropriate contact from others. The Pew center, in their cyber bulling act 2012 report,
states that almost 93% of teenagers uses internet. Such high uses increases the risk of their being
victims of cyber bulling or various other crimes. Due to this, companies might leads to decrease
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their consumer base Andrews and Kim (2007). It creates negative image about the social media
sites. It potentially results in lost productivity, especially if employees are busy updating profiles.
In addition to this, it can be stated that social media marketing somehow proves to be most
effective for business firms as they can increase their consumer base and retain more number of
customers. Bernhardt, Mays and Hall (2012) stated that one of the major disadvantages of using
social media sites and marketing through such sites is that it takes huge time to update the social
media account. The overall online presence is handled by a senior person of a team who is
having appropriate knowledge about the products and services of company Stieglitz and Dang-
Xuan, (2013). A person can handle all the issues related to time, money etc. Another major
disadvantage is related to the visibility of information for a short period of time. The information
searching by customers is available for a short time period before newer posts replace it. In this
way, customers are not able to find out the respective information appropriately and it may create
several problems.
A Lomborg and Bechmann (2014) in his report explain that social networking can be a
big waste of time and it downs the non productivity drains. However, it is true that some of that
time is likely spent in making and maintaining important business as well as social connections.
Further, it is being stated that most of the time of a users spent on the non-commercial as well as
on other useless activities. It can be considered as a biggest disadvantage due to which
companies are not able to attain their target (Kirtis and Karahan, 2011).
2.4 The relationship between social media marketing and customer engagement
According to () social networking is one of the most popular online activity nowadays.
As per the recent statistics it has been founded that for almost one in every five minutes spent
online and reaches 82% of the entire world population. In today’s competitive environment most
of the business firms with their marketing departments have established their online presence.
With the help of this, they are continuously able to engage their customer base on different social
networking platforms such as: Facebook, Twitter and Google+. () in his article stated that
customer engagement has become common marketplace among marketers (Kirtis and Karahan,
2011). Different social media platforms usually present their consumer engagement in terms of
social interaction. One of the best ways to attract huge base of customers is to engage them by
three distinct dimensions i.e. behavioral engagement (actions), emotional engagement (Feelings)
and cognitive engagement (Thoughts). These are the different dimensions which play a most
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important role in engaging customers with a brand on social media. Further, it can be stated that
it is quite essential for companies to maintain their brand image and target market by attracting
more number of customers. According to Fortin and Dholakia (2005) customer engagement
refers to the direct brand interactions as customer involvement and interactivity with a specific
brand. The level of customer engagement can be ranged according to user’s behavior towards
any specific brand. Social networks, content communities as well as blogs are the most popular
platform which may attain greater attention of the customers.
According to Kane, Alavi, ALabianca and Borgatii (2014) there are some most common
reasons due to embrace social media on the platform. Firstly, they can easily provide low cost
and highly accessible platforms on which a personal brand can be build. It is the best way
through which companies can develop their brand identity within the area of expansion. Most of
the corporate sectors can easily avail their services within the social media sites and consumers
can acquire those services in a more appropriate way (Hajli, 2014). Secondly, social media
embracement allows engaging simultaneously with all the employees and consumers in order to
leverage better relationship. The notion of engagement used to investigate various academic
disciplines such as organizational behavior. There are positive consequences for both individual
and organizational level due to the positive attitude and behavior of individuals. Further, it is
identified from the past studies that employee engagement positively contributes in increasing
customer satisfaction as well as loyalty (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2009). Engagement is all about
the measure of overall strength of company which helps in developing better relationship with
consumers.
Figure 4 Process of engagement
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(Source: Chi, 2011)
From the above illustrated figure it can be stated that there are mainly three types of
customer brand engagement i.e. cognitive, emotional and behavioral. It helps in developing
better relationship quality through which consumer engagement level can be enhanced.
Furthermore, as proposed Chu and Kim, (2011) customer satisfaction, empowerment,
commitment, trust, consumer loyalty as well as brand loyalty referred as a consequences of
engagement with potential positive relationship between these.
A recent study from digital agency stated the most concerned channels which are
frequently used by consumers are Google company website, world of mouth as well as e-mail.
These are the most preferred channels to connect online with a brand while social media
platforms seem to fail at meeting expectations of individuals. In addition to this, it can be stated
that consumers are highly engaged with the new channels by which companies can market their
services more effectively. Bruhn Schoenmuller and Schafer (2012) in his article stated that good
social adoption begins with focusing on people not on the technology. It is the most important
task for companies to get their employees engaged because customer engagement is shared
responsibility. With having highly talented and engaged workers company can provide high
quality services as well as customer support. It is the best way to enhance their consumer base by
gaining loyalty (Colliander and Dahlen, 2011). For this, every employee must be empowered to
recognize a customer engagement opportunity. In order to maximize customer engagement it is
important to nurture the prospects as individuals. One of the best ways to build appropriate
human relations is social media channels. This is considering as a key way to interact with
customers. As per the past study it has been founded that almost 58% consumers tweet about the
bad experience about the social media shopping. They clearly stated that they are not at all
satisfied with the online services of company (Fortin and Dholakia, 2005). However, there is a
consumer engagement matrix which shows that most popular brands are also nowadays
struggling to engage with more than 1% of their entire fan base on Facebook.
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Figure 5 Top 10 Facebook brands
(Source: www.socialbakers.com, 2013)
From the above table it clearly shows that most of the leading brands are competing to
make their online presence. Social media platforms usually present engagement in terms of level
of interaction between the brand and the fan base. With the rise in social media, the overall
power has been shifted even further from marketing managers to communities. According to
Bacile (2013) nowadays firms are using social media for different purpose. One of the main
purposes behind using this technique is to engage in important conversations in order to enhance
their understanding about the market. Further, better communication can be generated by the
way of listening to the opinion and needs of different customers. In addition to this, it has been
identified by the studies of past authors that most of the companies uses traditional
communication paradigm in the past years. It basically covers varied types of promotional
strategies such as personal selling, public relations, direct marketing etc. In the past years it is
being considered as most effective promotional strategies through which companies can enhance
their market share and reach to their target consumers. Agnihorti, Kothandaram, Kashyap and
Singh (2012) in his article stated social media as “the new hybrid element of the promotional
mix”. Under thus, researcher has combined various characteristics of traditional integrated
marketing communications tools. It is the best tool which allow firms to engage directly with
their consumes and disseminate any type of information on goods and services (Ahmed, 2013).
In addition to this, customer brand relationship quality indicates and used to determine the level
of influence on consumer engagement. It can be easily identified with the satisfaction level of
15

