Impact of Online Customer Reviews and Celebrity Endorsement on Purchase Intention of Potential Customers: A Study on Marks & Spencer

This research proposal analyses the impact of online customer reviews and celebrity endorsement on purchase intention of potential customers of Marks & Spencer. It examines the different means of marketing used by businesses in digital age and the elements that positively influence purchase intention of potential customers towards Marks & Spencer.

Research Methodologies

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
Research rationale..................................................................................................................4
Significance of the research....................................................................................................4
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................5
What are the different means of marketing used by businesses in digital age?.....................5
What is the impact of online customer reviews and celebrity endorsement on purchase
intention of potential customers of Marks & Spencer?..........................................................6
What are the elements that positively influence purchase intention of potential customers
towards Marks & Spencer?....................................................................................................7
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13
Books and Journals...............................................................................................................13

INTRODUCTION
Marketing is defined as such activities which are used by the organisation in order to
promote their product into the market so that customer may take decision as according to their
needs and demands. Marketing is associated with different activities such as advertising, selling
and delivering products into the market. For every businesses adoption of marketing activities
are imperative and would be helpful in gaining competitive edge into the market. In the current
time there are several marketing methods used by the organisation which helps the company to
reach out to their customers and attain business objectives as well.
Online reviews are defined as a review which is made by consumers those have used or
experienced a product or a service offered by the organisation. Online reviews play significant
role for an organisation in which quick response can be received by the organisation so that
customers can be encouraged in order to buy business offerings. This is helpful in earning profits
by the organisation so that competitive edge can be attained and at the same time customer's
buying intentions can also be managed in positive manner. Celebrity endorsement is defined as a
form of advertising which uses personality and celebrities those are having higher command into
the market so that awareness can be spread into the market. Celebrity endorsement is the brand
communication in which a celebrity acts as the brand's spokesperson so that to extend position of
the brand into the market. These are the methods which can be used by the businesses for the
major purpose of market their product and to gain market prominence.
The current research proposal is based on analysing the impact of customer reviews and
celebrity endorsement over purchase intention of potential customers of the organisation. In the
current digital age digitalised methods are being used by the organisation and these are helpful in
reaching out to customer in quick and easy manner.
Research aim
To investigate the impact of online customer reviews and celebrity endorsement on
purchase intention of potential customers. A study on Marks & Spencer
Research objectives
 To examine the different means of marketing used by businesses in digital age
 To determine the impact of online customer reviews and celebrity endorsement on
purchase intention of potential customers of Marks & Spencer

 To identify the elements that positively influence purchase intention of potential
customers towards Marks & Spencer
Research questions
 What are the different means of marketing used by businesses in digital age?
 What is the impact of online customer reviews and celebrity endorsement on purchase
intention of potential customers of Marks & Spencer?
 What are the elements that positively influence purchase intention of potential customers
towards Marks & Spencer?
Research rationale
The major rationale behind this research is to examine the information related with
examining information in context of marketing in digital age. There are different methods which
are used by organisation in current time such as digital marketing, social media marketing,
customer review and celebrity endorsement are considered as the major. The research report is
associated with providing information on the topic of customer reviews and celebrity
endorsement. The selection of this topic is dependent upon personal choice of researcher as
researcher is willing to develop their knowledge on the topic of marketing in digital age. On the
other hand, the research is related with dual perspectives such as personal and professional
perspectives. In terms of personal perspective the research would lead into enhancing different
skills of researcher such as research skills, communication skills, analytical skills, problem
solving skills and many others so that the same can be used in future perspective in order to
manage career. Besides this in terms of professional perspective the current research would
provide assistance to researcher so that researcher may execute future researches in easy manner
along with higher prominence.
Significance of the research
The current research is significant as this will provide information in context of
marketing of digital age. Using information from the research this is easier for the businesses that
to develop their marketing strategy and to acquire higher customer base. Besides this the
research would provide information in relation to usage and celebrity endorsement as marketing
strategy so that customers can be attracted by using such methods.

