Impact of Social Media Marketing on Consumer Purchasing Decisions for Clothing Products in Mthatha

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of social media marketing on consumer clothing purchase decisions in Mthatha, a low-income, semi-urban area in South Africa. Despite the widespread adoption of social media marketing across the country, its effectiveness in regions with limited internet access and high price sensitivity remains underexplored. Grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Commitment Trust Theory, the study builds on existing literature to understand how digital strategies perform in under-resourced settings. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was employed using a structured questionnaire administered to 290 university students. Structural equation modelling revealed that all three marketing strategies, content strategy (β = 0.488), target audience (β = 0.249), and platform selection (β = 0.213), significantly and positively influenced purchase decisions. Among these, content strategy had the strongest impact, highlighting the importance of engaging and relevant messaging. The findings offer practical implications for marketers, researchers, and academic institutions by demonstrating that well-tailored social media campaigns can be effective even in digitally constrained environments. This research adds unique value by providing empirical evidence from a previously under-researched context, broadening the applicability of digital marketing theory to diverse socio-economic settings and affirming the potential of social platforms to influence consumer behavior in emerging markets.