customers as well as commitment and trust with the brand. Most of the companies are trying to
adopt some of the best strategies through which they can enhance the level of customer
satisfaction towards their brand and company (Chott, 2011). Best businesses are creating
comprehensive strategies and make their presence at social media’s different pages such as
Facebook or LinkedIn page etc.
Further, there is a huge participation of individuals within the social media platforms and
they can easily develop and enhance their knowledge with this. Stieglitz and Dang-Xuan (2013)
in his article stated that social media is becoming an online shopping platforms nowadays. Most
of the customers can easily attract towards the online sites due to their various features. There are
various consumer brand related online activities which are increasing day by day (Zarrella,
2009). Most of the consumers like and watch the commercial advertisements over the internet
and try to release their comments and reviews about those advertisements. For those entire
consumers who perform brand related online activities can have three usage behaviors from
consuming, contributing to creating brand related content.
Figure 6Typology of consumer’s online brand related activity
(Source: Hajli, 2010)
16

With the help of the above given illustration it can be stated that these usage types are
inherent in order to process the overall engagement. It clearly determines the level of user
participation on brand related online activities. Nevertheless it is essential to adapt these
typologies to each online platform. It is the best way through which companies can measure the
overall level of customer participation in brand related activities. It clearly helps in identifying
the different consumer engagement activities by which company can adopt some of the most
appropriate and best strategies to enhance their satisfaction level (Burton and Soboleva, 2011). It
is also essential to consider carefully the ways in which companies can create a SM experience
that is unique to their brand identity.
2.5 Conclusion
From the overall literature review section, it is being founded that there is a huge role of
social media in today’s globalized world. Organizations are enhancing their sales and generating
large revenues with the help of developing appropriate social media marketing. There are several
advantages as well as disadvantages which may occur due to the increasing challenges towards
the higher rate of increasing internet users. It is being concluded that social media are accessed
by most of the users as it provides them several benefits such as convenience, fast and reliable
services, 24/7 services as well as quality material as per their needs and demands. On the other,
some of major difficulties faced by most of the companies such as hacking, spam, viruses attacks
etc. Due to this, they might leads to lose their personal and secured information related to
company. In addition to this, it is being stated that there is a huge and positive relationship
between social media and consumer engagement. For this, companies must need to identify and
found out some of their best and targeted consumers. They must need to identify the most
effective way to know which site customer like the most. It is necessary to track the site that
generally leads the best and attract huge base of customers as well. With the help of sharing
different information and posting it into the webpage of company organizations are able to attain
and attract huge base of customer. Further, the overall literature presents and states the
importance of social media within this increasing technological advanced world. There is a huge
and rapid development within the field of technologies. Most of the companies are trying to
adopting some of the best strategies through which they can post their content on the best social
media sites and attract huge base of customers towards it. Within the area of globalization and
rapid expansion social media is embracing their presence and develop effective solutions for
17

their consumers. In addition to this, it has been identified that that with the help of social media
marketing organizations can enhance and develop appropriate interaction with all their customers
and disseminate rapid information as well. It is the best way through which companies can easily
attract huge base of customers and enhance their market share as well as sales. Further,
companies can easily reach out to the more number of customers and develop their trust level
towards their brand identity and image.
Conceptual framework
18
Impac
t of
Social
Media
Increasein
g sales
Increasin
g
consumer
trust and
loyalty Reaching
out to the
more
customer
s

Chapter 3 Research Methodology
3.1 Introduction
The chapter talks about the methodology approach and the directions for conducting the
study. The reason behind using the approach in the thesis will be explained. Different types of
data collection methods will be described. Primary and secondary data will be explained and the
purpose of using them will be stated (Bernard, 2011). This section gives a detailed rational and
justification about how the research objectives are to be obtained. Methodology holds a great
importance and needs to be applied in effective manner so that more effective results can be
achieved. The section includes the following terms:
• Research Paradigm
• Research Approach
• Research Purpose
• Research Strategy
• Sample Selection
• Data Collection
• Data Analysis
• Ethical Considerations (Cooper and Schindler, 2011)
3.2 Research Tools and Techniques
Research Paradigm
The paradigm is a tool which helps the researcher in developing a conceptual knowledge
and understanding related to the subject. Under this tool, the assumptions related to the study are
disclosed by the researcher. It makes sure that data collection activity is performed in effective
manner (Creswell, 2013). There are different types of philosophies which can be applied into the
researcher. These are as follows:
19

 Positivism - It follows a highly controlled methodology so that more quantifiable and
generalized observations can be made. It is used in the field of natural science (Flick,
2011).
 Interpretive – This philosophy is based on the assumption that theories and laws related
to the social world are difficult to be applied into the real world. It states that even a
simple thing is enclosed with many realities and facts (Research Philosophies –
Importance and Relevance. 2009). It is applicable in all the general issues.
 Realism philosophy – This approach is applied on the basis of interdependency of human
values and opinions. It focuses on the beliefs which are existing in the social
environment. It shows that how people react to specific situation (Garner, Kawulich and
Wagner, 2012)
For this research, realism philosophy has been applied because subject of the research
demands analysis of human behavior and the realities existing in the business world. It will show
how a particular company is reacting towards the social media marketing. This indicates that
realism philosophy is appropriate for this research (Gast and Ledford, 2010)
Research Approach
The approach defines how the researcher can apply the plans and procedures. It can be
segmented into two groups that is inductive and deductive. The main difference point between
the two approaches is the relevancy of the hypothesis to the study (Research Approach and
Methodology. 2014)
Deductive approach Inductive approach
 The principles are based on science
 There are casual relationships between
the variables and they are need to be
explained (Kuada, 2012)
 It mainly collects the quantitative type
of data
 The movement is done from the
theory to the data
 The measures related to the control are
 The relationship between human
attachment and events are to be
explored
 Data is collected in qualitative manner
 The research context is understood in
in-depth manner (Franklin, 2012)
 There is no use of generalized findings
 The researcher is considered as a part
of process
20