LITERATURE REVIEW
What are the different means of marketing used by businesses in digital age?
According to Kovalenko and Kovalenko (2020), Marketing is considered as an important
tool to attract a large number of customers in the market for gaining competitive advantage.
Marketing is generally done to promote the goods and services in the market to gain more
customers base. Now a days marketing is more essential in the digital age as most of the people
search items on the internet rather than checking it on traditional media. The fact is that most of
the people are online to find and explore information, shop different products or services online
and even to pay bills, so it is necessary for businesses to market digitally. It is important for the
company to know how to reach their target audience in order to achieve more growth in the
market. For this different businesses use different marketing techniques in digital age for
targeting large customer base.
 Search engine optimisation – SEO is a technique which is used to improve the
performance of the online website for gaining target audience. With the changing
marketing trends most people are shifting towards online shopping so it important for
companies to sale their products online which provides convenience to customers.
 Celebrity endorsement – This marketing method is used by companies to increase brand
awareness for gaining visibility and enhancing credibility for company brands. When
people see their favourite celebrity in the add promotion they attract and get attached with
the product more. Company use celebrity to differentiate their products from the
competitors which helps in improving as recall and making customers remember the ad.
 Customer review – Online customer review is important for companies because it helps
in bridging the gap between conventional word of mouth and product or service feedback
that can influence or change the opinion of consumers. Company uses this to understand
the needs and wants of their customers and to make changes in the areas where it is
needed. Online review from customers also helps the company in grabbing the attention
of customers and increases sales.
 Mobile marketing – Mobile marketing is most common form of marketing that is used
by companies to sale the products and services to customers. Mobile has become an
important part in a person's life as it is used for small things and use of smartphones in

daily routine life helps company in building idea to promote products and service online
for achieving high customers segment. Mobile marketing involves activities through
mobile like online shopping or product advertisement by SMS notification.
 Content marketing – Content marketing is used by company to share information and
use storytelling to increase brand awareness in the market (Dincă, Dima and Rozsa,
2019). The content created by company helps in communicating message, educate
readers, influence customers to purchase company's products and services in the
competitive market. It is important for the company to provide high quality content in
order to attract customers and to create interest in business.
These techniques are used by the company to promote products and services by digital methods
which helps in gaining large market share and customer base. To remain competitive in the
market it is important for businesses to take full advantage of different digital platforms to reach
the target audience for increasing company's sales.
What is the impact of online customer reviews and celebrity endorsement on purchase intention
of potential customers of Marks & Spencer?
According to Cherie-Mae and Nartea (2019), Customer reviews and celebrity endorsement have
a major impact on influencing the purchasing power of customers. Change in market trends and
technology has increased the use of internet which extends the need of gathering opportunities
and providing information for product. Customer reviews is considered as the most important
factor in checking the behaviour and attitude of customers towards purchasing the product.
Customers are more likely to purchase a product from a website that has positive customer
reviews because this builds a feeling of trust in them that they are buying a good product.
Positive reviews from customer helps in increasing their purchasing power to buy the products of
Marks and Spencer and increases the sale of company. Online customer reviews helps the
company in attracting more customers because they provides more reliable information about the
quality of product. Negative reviews about the product affects the sale of products of Marks and
Spencer as consumers will not buy the product because it seems to be unreliable to them.
Customer reviews also helps in identifying the needs and expectations of customers and in
understanding their behaviour for improving the quality of product. Promoting product by
celebrity endorsement affects the purchasing power of customer as they influence the choices of
customers. Popular celebrities influence the buying behaviour of customers which helps in

