Exploring Social Media's Role in the Australian Retail Industry

This literature review examines the applications of social media within the Australian retail sector, focusing on its role in promotion, advertising, and customer communication. It highlights the increasing reliance of Australian retailers on social networking sites to attract and engage customers. The review synthesizes findings from various articles, reporting the positive impacts of social media strategies and recommending their implementation to boost product sales. With a significant portion of the Australian population active on social media platforms, the retail sector has a substantial opportunity to capture customer attention and facilitate easy access to products and services through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Running Head: RETAIL SECTOR 0
Retail sector and social media

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Table of Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Objective...........................................................................................................................................2
Project scope.....................................................................................................................................2
Literature review...............................................................................................................................2
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................8
References...........................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
Social media is the term that used for a range of internet uses that permit consumers to make
content and communicate with each other (Ngai et al., 2015). Everywhere in the world,
customary retail is being intruded upon by retail business start-ups. As the offline and online
worlds battle it out for the part of the purchaser’s wallet (Godey et al., 2016). Retail sectors
are using new approaches (Ramanathan, Subramanian, and Parrott, 2017). The social media
is emerging in the retail sector of Australia to attract the consumers to buy their products and
become loyal customers (Broekemier, Chau, and Seshadri, 2015). The social media became a
key factor to connect with lots of customer in a very little period of time and almost all the
retail companies are suing this strategy to develop their brand value (Broekemier, Chau, and
Seshadri, 2015). In 2017, the usual Australian retail products on Instagram produced 1,060
connections per post (Venkatesh, and Akdevelioglu, 2017).
Objective
Objective of this literature review is to examine different perspective and outcomes of
research article related to the applications of social media in retail sectors of Australia.
Project scope
In this assessment report various articles will be reviewed to comprehend the use of social
sites in the retail sector of Australia and how it impacts the sector
Literature review
Applications of Social media in retail
According to an article published in The Guardian (2012), the social media provide retail
trademarks a chance to develop a connection with numerous consumers and also connect
them independently; it can be applied to form a communal, creating appointment and
increasing sales. The social media opens up the business and customer’s communications.

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And the benefits of those are direct line of communication is that the customers start to sense
part of the business (The Guardian, 2012)
Nearly 99 per cent of Australian people have an internet facilitated device; maximum people
have 3, and 76 percent of individuals practice their cell phones to use the internet. Nearly 87
percent of them are connected every day (Cao, and Li, 2015). About 50 percent (nine million
Australian people older than fourteen) are on social media once in a day and four million
remain online more than five times in a day (Keinänen, and Kuivalainen, 2015). These
individuals have about 409 networks or associates through all their social media linkages
such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the regular number of groups
(Commonsense Marketing, 2018). The Era has altered, and with the progression in
knowledge and technology, the way people connect and hang out with other people has
changed (Go, and You, 2016). Or, more precisely, customers have found novel ways to
connect through numerous social media sites or application (Lacka, and Chong, 2016).
According to Kim, Lim, and Brymer (2015), the social media is yet teenager in relation to the
Internet, however it is fast flattering an important constituent of the net and all that it
proposes (He, Shen, Tian, Li, Akula, Yan, and Tao, 2015). Widespread has exposed some
stimulating statistics: in august 2017, more than 50 percent of the global population are using
internet (He et al., 2015). Particularly observing social media, nearly 3 billion users are there
worldwide, up by 4 percent (about 120 million) from April 2017. These numbers display the
cumulative phenomenal development of social media, which additionally lures industries into
be contingent on it (Batrinca, and Treleaven, 2015).
Article 1
Aim

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Ainin, Parveen, Moghavvemi, Jaafar, and Mohd Shuib (2015), conducted a study on different
SMEs of Australia aimed to examine the aspects that effect Facebook practice amongst minor
and middle enterprises (SMEs). Additionally, it inspects the influence of Facebook practice
on economic and non-economic presentation of the SMEs.
Method
Using combined model, this study inspected the effect of compatibility, cost efficiency,
interactivity and belief on Facebook practice and its following influence on company’s
presentation. Statistical examines were founded on the figures collected, by using review
questionnaire form 259 SMEs. Partial Least Square (PLS) practice was applied to examine
the theories.
Results
The study exposed that Facebook practices has a robust optimistic influence on commercial
presentation of SMEs; likewise it was also revealed that Facebook application absolutely
influences the nonfinancial functions of SMEs in relation to cost decrease on advertising and
customer facility, developed client associations and better data accessibility. Moreover,
aspects like cost efficiency, compatibility and interactivity was recognized as features that
effect Facebook practice amongst SMEs (Ainin, et al., 2015)
Article 2
Aim
Srinivasan, Lilien, and Rangaswamy (2002) conducted a study that aimed to examine the
effect of social broadcasting on fast fashion e-commerce international businesses and to
recognize the goals of companies adapting social media and why they accept it as the
advertising approach to encounter their extended objectives.