also applied to ensure the validity and
reliability of the data (Maxwell, 2012)
 All the related concepts are
operationalized to make sure that
definitions are stated in clear manner
 It is a highly structured approach
under which the researcher is
independent from the research process
(Yin, 2014)
 The samples are selected of a
sufficient size so that generalize
research outcomes can be attained
(Cooper and Schindler, 2011)
 More flexible approach towards the
structure is adopted in order to ensure
provisions for changes while the
course of the study (Pickard, 2013)
For this research, deductive approach has been applied because this study establishes a
causal relationship between the variables. The movement has been done from theory to the data.
However the research has collected both qualitative as well as quantitative data (Flick, 2011).
Further the researcher is following a highly structured approach under which he is considered as
independent from the process.
Research purpose
The purpose states the reasons why the research has been done. It can be exploratory,
explanatory and analytical.
Exploratory - It is regarded as the initial investigation into a hypothetical and theoretical
subject. Under this phenomenon, researcher is having an idea and he is looking to gain more
understanding about it (Forzano, 2011). It can come into two big forms that is either a new topic
or new angle.
Explanatory – It always starts with exploring something new. Here an attempt is made to
connect with the ideas for the purpose of understanding the cause and effect relationship.
Analytical – It is about use of an appropriate process in order to break a problem into different
elements which are used in solving it (Goddard and Melville, 2004)
For this study, combination of exploratory and analytical approach has been used in order
to make the investigation more effective. Many researchers have been performed on this subject
21

in the earlier but there is a need to develop more understanding about the subject (McBurney and
White, 2009). These two purposes will help in exploring the subject to a bit more extent.
Research Strategy
There is a need to use an appropriate research strategy for the purpose of achieving the
aim and objectives of the study. Researcher has the option to use different types of strategies
such as survey, experiment, case study etc (Merriam, 2009)
Case study design helps in examining trends and specific situations in different types of
scientific disciplines. It is mostly used in the investigation of theoretical models in order to apply
them in the real situations (Singh, 2010).
For this research study, survey design has been applied. Under this data has been
collected by using the questionnaire approach. It is appropriate because it helps in face to face
conversation with the research participants.
Sample selection
Population & sample size
Identification of a suitable sample size from the mass population is very essential for a
study. The concerned population in case of this research work are employees of Next PLC. The
primary data has been collected from 50 employees of the Next PLC (Sampling Designs. 2009).
The sample size is appropriate and it is expected that it will help in achieving the aim and
objectives of the study.
Sampling techniques
22

Figure 7: Types of Sampling Techniques
(Source: Cooper and Schindler, 2011)
Sampling is the process of selecting units i.e. people or event etc from a population of
interest. In this manner by studying the sample researcher can generalize the results in fairly
manner back to the population from which they were selected (Garner, Kawulich and Wagner,
2012). Sampling is performed to manage the type and size of the research in effective manner. It
also saves the costs of the research in significant manner. More accurate findings can be
achieved.
There are two types of sampling methods which includes probability and non-probability
sampling methods. Under the probability sampling method, every individual has equal chance of
being selected (Research Approach and Methodology. 2014). On the other side under non-
probability sampling method, every individual does not have an equal chance of being selected.
For this study purposive sampling technique has been applied which is a form of non-
probability sampling method. This technique is appropriate for the study because it helps in
selecting the sample on the basis of the judgment and interest. It is a desirable effort to obtain the
data from the desired sample (Cooper and Schindler, 2011). This research work demands
collection of primary data from employees of Next PLC only, hence this sampling approach is
very appropriate for the investigation.
Data Collection
Data Collection is a very crucial and important activity in the entire research work. It
holds a very great importance in terms of evaluation point of view. It facilitates the researcher to
23

frame different types of views and opinions (Goddard and Melville, 2004). The nature of the
information can be of two types. First is primary and other is secondary.
Primary data is collected for the first time and is very raw and fresh in nature. It is
available from the non-published sources. It needs filtration and processing. The data can be
collected from different types of techniques such as survey, questionnaire, focus groups, direct
observation, interviews etc (McBurney and White, 2009). On the other side secondary data is not
fresh and new. It is available from already published sources such as books, journals,
newspapers, articles etc. It is also available from one of the most widely used information tool
that is internet. However there is an issue of validity and reliability with the secondary data
(Research Approach and Methodology. 2014).
For this research, primary data has been collected through questionnaire technique
through an online survey. The questionnaire will be sent on the respective email addresses of the
employees of the Next PLC (Cooper and Schindler, 2011). The questionnaire is designed of
open ended as well as close ended questions. It is suitable because it helps in collecting large
volume of information along with relevancy and accuracy.
The secondary data has been collected from sources such as books, journals, articles,
magazines etc related to the subject of the social media marketing. Internet has also been used
for deriving the essential data, however complete validity and reliability is been assured.
Data Analysis
This section folds the empirical findings in relation to the subject of the study. Researcher
will make efforts to achieve the objectives of the study. The gathered findings are related and
compared to the theory (Garner, Kawulich and Wagner, 2012). It will use a range of techniques,
including tables, graphs, diagrams and charts. The results will be analyzed in line with the
research objectives which are framed earlier. Further the results will be backed up with
researcher’s own insights. The findings which are generated from the collected data are will be
well reasoned and clear. Proper justification will be made behind all the aspects (Cooper and
Schindler, 2011).
The data analysis is performed after a thorough investigation on the subject. It refers to
the summarized form of data which is very presentable and easy to understand. There are some
tools and techniques which are used to evaluate the collected data. It is essential to use a suitable
technique of evaluation so that meaningful results can be attained (McBurney and White, 2009).
24

This research is of both qualitative as well as quantitative nature. Taking that into
consideration, technique of SPSS has been used for evaluation. This statistical tool presents the
outcomes in numerical form (Research Approach and Methodology. 2014). The results are
presented in form of graphs, tables, figures, charts etc. This will offer more correct information
and will present all the aspects with proper justification and reasoning.
Ethical Considerations
Every researcher needs to follow an ethical framework associated with the study. While the
course of this research, the researcher will also follow some ethical issues which are as follows:
 All data has been compiled from valid and authentic sources. No data has been obtained
directly from any source and proper citation and referencing has also been done (Garner,
Kawulich and Wagner 2012)
 Identity of the respondents have not been disclosed without their prior consent.
 The researcher has maintained a very fair and honest approach throughout the study
 The data collected from the participants has not been manipulated and it is presented in
the manner it has been collected (Cooper and Schindler, 2011)
 Before involving the employees of Next PLC to participate in the questionnaire process,
the purpose and objectives of the research were clearly communicated to them.
 Researcher has tried to avoid aspects like duplicity, replication and subjectivity
 Data conspiracy has been identified as one of the major issue within the research. That is
the reason all the collected data has been kept in secretive manner (McBurney and White,
2009)
Research Limitations
Every research is confined with some limitations. These limitations are as follows:
 Lack of time – Time can be a biggest drawback in the completion of a research. Research
is a very complex process and it needs to be completed with high concentration and
focus. This can have a high impact on the entire process (Garner, Kawulich and Wagner,
2012). The processing of data takes lot of time. Further delay in one activity can cause
delay in other activities also.
25