increasing the sale of company's product in the competitive market. From the view point of
customers the products which are endorsed by the famous celebrities give them a sense of feeling
that they are using the right product and also brings a symbol of status. Celebrities are considered
as idols by most people and they want to try those products that have the touch of celebrities
because that makes the product more desirable and alluring (Li, Frederick and Gereffi, 2019). So
it is important for the company to promote their products by endorsing celebrity which helps in
gaining value and strong brand image. Choosing a celebrity is quite easy for a brand but creating
a strong link between endorsement and brand is very hard. Thus, celebrity endorsement is a two
edged process which means that if handled with proper care than it can do wonders and if not
handled properly than it can ruin the image of the company and of the brand. That is why it is
important for Marks and Spencer to choose celebrity according the needs of the company and
handle it properly for achieving success in the competitive market. Customer mostly prefer those
products that offer some value and benefit to them so that buy products and services on a
frequent basis. The company needs to focus on producing products by analysing the tastes and
preferences of the customer so that they target a large number of customer segment. Celebrity
endorsement and customer review both are important for increasing the sale of products and
services in the market which in turn results in increased productivity and growth. Marks and
Spencer focus on promoting their product through strong communication channel to reach the
target customer segment.
What are the elements that positively influence purchase intention of potential customers towards
Marks & Spencer?
According to McLean, Al‐Nabhani and Marriott (2022), Purchasing intention of customers is
defined as the intention of engaging in the exchange relationship at online shopping websites like
sharing information, manage business relations, and create business organization transactions.
Intention to purchase products online is based on the relationship between actual behaviour and
behavioural intention of customers. The purchases of customers for Marks and Spencer brand is
depended on the quality of the product which affects their buying power. There are various
elements that influence the purchasing power of the potential customers which are explained
below:
 Reputation – Good reputation of a product influences the buying behaviour of the
customers as it builds confidence in customers mind that the seller is honest and take care

about the choices of its customers. Quality of Marks and Spencer product is good and
holds value in the minds of customers and helps in gaining more customer base. The
company needs to build a feeling of trust in customers about the products and services
that they sell in the market.
 Pricing – Pricing is considered as the most essential element that effects the purchasing
power of the customer. Products that are of less price are considered as more reliable by
the customers as they are giving more value and benefit to them. Marks and Spencer sells
product at reasonable prices as compared to competitor prices and this helps in attracting
more customers as they are providing quality product at less price. The company needs to
offer products at low price so that they more customers buy their products and services.
 Packaging – Packaging plays an very important role in attracting customers and in
increasing the sale of products and services in the market. The material used in packaging
is beneficial as it helps in preventing the product from any loss and damage (Mclean, Al-
Nabhani and Wilson, 2018). Innovative and creative products holds more value in the
minds of customers and they buy these products more. Marks and Spencer focus on
bringing changes in the packaging of their products by innovating and creative ideas
which helps in attracting more customer base.
 Brand name – String brand image in the market helps in gaining more customer base
and more market share which helps in increased profitability. Customer often buy more
when the brand has a positive image in the market so this helps in more sale of products.
Marks and Spencer has a very strong brand name in the market which helps in increasing
the purchasing power of customers as they get quality product at reasonable prices.
The success of the brand depends on these factors and helps in affecting the purchasing power of
customers in a positive manner. So it is important for companies to maintain the quality of their
products for achieving more customer base and market share in the competitive environment.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology is defined as the chapter which is related with collection of data in
such a way that it can aligned with attaining research objectives. This assists the researcher in
managing the overall research in systematic and proper manner so that by using different
methods processes can be executed. There are different methods that can be used within research
and these are elaborated as under:
Research Approach: Research approach is defined as the process which is used by the
researcher in order to complete overall research in systematic manner. For researcher choosing of
appropriate research approach is imperative so that to attain research objectives and to manage
aspects of research (Cr, 2020). Research approach is of two types such as inductive and
deductive. In the respect of current research which is based on analysing the impact of online
customer review and celebrity endorsement over purchase intention of potential customer so for
this deductive approach will be apt. This research approach is selected for the major purpose of
measuring the research in quantitative manner and to summarise different variables in
collaborative manner.
Research Philosophy: Research philosophy is defined as such conviction which is used within
the research for the purpose of attaining predicted results within research. There are two types of
research philosophy such as positivism and interpretivism. In order to attain objectives within
current research, positivism research philosophy will be selected so that in statistical manner
research objectives can be attained (Nayak and Singh, 2021). With the help of positivism
research philosophy research topic can be analysed in numeric manner so that easily information
can be obtained. This also accommodate the researcher in taking significant decisions within the
research.
Research Strategy: Research strategy is considered as the methods which are used by the
researcher in context of gathering and evaluating information as related with research topic. With
the help of effective research strategy researcher gets opportunity to execute the research in
proper manner. There are several research strategies such as survey, archival theory and many
others. Under the current research, survey research strategy will be used so that to attain right
outcome out of research process. The major objective behind choosing of survey is that it assists
the researcher in accumulation of raw information so that reliable results can be attained. Under

