Literature Review: Social Media's Impact on Marketing at M&S

This literature review examines the impact of social media on marketing, focusing on its influence on businesses like Marks & Spencer. It discusses the positive effects, such as increased customer engagement, brand building, and reduced marketing costs, as well as negative effects, including security and privacy concerns. The review also explores research methodologies used to study this topic, including research philosophies, approaches, strategies, and designs, highlighting the use of Interpretivism, deductive approach, and action research. The analysis emphasizes the importance of social media for businesses to connect with customers and adapt to the changing environment, particularly in the context of events like the COVID-19 pandemic. The review concludes that social media is a crucial tool for modern marketing, enabling businesses to enhance their performance and productivity by understanding and meeting customer needs.

Literature Review

Contents
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................1
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY....................................................................................................2
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Social media termed to defined as technological advancement base on computer which is
facilitating the idea sharing, thoughts, and building information by virtual network. This have
affected the business productivity and profitability in changing environment. While running a
business social media became an opportunity to grow the business by increasing the customer
base as it helps to provide details regarding specific products and services. In other words,
internet-based form of communication that is used by individual to share knowledge with each
other and support accomplishing organizational goals (Băeşu, and Bejinaru, 2020) is considered
as social media. The platform of social media is Facebook, Instagram, Snapshot etc. The current
topic of research is effect of social media on marketing that support to influence the number of
people and getting work done. To understand about current topic Marks & Spencer has been
selected that is major British Retailer with headquarters in London. The report covers literature,
positive effective, negative effect, and research methodology.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Societal mass media is the internet-based form of communication that allows individuals to
create content, share information, conversant with others, and manage activities. The aim of a
business organization is to grow their business by influencing a number of customers and
attracting them as well. The environment is changing and people is becoming busier where it
became difficult to visit the store and select the products. Nowadays, people using mobile phones
and other electronic items to know about specific brands and industries that can help to make
buying decisions. Social media is the use of social media platform to build brands, interacts with
customers, drive websites, and increase sales in changing environment. This could help to ripen
the organizational performance and productivity by handling all functions as well as activities.
Without marketing it becomes difficult for the company to influence people and regulate the
business (Love, and Matthews, 2019).
There is a different platform of social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapshots,
Twitter, and others that are used by business organizations for the purpose of influencing number
of people via providing details of products and services. The platforms are fruitful to share the
information and details that encouraged people to place an order online resulting increase
organizational sales. The people belongs to different country and region where social media is
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the effective source to keep connected with their friends and select the right products. In relation
to Marks & Spencer, social media tools are used by management to reach the targeted audience
and develop organizational sales. This could help to increase the business sales and profitability
in varying surroundings and conquering higher performance. The management of such
organization understand the needs of their patrons and offer kind of products as well as services
which can help to increase administrative profits (Orji, 2019).
The social media has impacted positively as well as negatively on marketing that might be
create the challenges for organizations to operate their business. This is important for industry to
analysis the market and use social media to reach targeted customers. The positive effective of
social media on marketing is to fascinate customers, get purchaser feedback, build customer
loyalty, rise revenues, develop the brand, and reduce marketing cost which is beneficial for
Marks & Spencer as well as other companies to build up organizational performance The other
advantage of social media is to fill the customer demand by knowing needs and wants that
supported to grow the business effectively. Oppositely, social media effects negatively on
marketing as it creates the security and privacy-related issues that could reduce the sales and
customer base of organization. As people wants security and privacy when visiting stores and
buying something because it contains personal details while delivering the products where
breach of security is possible by internet hackers. Moreover, to manage the customer query via
online method could be ineffective that affect organizational productivity.
According to (Steininger, 2019) 90% of marketers uses their social media to increase the
business exposure for business and developed their productivity effectively. To operate a
business successfully use of social media as marketing is becoming more important and essential
because it creates a relationship with customers by attracting to specific products or services. For
example, Marks & Spencer is the larger retailer, when Covid-19 occurred in the whole world
government stopped the all businesses for the next updates where use of social media became a
good source to reach their customers and increase sales. The companies are using different