 Sample size – This aspect also matters a lot in the study. The size of the sample is to be
chosen on the basis of requirements. Wrong sample size may not be able to produce the
desired results.
 Data collection approach – Data is required to be collected in effective manner. It plays
an active role in the functioning of the research. The achievement of the results depends
upon the quality of the data (Cooper and Schindler, 2011). All data is to be compiled
from valid and authentic sources. No data is to be obtained directly from any source and
proper citation and referencing has also been done.
 Effective data analysis plan – It is also essential to choose an effective data analysis plan.
The results are to be interpreted in correct manner. Wrong interpretation can hamper the
quality of the researcher further misguiding the readers (Cooper and Schindler, 2011).
 Lack of content – In order to make sure that research is to be completed in effectual
manner and with complete accuracy, there is a need to use all the content. Lack of content
can also hamper the quality of the study. It may also put constraints on the scope of
analysis and size of sample (Research Approach and Methodology. 2014). Hence it
becomes difficult for the researcher to establish meaningful relationship between the
variables.
Timescale
Following time schedule has been designed in order to complete all the research
activities. It is expected that all the activities will be completed within the decided time
framework.
ACTIVITY/WEEK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
 Identified the problem
 Systematic analysis to choose
the topic for the study
 Chose the research
 Conduct literature review for
secondary data collection
26

 Set the objectives
 Primary data collected from
customers
 Identified research approach
 Design research methodology
 Preparation of structured
questionnaire
 Make Fill up the questionnaire
from customers
 Organize collected data in
excel sheets
 Apply suitable technique to
analysis data
 Interpretation of the data
 Evaluation and finding of the
research
 Recommendation and
suggestions for further study
 Outline the findings chapter
 Create report in a presentable
manner
 Submission to instructor and
awaiting for feedback
 Revising the final draft
 Submit report
 Present report to the audience
27

Chapter 4 Data Analysis
4.1 Introduction
This chapter folds the empirical findings in relation to the subject of the study.
Researcher will make efforts to achieve the objectives of the study. The gathered findings are
related and compared to the theory. The findings of the research are based on the research
objectives. At this stage all the research objectives are to be addressed through the findings. It is
also important to conduct some statistical analysis either descriptive or inferential. Such analysis
helps in discovering the trends, patterns and relationships in the data. This chapter holds a great
importance in terms of generation of appropriate findings for the research. For this research,
primary data has been collected through questionnaire technique through an online survey. The
questionnaire will be sent on the respective email addresses of the employees of the Next PLC.
The questionnaire is designed of open ended as well as close ended questions. The study is both
qualitative and quantitative nature. Taking that into consideration SPPS tool has been used for
evaluation purpose. The results are presented in form of graphs, tables, figures, charts etc. This
will offer more correct information and will present all the aspects with proper justification and
reasoning.
4.2 Hypothesis development
The study makes an effort to identify whether there is any relationship between use of
social media and customer engagement. For that purpose following hypothesis have been formed
in this regard:
Hypothesis 1
HO: There is no relation between use of social media and reaching out to more customers
H1: There is a relation between use of social media and reaching out to more customers
Hypothesis 2
HO: There is no relation between use of social media and increase in sales
H1: There is a relation between use of social media and increase in sales
Hypothesis 3
HO: There is no relation between use of social media and customer engagement
H1: There is a relation between use of social media and customer engagement
Hypothesis 4
28

HO: There is no relation between use of social media and customers get appropriate information
about the products and services
H1: There is a relation between use of social media and customers get appropriate information
about the products and services
4.3 Tables and findings
Statistics
Gend
er
A
ge
Which
social
networ
ks are
mostly
used
by the
compa
ny?
Do you
agree
that
social
media
market
ing is
import
ant for
busines
s in the
present
context
?
Do you
feel that
custome
rs like
to be
approac
hed
through
Social
media?
Do you
agree
that
custom
ers are
reacha
ble
throug
h
social
media?
Do you
believe
that
custome
rs get
appropri
ate
informat
ion
about
the
products
and
services
through
social
media
marketi
ng?
Do you
agree that
social
media
marketin
g helps in
customer
engagem
ent?
Tick the
most
appropri
ate
reasons
for
using
social
media?
Do you
agree
that
social
media
marketi
ng
increas
es the
sales
for the
busines
s?
N
Valid 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50
Missi
ng 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6
Gender
29

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
male 38 67.9 76.0 76.0
female 12 21.4 24.0 100.0
Total 50 89.3 100.0
Missing System 6 10.7
Total 56 100.0
Age
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
15 – 20 3 5.4 6.0 6.0
20 - 25 18 32.1 36.0 42.0
25 – 30 23 41.1 46.0 88.0
more than 30 6 10.7 12.0 100.0
Total 50 89.3 100.0
Missing System 6 10.7
Total 56 100.0
Which social networks are mostly used by the company?
30

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
Linkedin 23 41.1 46.0 46.0
Twitter 11 19.6 22.0 68.0
Facebook 7 12.5 14.0 82.0
Google 4 7.1 8.0 90.0
Instagram 5 8.9 10.0 100.0
Total 50 89.3 100.0
Missing System 6 10.7
Total 56 100.0
Do you agree that social media marketing is important for business in the present
context?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
Strongly agree 13 23.2 26.0 26.0
Agree 18 32.1 36.0 62.0
Indifferent 3 5.4 6.0 68.0
Disagree 6 10.7 12.0 80.0
Strongly disagree 10 17.9 20.0 100.0
Total 50 89.3 100.0
31

Missing System 6 10.7
Total 56 100.0
Do you feel that customers like to be approached through Social media?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
yes 48 85.7 96.0 96.0
No 2 3.6 4.0 100.0
Total 50 89.3 100.0
Missing System 6 10.7
Total 56 100.0
Do you agree that customers are reachable through social media?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid Strongly agree 15 26.8 30.0 30.0
Agree 28 50.0 56.0 86.0
Indifferent 3 5.4 6.0 92.0
Disagree 2 3.6 4.0 96.0
Strongly disagree 2 3.6 4.0 100.0
32