the current research questionnaire will be chosen as research instrument so that to gather
appropriate research information.
Research Choice: Research choice is considered as the process which is used in order to gather
information and to satisfy need of the research. The research choice assists the researcher in
attaining research objectives in successful manner. Research choice is holding higher importance
within research so that this is imperative for the researcher to select research choice (Pandey and
Pandey, 2021). There are two types of research choice such as quantitative and qualitative. In the
current research, quantitative research choice will be used so that to attain research objectives
and to execute the research in statistical manner. Quantitative research choice is useful in
gathering raw information out of respondents so that knowledge regarding the research topic can
be attained.
Data Collection: Data collection is considered as the process which is used for the purpose of
measuring, analysing and collecting right and reliable information within the research so that
appropriate results can be taken out. An investigator is having role to evaluate hypothesis and on
that basis information can be gathered. Data collection is considered as the significant step in
which research can be executed in appropriate manner. Data collection is of two types such as
primary and secondary. Primary data collection is related with gathering of raw information
using observations, surveys and many other methods. Whereas secondary data collection is based
on accumulating information from already published sources such as books, journals and articles.
Under the current investigation both the methods of data collection will be used so that accurate
and relevant data can be collected. In terms of primary data collection method questionnaire will
be used and in terms of secondary data collection method different articles and books are taken
so that appropriate information can be acquired (Snyder, 2019).
Research limitation: Research limitation is defined as such barriers which are faced within the
research. Under the current research the major limitation is related with time barrier. As the time
was given to the researcher and this was a tough task to manage the research in that time period.
Sampling: There are two types of sampling such as probability and non-probability sampling.
Under the current research probability sampling will be followed in which 30 respondents are
selected on random basis.
Gantt Chart:

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Cherie-Mae, D. and Nartea, M.A., 2019. The Impact of Celebrity Endorsements In The
Consumer Buying Behaviour Among The College Of Business Administration Students
In The Polytechnic University Of The Philippines. Think India Journal, 22(4). pp.8229-
8238.
Cr, K., 2020. Research methodology methods and techniques.
Dincă, V.M., Dima, A.M. and Rozsa, Z., 2019. Determinants of cloud computing adoption by
Romanian SMEs in the digital economy. Journal of Business Economics and
Management, 20(4). pp.798-820.
Kovalenko, B. and Kovalenko, E., 2020, January. Approaches to Organizational Leadership in
the Digital Age. In 5th International Conference on Social, Economic, and Academic
Leadership (ICSEALV 2019) (pp. 235-239). Atlantis Press.
Li, F., Frederick, S. and Gereffi, G., 2019. E-commerce and industrial upgrading in the Chinese
apparel value chain. Journal of Contemporary Asia, 49(1). pp.24-53.
McLean, G., Al‐Nabhani, K. and Marriott, H., 2022. ‘Regrettable‐escapism’the negative effects
of mobile app use: A retail perspective. Psychology & Marketing, 39(1). pp.150-167.
Mclean, G., Al-Nabhani, K. and Wilson, A., 2018. Developing a mobile applications customer
experience model (MACE)-implications for retailers. Journal of Business Research, 85.
pp.325-336.
Nayak, J.K. and Singh, P., 2021. Fundamentals of research methodology problems and
prospects. SSDN Publishers & Distributors.
Pandey, P. and Pandey, M.M., 2021. Research methodology tools and techniques. Bridge
Center.
Snyder, H., 2019. Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and
guidelines. Journal of business research, 104, pp.333-339.