Gender and Social Media in Product Innovation Searching Process

Abstract

Social media is one of the most important and popular platforms to exchange information on new products and services. Social media is particularly important for purchasing decisions by young adults, called Millennials. The main goal of the article is to examine the role of social media in obtaining information on innovative products by Millennials. In addition, the research analyses differences in perceptions of the role social media plays in the purchasing process, including the gender of surveyed buyers. The hypotheses are based on a conceptual model utilising the theory of innovation diffusion and the theory of consumer behaviour. We used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) as a research method. The research sample consisted of buyers representing the Millennial generation. The findings confirmed the positive impact of the selected factors on using social media to search for innovative products. The study also confirmed gender differences in perceptions of the importance of social media. The biggest differences between men and women relate to assessing the importance of information availability, convenience, and habit.