Total 50 89.3 100.0
Missing System 6 10.7
Total 56 100.0
Do you believe that customers get appropriate information about the
products and services through social media marketing?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
yes 24 42.9 48.0 48.0
no 26 46.4 52.0 100.0
Total 50 89.3 100.0
Missing System 6 10.7
Total 56 100.0
Do you agree that social media marketing helps in customer engagement?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid Strongly agree 9 16.1 18.0 18.0
Agree 21 37.5 42.0 60.0
Indifferent 4 7.1 8.0 68.0
33

Disagree 6 10.7 12.0 80.0
Strongly disagree 10 17.9 20.0 100.0
Total 50 89.3 100.0
Missing System 6 10.7
Total 56 100.0
Tick the most appropriate reasons for using social media?
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
Competitors are using it 24 42.9 48.0 48.0
Customer needs can be
satisfied in better manner 12 21.4 24.0 72.0
More customers can be
reached 12 21.4 24.0 96.0
It supplements the use of
traditional media 2 3.6 4.0 100.0
Total 50 89.3 100.0
Missing System 6 10.7
Total 56 100.0
Do you agree that social media marketing increases the sales for the business?
34

Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative
Percent
Valid
Strongly agree 12 21.4 24.0 24.0
Agree 12 21.4 24.0 48.0
Indifferent 10 17.9 20.0 68.0
Disagree 9 16.1 18.0 86.0
Strongly disagree 7 12.5 14.0 100.0
Total 50 89.3 100.0
Missing System 6 10.7
Total 56 100.0
Pie charts and graphs
35

The above graph shows the gender distribution of the sample population in the research
process. On getting the responses it was derived that 76% of the sample respondents were male
and 24% of the respondents were female. From this it can be interpreted that majority of the
employee at the Next PLC are males.
The above graph shows the age distribution of the sample respondents. On getting the
responses it was realized that 46% of the population is of age group 25-30 years, 36% of sample
is 20-25 years, 12% is more than 30 years and rest of them belongs to 15-20 years. However it
can be interpreted that majority of the employee population at Next PLC is young. Presence of
such young employees act as the strengths for the organization. It contributes towards enhancing
the business performance of the employees.
36

The purpose of the researcher was to identify which social networks are used by the
organization. On getting the responses it was derived that about 46% said Linkedin, 22% said
twitter, 14% said Facebook, 8% said Google and 10% said Instagram. It is evident from the fact
Linkedin is used for recruitment and selection of employees within the organization. Company
can find fresh and young talent at this site. Facebook can be used for promotional aspects. This is
true that Next can find large number of customers at this social media platform. It helps in
developing network for the company. Google is available for pay per click advertising. The PLC
makes sure that its webpages are firstly served by the people. Twitter is used for creating blogs
and developing high level of quality content for the products and services.
37

The motive of the researcher was to identify whether social media marketing is important
for the business in the present context or not. On getting the responses it was discovered that
36% were agree, 26% were strongly agree, 12% were disagree, 20% were strongly disagree and
rest 8% were indifferent. It is evident from the fact that social media facilitate creation and
exchange of user generated content and present them in a user friendly manner. It is becoming
important because of the benefit of cost effectiveness. It has the potential to generate large
number of customers at a single platform. It also offers high level of exposure to the business as
the branding can be done in more effective manner. The customers also likes to make their
purchase on the basis of recommendations and reviews on the social media website. If high
number of customers are attracted then it is also easier to generate high amount of revenues. It
has also been realized that it is easier to promote products and services on these kind of
platforms.
38

The purpose of the researcher was to identify whether customers like to be approached
through social media or not. On getting the responses it was derived that 96% of the sample
respondents believe that customers likes to be approached through social media. It is evident
from the fact that customers can know about the products and services of a company very easily
on these kind of platforms. It becomes easier for them to get in connection with the products.
Customers likes to be approached social media because they are able to grab every information
about the products and services. There is a factor of ease and convenience which motivates them
to attract towards social media marketing. They expect to be contacted through social media sites
as they can read the reviews about the products easily. Further there is no other channel which
offers such faster processing and business.
39

The purpose of the researcher was to identify whether customers are reachable through
the social media or not. On getting the responses it was derived that 56% of them agree, 30% of
them strongly agree and rest 14% of them were indifferent, disagree and strongly disagree. It is
evident from the fact that it is the best medium through which companies can easily attract and
retain large number of customers. Further the reason to use is to leverage better relationship by
showing their commitment. Large number of people holds multiple accounts on these social
media sites. The target audience can be decided very easily. It is the best technique through
which organizations can learn and grow their business within the era of competitiveness. The
channel has been emerging as a big next frontier for the customer engagement and interactions as
very interactions are being done on these sites in regular manner. There is a buzz that market will
grow in exponential manner over the next 5-6 years because the number of active users of social
media sites are increasing significantly all over the world. The industry reports have suggested
that almost 42% of the world population is having an internet access. It is expected that these
numbers will increase in the coming future.
40

The purpose of the researcher was to identify whether customers get appropriate
information about the products and services through social media marketing or not. Very mixed
amount of responses were gathered on this question. The sample respondents seems to be not
sure about the viewpoints. Though large number of customers can be attracted on these platform
but yet there is a difficulty in the traceability. There are no standard platforms for measuring the
response on these platforms. Further there is no surety that each and every information about the
products and services will be available for the users. In case of lack of information the customers
are not able to relate themselves with the products. Hence the possibilities of purchasing
becomes lesser and it is not a positive sign for the company.
41

The purpose of the researcher is to identify whether social media marketing helps in the
customer engagement or not. On getting the responses it was derived that 42% of the respondents
agree, 18% were strongly agree, 20% were strongly disagree, 12% were disagree and rest of
them were indifferent. It is evident from the fact that Next PLC has made effective use of social
media marketing in engaging the customers. They are having an effective presence on Facebook.
Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. It really helps the company in gaining business from these
platforms. On Facebook, Next has maintained different types of pages which have received high
number of attentions. On Twitter high number of followers can be found for the company who
are always ready to given their reviews on launch of some product or event. Customers also
shares a long term association with the brand on these platforms. It is easy for the Next to come
into the limelight in front on its customers through social media marketing. It creates a network
and the people keeps on increasing. It gives them the desired competitive edge and also helps
them to fight the intense level of competition on the UK retail industry.
42