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Method
This research reading used a qualitative method which includes of main and secondary
information to conduct investigation and collect empirical indication to assess the
investigation aims and queries and to seal the hole that earlier researches have not adequately
enclosed. This thesis included the usage of a manifold case study by questioning four global
fast fashion companies based in Australia. The investigator applied a face to face meeting
technique and phone method. In entire ten (10) conversations have been accompanied.
Results
The growth of internet has assisted numerous fast fashion e-commerce industries to apply
social media as the commercial approach. The development of e-commerce industries in each
type of trade sizes have augmented over in the previous years. E-commerce industries use
this kind of commerce to be capable to fascinate new clients and most specifically to extent
and sell goods both globally and nationally. Inaugural online stores for trades have developed
a very well-known method for e-commerce companies to deliver goods and facilities online
to their possible clients as this has too developed an active retail approach. It is actually
significant that each type of trade or size to respond to their client’s negative notes on social
media with optimistically (Wamba, and Carter, 2016).
Article 3
Aim
Curtis, Edwards, Fraser, Gudelsky, Holmquist, Thornton, and Sweetser, (2010) Directed a
study to inspect the adaptation of social media for public relation by the no profit
organisations.
Method

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This study of 409 non-profit community associations’ practitioners used the combined
philosophy of acceptance and application of social media. By an online analysis, the
researchers engaged the UTAUT to clarify acceptance and administrative usage of social
media. The review measured communal media implementation and its relation to functioning
expectation, effort expectation, social effect, facilitating circumstances, voluntariness of
usage, self-effectiveness, and nervousness. UTAUT queries were presented as declarations to
which contributors designated their contract on a five-point scale. The review also engaged a
trustworthiness scale founded on Johnson and Kaye’s (2004) broadcasting trustworthiness
items to conclude how reliable defendants sense toward social means. Respondents replied
questions on the five-rating Likert scale to define grade of fairness, correctness, and
complexity of social media and to see the sights of the present usage of social media (Curtis
et al., 2010).
Results
The outcomes of this reading showed that social media sites or applications are turning in to
helpful approaches of connecting people and for public relations experts in the non-profit
area. Companies with clear public relations sections are more probable to accept social media
skills and apply them to attain their administrative goals. In adding, public relations experts
are more possible to adapt social media gears if they discover them reliable. Social media
procedures will turn into more plentiful as public relations specialists developed watchful of
their efficiency in respects to getting target spectators, promoting an exact cause, and further
emerging communication approaches.
Article 4

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Aim
Edosomwan, Prakasan, Kouame, Watson, and Seymour, 2011 conducted a study to examine
the history of social media usage. In this particular article, the writers define features and the
development of social media, counting major social interacting sites that derived into
presence throughout the current century. Certain of the online sites discussed comprise
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, youtube, CyWorld, and LunarStorm.
Method
The plan of Edosomwan et al. (2011) was to complete this study from the historical growth
of social media to its present day viewpoint. The writers also observed at the meaning of
social media, its idea and use in the presents days in retail sector
Results
Edosomwan et al. (2011), revealed the important aspect for the achievement of social media
is discussion. When the social media online site is applied for a business, it increases the
discussion through calls that can spell out the product name. A business need to be truthfully
devoted towards discussion by social media, as greatly as the clients are. The businesses
should take interval to analysis the discussion and must offer time and exertion to answer to
client’ replies. Online sites are cost-effective technique for advertising actions. It was applied
by industries originally to advertise goods and facilities at a negligible cost. Throughout the
time when businesses do not have adequate cash, they had to develop watchful about when,
where, and from whom they can buy the goods and facilities, and the slump caused in the
absence of faith in industries.
According to Carraher, Buchanan, and Puia (2010) due to the extreme circumstances of the
budget, businesses made numerous unethical choices which exaggerated clients harmfully;

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this is situation the online sites plays its part. It was the greatest cheap method of promotion
and marketing, nevertheless also offered its product that was dependable to the clients. Social
media permitted two-way connection among brands and the clients and permitted consumers
to respond to the worries of the clients (Constantinides, Romero, and Boria, 2008). As the
consequence, if there was no answer from the commercial about the worries, the clients
would reflect the business as not trustworthy. Furthermore, the corporation might misplace
the product loyalty and trustworthiness (Agnihotri, Dingus, Hu, and Krush, 2016). Social
media sites are not only the place to advertise the goods and facilities of a business, but as
well as a place to interrelate with the clients to try and resolve their difficulties. Social media
is currently a main player in greatest people’s business lives (Mitic, and Kapoulas, 2012).
According to Anderson, Sims, Price, and Brusa, (2011), Social linkage sites have potential to
be the following generation of e-commerce appliances and are touching quickly in that way.
Dealers and tacticians are keen to touch a logic of earnestness in understanding and testing
with straight trade within these sites; early agents will have a hard basis on which to shape
their social trade capabilities as the stand evolves. As continuously, seeking knowledge what
does not use will be as significant as knowledge what does (He et al., 2015). Businesses must
be seeing targeted struggles all sideways this pathway, while assimilating social media as the
part of the central multi-channel approach (Park, Kee, and Valenzuela, 2009).
Conclusion
Social media is the term that can apply a variety of application that allows the customers to
content and connect with other people. The retail sectors are attracting towards the usage of
social media usage in the area of promotion, advertising and communicating with the clients
directly. Particularly in Australia the retail sectors are growing the major users of internets or
social networking sites to attract the customers. Various articles have been reported the

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positive use of this technology and recommend the trades or business to implement this
approach in order to increase the product sells. Most of the Australian people are now on the
social media sites and spending their maximum time on these sites. The retail sector have the
opportunity to gain the attention of maximum clients by accessing these sites and allowing
them to view the products easily. Some of the sites like Facebook, twitter, YouTube etc. are
the sites that mostly used by the customers. The companies targeting those sites to emerge in
the business. The growth of e-commerce businesses in every type of occupation sizes have
improved over in the prior years. The results of different readings presented that social media
sites or their uses are turning in to useful tactics of linking individuals and for public relations
authorities in the retail sector.

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