platform of social media to reach their targeted customers and encouraged the industrial sales.
The management also analysed the market to attain competitive advantages by offering new
products as well as services.
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology is the study of topic given by individuals and senior to develop their
understanding and knowledge specifically. This is important for each individual to conduct the
analysis by receiving a topic as it can help to manage and arranging the all activities. The
methodology in relation to effect of social media on marketing is defined below:
Research Philosophy –This is the involvement of principles and activities which is decided
by an individual to collect the information and managing the data properly. This is important for
person to conduct the analysis and make right decision. Interpretivism and positivism are two
philosophies that are used to collecting the information. In context to current study,
Interpretivism philosophy is being used to develop their knowledge effectively which explains
social media is impacting positively on marketing (Tekic, and Koroteev, 2019).
Research Approach – Research approach is the involvement of planning and procedure
which is formulated for the purpose of developing their knowledge. The planning is important to
managing the data properly. Inductive and deductive are two approaches which are used to
complete the study timely. In relation to current research, the deductive approach is being used
by a researcher that helps to know about marketing and its importance by using social media.
Research Strategy – The research strategy showcases the planning that is being prepared by
individuals in order to develop their study and manage all activities. A step by step plan which is
directed to individual for the purpose of conducting research and managing all functions
systematically. This is important for individual to analysis the environment and develop the
productivity. The strategies of research are an experiment, survey, action research, case study
and grounded theory that are used to manage all functions. In relation to current research, action
research is selected by researcher to complete their study and manage the all functions
(Wiesböck, and Hess, 2020).
Research design – This could be explained as framework of research method and
techniques selected by individual for the purpose of arranging information and data. The design
of research include descriptive, and experiment that are followed to complete their study. In
relation to descriptive design is being used by researcher to manage and arrange the data
properly.
Choices of method – This is powerful research marketing tool works by simulating real life
condition and influencing a number of people that supports to complete the task. This involves
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mono, mixed, and multi-methods to conduct the study and bring new aspects to improve the
knowledge and skills effectively. In relation to current research, mono method is used by
researcher to improve their skills and knowledge regarding social media marketing that can help
to develop the organizational performance (Popkova, and Gulzat, 2019).
Time horizon – This could be explicated as period schedule which is formulated by scholar
to understand task and complete them within a certain time period. Time horizon is the period
where investment is held in case of need and fulfilled by an individual by completing the task
effectively. If all functions and activities are done in a perfect manner then could be opportunity
to grow the business and attain higher performance. This involves cross-sectional and
longitudinal horizon. In relation to current research, cross-sectional horizon is used by researcher
to complete their study.
Data analysis and collection – This means technique and procedure which is used to collect
data from different point of view by analysing environment and market. In other words, data
collection is the procedure of collecting, measuring, and analysing the accurate insights that can
help to develop the business functions and activities. The technique of data collection is
quantitative and qualitative. In relation to current research quantitative technique is used by
researcher to analysis the topic clearly.
CONCLUSION
From the report it can be concluded that social media termed to platform which is used by
individual to connect with people, sharing information, and targeting the customers for the
purpose of developing business performance and productivity. The Interpretivism and deductive
approach is used by research to complete their study and attain the higher performance.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Băeşu, C. and Bejinaru, R., 2020, July. Knowledge management strategies for leadership in the
digital business environment. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Business
Excellence (Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 646-656).
Love, P.E. and Matthews, J., 2019. The ‘how’of benefits management for digital technology:
From engineering to asset management. Automation in Construction. 107. p.102930.
Orji, C.I., 2019. Digital business transformation: towards an integrated capability framework for
digitization and business value generation. Journal of Global Business and
Technology. 15(1). pp.47-57.
Popkova, E.G. and Gulzat, K., 2019, May. Technological revolution in the 21 st century: digital
society vs. artificial intelligence. In Institute of Scientific Communications
Conference (pp. 339-345). Springer, Cham.
Steininger, D.M., 2019. Linking information systems and entrepreneurship: A review and agenda
for IT‐associated and digital entrepreneurship research. Information Systems Journal.
29(2). pp.363-407.
Tekic, Z. and Koroteev, D., 2019. From disruptively digital to proudly analog: A holistic
typology of digital transformation strategies. Business Horizons. 62(6). pp.683-693.
Wiesböck, F. and Hess, T., 2020. Digital innovations. Electronic Markets. 30(1). pp.75-86.
(Băeşu, and Bejinaru, 2020) (Love, and Matthews, 2019) (Orji, 2019) (Popkova, and Gulzat,
2019) (Steininger, 2019) (Tekic, and Koroteev, 2019) (Wiesböck, and Hess, 2020)
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