The purpose of the researcher is to identify what are the reasons that influence Next Plc
to go for social media. On getting the responses it was realized that 48% of them said that
competition is the biggest reason, 24% believes that needs of the customers can be satisfied
effectively, another 24% believes that more and more customers can be reached and only 4%
believes that it supplements the use of traditional media. It is evident from the fact that
competition in the UK retail industry is highly competitive due to presence of many big players
like Tesco, Sainsbury, Marks & Spencer etc. The Leading business houses have recognized the
importance of tapping into these customer-to-customer communications. They are making lot of
efforts to leverage these social interactions for their business benefits. In that scenario, Next PLC
is required to show some competitive skills and focus on earning the high market share. It is
important to move parallel with the fellow competitors in order to mark the presence in the
market. Another reason is that customers’ needs are to be satisfied in effective manner and social
media is a good channel to identify their needs. Those can be identified by reading their views
and comments on the sites. Another reason is that more customers can be reached in very quick
span of time. The social media has the power to generate high number of content. It also
supplements the use of traditional media. It means it provides strength to the traditional methods
of marketing. Both the modes of doing business can be used effectively.
43

The motive of the researcher was to identify whether social media increases the sales for
the business of Next Plc or not. On getting the responses it was realized that 24% of them
strongly agree, 24% of them agree, 20% of them were indifferent, 18% of them were disagree
and 14% of them were strongly disagree. It is evident from the fact that social media has the
potential to convert the generated lead into the sales. Sales for the business can be increased if
the targeted customers respond towards the products and services. There are certain elements
which can encourage the sales into the business which are, Participation, Openness,
Conversation and Community. A very active participation is involved in the contribution process
and customers are ready to share the news and to offer feedback. The information is welcomed
with openness. The constraints in the passing of the message are very less and the content is
reachable to the target audience. There is a two sided communication process where responses
are derived very quickly and Information is given but feedbacks are also derived speedily.
Common interests, hobbies, passions are creating groups where all the information can be
shared.
44

Problems faced in the case of social media marketing
The motive of the researcher was to derive what are the problems faced by the company
with regard to social media marketing. The majority of the sample respondents stated that the
biggest issue in case of social media is the difficulty in measuring the responses from the people.
There are no benchmarks which can state about the traffic which is gathered on the sites.
Company is not able to know whether the targeted customers will be converted into the sales or
not. It can be difficult to quantify the return on investment as it does not take any type of
guarantee related to the revenue generation. Further it has been seen that people hesitate to deal
with the products and services through online channels. They fear of things like fraud,
misrepresentation, misconception, cybercrimes etc. It becomes difficult for the organization to
eliminate the fear from the minds of the consumers.
Another issue is the generation of negative comments from the customers. Every
individual can see the comments and reviews about the products and services even he is not the
customer for the company. Negative comments can create negative publicity for the good and
this will ultimately leads to poor business results. Further the employees are to be skilled and
productive. They are required to be experts in the world of social media marketing. It is true that
it is a very costs effective and time saving process but it may take long period of time to show
results. This is because the possibility of purchasing the products is not higher.
Advantages derived from the social media marketing
The motive of the researcher was to derive what are the advantages derived by the
company with regard to social media marketing. The majority of the respondents stated that
social media are changing the way the business is being done. They are offering a low cost and
highly accessible platform on which a personal brand can be developed. The communication has
become easier with the customers. It is considered as the better method to leverage better
relationship by showing their commitment. Instant feedbacks and inquiries are available from the
customers. The networking for the business becomes easier and the customer base keeps on
increasing on large basis. People are also getting high amount of convenience and comfort while
doing shopping through these channels. Along with the company it is also saving their costs and
time. Customer engagement is another benefit derived from the use of social media marketing.
45

Company is not been able to see their customer physically but it is able to influence their
behaviour with the help of social media. The market has huge potential as it is anticipated that
this market will grow in exponential manner over the next 5-6 years. The number of internet
users and the number of online social networks are increasing. The strategy is acting as a client
base development platform because it is giving marketers a voice and a direction to make
communication with peers, clients and probable customers. The personalization for the brand can
be attained easily and spreads the message in a relaxed and conversational manner. It is also easy
for the company to create long term business relations with all the stakeholders.
4.4 Chi Square Tests
In order to test the hypothesis Chi-square tests has been used. It will show whether the
following hypothesis are to be accepted or rejected.
Hypothesis 1
HO: There is no relation between use of social media and reaching out to more customers
H1: There is a relation between use of social media and reaching out to more customers
Hypothesis 2
HO: There is no relation between use of social media and increase in sales
H1: There is a relation between use of social media and increase in sales
Hypothesis 3
HO: There is no relation between use of social media and customer engagement
H1: There is a relation between use of social media and customer engagement
Hypothesis 4
HO: There is no relation between use of social media and customers get appropriate information
about the products and services
H1: There is a relation between use of social media and customers get appropriate information
about the products and services
46

Hypothesis 1
Case Processing Summary
Cases
Valid Missing Total
N Percent N Percent N Percent
Which social networks
are mostly used by the
company? * Do you agree
that customers are
reachable through social
media?
50 89.3% 6 10.7% 56 100.0%
Which social networks are mostly used by the company? * Do you agree that customers are
reachable through social media? Cross tabulation
Count
Do you agree that customers are reachable through
social media?
Total
Strongly
agree
Agree IndifferentDisagree Strongly
disagree
Which social
networks are mostly
used by the
company?
Linkedin 11 7 1 2 2 23
Twitter 0 11 0 0 0 11
Facebook 4 3 0 0 0 7
Google 0 4 0 0 0 4
47

Instagram 0 3 2 0 0 5
Total 15 28 3 2 2 50
Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 34.009a 16 .005
Likelihood Ratio 36.239 16 .003
Linear-by-Linear
Association .064 1 .800
N of Valid Cases 50
a. 22 cells (88.0%) have expected count less than 5. The
minimum expected count is .16.
Interpretation
In order to test the above hypothesis Chi square test was conducted. On getting the results
it was discovered that significance value was < 0.1. From this it can be concluded that HO is
rejected and there is a relation between use of social media and ability to reach more customers.
Hence this proves that social media helps the organization to reach towards more customers.
Hypothesis 2
Case Processing Summary
48

Cases
Valid Missing Total
N Percent N Percent N Percent
Which social networks
are mostly used by the
company? * Do you
agree that social media
marketing increases the
sales for the business?
50 89.3% 6 10.7% 56 100.0%
Which social networks are mostly used by the company? * Do you agree that social media
marketing increases the sales for the business? Cross tabulation
Count
Do you agree that social media marketing increases the
sales for the business?
Total
Strongly
agree
Agree Indifferent Disagree Strongly
disagree
Which social
networks are
mostly used by the
company?
Linkedin 5 2 6 8 2 23
Twitter 4 2 2 1 2 11
Facebook 0 5 0 0 2 7
Google 1 0 2 0 1 4
Instagram 2 3 0 0 0 5
49

Total 12 12 10 9 7 50
Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 29.901a 16 .019
Likelihood Ratio 34.492 16 .005
Linear-by-Linear
Association 2.368 1 .124
N of Valid Cases 50
a. 23 cells (92.0%) have expected count less than 5. The
minimum expected count is .56.
Interpretation
The Chi-square Tests shows that significance value is less than 0.1. In this way HO can
be rejected and it can be concluded that there is a relation between use of social media and
increase in sales. Hence this proves that social media helps the organization to increase the sales.
Hypothesis 3
Case Processing Summary
Cases
Valid Missing Total
50

N Percent N Percent N Percent
Which social networks are
mostly used by the
company? * Do you agree
that social media
marketing helps in
customer engagement?
50 89.3% 6 10.7% 56 100.0%
Which social networks are mostly used by the company? * Do you agree that social media marketing helps in customer
engagement? Cross tabulation
Count
Do you agree that social media marketing helps in customer engagement? Total
Strongly agree Agree Indifferent Disagree Strongly
disagree
Which social networks are
mostly used by the
company?
Linkedin 6 8 3 1 5 23
Twitter 0 9 0 1 1 11
Facebook 3 2 1 1 0 7
Google 0 2 0 2 0 4
Instagram 0 0 0 1 4 5
Total 9 21 4 6 10 50
Chi-Square Tests
51

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-
sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 34.614a 16 .004
Likelihood Ratio 36.733 16 .002
Linear-by-Linear
Association 5.190 1 .023
N of Valid Cases 50
a. 24 cells (96.0%) have expected count less than 5. The
minimum expected count is .32.
Interpretation
In order to test the above hypothesis Chi square test was conducted. On getting the results
it was discovered that significance value was < 0.1. From this it can be concluded that HO is
rejected and there is a relation between social media marketing and customer engagement. Hence
this proves that social media marketing helps in attaining customer engagement for the business.
Hypothesis 4
Case Processing Summary
Cases
Valid Missing Total
N Percent N Percent N Percent
52

Which social networks
are mostly used by the
company? * Do you
believe that customers
get appropriate
information about the
products and services
through social media
marketing?
50 89.3% 6 10.7% 56 100.0%
Which social networks are mostly used by the company? * Do you believe
that customers get appropriate information about the products and services
through social media marketing? Crosstabulation
Count
Do you believe that customers
get appropriate information
about the products and
services through social media
marketing?
Total
yes no
Which social networks
are mostly used by the
company?
Linkedin 16 7 23
Twitter 2 9 11
Facebook 3 4 7
Google 2 2 4
53

Instagram 1 4 5
Total 24 26 50
Chi-Square Tests
Value df Asymp. Sig.
(2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 9.855a 4 .043
Likelihood Ratio 10.427 4 .034
Linear-by-Linear
Association 3.821 1 .051
N of Valid Cases 50
a. 6 cells (60.0%) have expected count less than 5. The
minimum expected count is 1.92.
Interpretation
In order to test the above hypothesis Chi square test was conducted. On getting the results
it was discovered that significance value was < 0.1. From this it can be concluded that HO is
rejected and there is a relation between use of social media and customers get appropriate
information about the products and services. Hence this proves that social media marketing helps
the customers in getting appropriate information about the products and services.
54

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 introduction
The chapter concludes the thesis through summarizing the findings from the research and
literature. The evaluated data is concluded and meaningful outcomes are derived. Relevant
recommendations are also posted so that improvements can be made further. It is required to be
presented with clear justifications. It presents the summary of the findings of the data analysis. It
reflects the extent to which the research objectives are achieved. The chapter holds a great
importance from the point of view of significance of the study. After making the conclusion,
some useful and valid recommendations are made
5.2 Conclusion
The major aim of the research was to identify the impact of social media marketing for
customer engagement. The research was performed within the context of Next PLC. The study
concludes that social media marketing has become an important weapon for the companies in the
business world. It is allowing them to make communication with large number of customers on a
single platform. It mainly allows the creation and exchange of user generated content and present
that in user friendly way. Company like Next PLC is able to satisfy its customer’s needs in better
manner through the use of social media into business. It has seen an enhancement in its brand
awareness and brand image through this marketing tool. It helps in making the marketing
message clear and avoids any kind of chaos. It also ensures that online images matches with the
brand image. It can be considered as gold mine for brand building. In this technological
advanced world every firm is making efforts to develop their respective existing presence within
the context of online marketing. With the help of this they are able to generate more sales and
leads. With the emergence of social media, the whole marketing landscape has changed. It has
become important to use because of the urgency to gain the internet traffic.
It is giving the Next plc more opportunities to become more noticeable and interactive
with the customers. Good conversations can be made with the people and they can be engaged in
the content and in the development of brand equity. Social media has the potential to raise brand
awareness and enhance positive brand associations. Company can generate more active, loyal
and advocating consumers. Now more customer support channels have been opened up for the
company. The clients can ask the questions publically and leave the feedback directly through
55

social media profiles. The expectation is that organization is able to respond in quick manner and
also offers a solution. The observation of the social media has now been altered completely. It is
no longer taken as a trendy or passing fashion. It has become must for any organization which is
looking to lock a secured place in both traditional and digital marketplace.
Further there is an increasing importance of customer engagement for the organization. It
is evident that competitive level is increasing in every business sector. More and more firms are
entering with wide range of products and services. The main aim is to attain competitive edges
and to establish a good presence in the minds of the customers. For that purpose it is important
that people should remain loyal towards the brand and do repetitive purchasing. If they are
engaged, it promotes high sales and profitability. It creates a brand identity and people feel to be
associated with the products and services. The research also investigated the advantages and
disadvantages associated with the social media marketing. It was realized that this tool provides
low cost and highly accessible platform on which a personal brand can be built. It is the best
way through which companies can easily attract and retain large number of customers. It
leverages better relationship by showing their commitment towards the products and services. It
is a very good technique through which organizations can learn and grow their business within
the era of competitiveness.
Apart from the advantages there are many drawbacks also which are to be taken into
consideration by the Next Plc. The biggest advantage discovered from the social media
marketing is the absence of parameters for judging the performance and responses. There are no
standard parameters for judging the impact of social media on the customers. Hence it becomes
little difficult to say whether this tool has created effectiveness or not. There is an issue of
negative comments also. It is evident that at these platforms, people can see the comments of
each other. In such case negative comments can create negative image for the company. Further
there is issue of visibility of information for a short period of time. In this way, customers are not
able to find out the respective information appropriately and they remain with lack of knowledge
about the products and services. It is the best technique through which companies can learn and
grow their business within the scenario of high competitiveness. It is also being stated that social
media has become the top most agenda for many business executives nowadays. They are
gaining higher success within the area of their filed and it is considered as a most effective
recruitment as well as marketing tool by which firms can easily make contact with the different
56

people. It is important for corporates to set up their web content in a more effective manner so
that they can grab the attention of potential customers and increase the brand visibility.
For this research primary data was collected through questionnaire technique through an
online survey from the employees of the Next PLC. In that context two hypothesis were tested.
Hypothesis 1 concluded that there is a relation between use of social media and ability to reach
more customers. It stated that social media helps the organization to reach towards more
customers. Hypothesis 2 concluded that there is a relation between use of social media and
increase in sales. Hence that proved that social media helps the organization to increase the sales.
Hypothesis 3 concluded that there is a relation between use of social media and customer
engagement. And the last hypothesis 4 concluded that social media marketing helps the
customers in gaining appropriate information about the products and services.
The employees of the Next PLC stated that most of the customers like to be approached
through social media. This platform also helps the company in reaching to maximum clients.
There are mainly three problems faced by them that includes unclear message, chaos and non-
matching of online image with the brand image. The major reasons given by the employees for
use of social media by the company were they can reach more customers, it supplements the use
of traditional media and they can satisfy the needs of the customers in better manner. Most of the
businesses are trying to adopting some of the best strategies through which they can post their
content on the best social media sites and attract huge base of customers towards it. Within this
era of globalization and rapid expansion, social media is embracing their presence and develop
effective solutions for their consumers.
At last it can be said that social media is a fact which cannot be denied by the business
houses. Due to presence of some effective benefits companies are embracing it into the business.
However there are some drawbacks associated with it but they are not adequate enough to affect
the business badly. It is proving to be an effective tool for the customer engagement and it has
the potential to give competitive advantage to the company. It can make the customers loyal and
faithful towards the brand and can encourage repetitive purchasing. Most of the entrepreneurs are
of belief that social media can give their business more exposure and branding can be done more
effectively.
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5.3 Recommendations
Various types of recommendations can be made with regard to the following research.
Next PLC has already into the world of social media marketing.
SMART objectives
 Specific – Company should try to establish its presence on various social media
platforms. Or either it can select one channel on which the web page can be created. That
channel can be used which has maximum number of customers and people.
 Measurable – Company is required to choose a specific number for the growth. For
example number of targeted customers can be estimated. Number of feedbacks on the
social media platforms can also be measured.
 Attainable – It is to be assured that number is realistic. Those goals and objectives are to
be set which are attainable.
 Relevant - The marketing campaign started on social media channels must be in
relevance with the business’s objectives, vision and values. There should be relevancy in
all the channels.
 Time-bound – time frame can be decided for the running of the campaign. However in
case of social media the response is derived in very speedy manner.
Locke and Latham’s 5 principles of goal setting can be used by the Next Plc
 Clarity – This is similar to the “specific” element from the SMART goal setting. The
clear goals helps in immensely understanding the task at hand, measuring the results and
attaining the success.
 Challenge – The marketing goals must be of difficult and challenging nature. They must
be adequate for motivation but not so difficult that they are impossible to achieve. The
inverted U method is a good approach to test the appropriate challenge levels.
 Commitment – All the employees are required to show commitment towards the
achievement of goals. Involving them into the goal setting process can proved to be
beneficial for the business and the company.
 Feedback – The success and progress is to be measured at regular intervals. The advice is
to be taken throughout the process towards the objectives.
 Task complexity – Adding too much complexity in the goals can have an negative impact
on the morale, productivity and motivation of the employees.
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Following recommendations can be made with regard to use of social media marketing for
customer engagement
 Next plc should focus on identifying the ideal customers for the business. It is important
to target right people at right places, at right time and with the right messages. When the
characteristics of the target market are known it becomes easy to target them on any
social media platform.
 Further there is a need to scan the competition in the industry. The competition for Next
in the retail sector is very high as other retail giants like Tesco, Asda, Marks & Spencers
are constantly active in the field of online marketing. It is important for the Next to
evaluate which social networks that their competitors are using and which content
strategy they are applying. Their posting frequency and followers are also to be
evaluated.
 The most important activity to be done is to look at the customer engagement approaches
of the competitor. This will help in getting an idea about the competitor’s strategy and
their strategic moves. Further all the resources are to be utilized in optimum manner.
5.4 Scope for further research
As the case with every research, there are some limitations associated with the study.
This act as promising directions for future research endeavors. Firstly the data is collected from
employees of Next Plc in general and some care is to be take in generalizing the findings in
particular specific sectors. Further studies are required to adopt deeper approach regarding the
research into the financial aspects of social media. It would be interesting to select a sample of
big business houses and asses their relative involvement with social media marketing. Further
social media is a very wide concept and research can be conducted on many other aspects also.
Performing surveys on customers can also be very beneficial as it can help in producing more
valuable results. Further this research work will prove to be a valuable source for other
researchers who wish to work on this subject. The findings of the study can be taken as source of
inspiration. The retail industry experts in UK can give their opinions and view after reading it. In
this way improvements can be encouraged in the industry with respect to marketing.
59

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63

QUESTIONNAIRE
Name:
Gender
Male
Female
Age
15 – 20
20 - 25
25 – 30
30 – 35
Which social networks are mostly used by the company?
 Linkedin
 Twitter
 Facebook
 Google
 Instagram
Do you agree that social media marketing is important for business in the present context?
 Strongly agree
 Agree
 Indifferent
 Disagree
 Strongly disagree
Do you feel that customers like to be approached through Social media?
 Yes
 No
Do you agree that customers are reachable through social media?
 Strongly agree
 Agree
64

 Indifferent
 Disagree
 Strongly disagree
Do you believe that customers get appropriate information about the products and services
through social media marketing?
 Yes
 No
What are the problems faced by the company in case of social media marketing?
What are the advantages derived by the company in case of social media marketing?
Do you agree that social media marketing helps in customer engagement?
 Strongly agree
 Agree
 Indifferent
 Disagree
 Strongly disagree
Tick the most appropriate reasons for using social media?
 Competitors are using it
 Customer needs can be satisfied in better manner
 More customers can be reached
 It supplements the use of traditional media
Do you agree that social media marketing increases the sales for the business?
 Strongly agree
 Agree
 Indifferent
 Disagree
65

 Strongly disagree
Suggests some improvements
66