Power of Social Media Marketing: How Perceived Value Mediates the Impact on Restaurant Followers’ Purchase Intention, Willingness to Pay a Premium Price, and E-WoM?

Abstract

The introduction of social media in the restaurant sector has changed the manner in which customers communicate with businesses. Social media marketing activities (SMMAs), such as customization, entertainment, trendiness, and interaction may have a substantial impact on followers’ perceived value and consumer behavioral intentions. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the impact of SMMAs on restaurant social media followers’ purchase intentions (PUR), willingness to pay a premium price (WPP), and e-WoM. Additionally, drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model, we seek to explore the mediation impact of perceived value (PV) in these relationships. To achieve this, an online questionnaire was developed for data collection from a convenience sample of casual-dining restaurant followers in Saudi Arabia. A sample of 433 social media followers was studied using PLS-SEM for testing the study hypotheses. The findings highlighted the significant positive impact of SMMAs on followers’ PV, PUR, e-WoM, and WPP. Further, PV partially significantly mediated the relationship between SMMAs and their consequences. Consequently, providing relevant, up-to-date, and entertaining content; responsiveness to customer needs and feedback; and positive brand engagement significantly contributed to enhancing restaurant followers’ perceived value, which sequentially improves their purchase intention, boosts positive e-WoM, and promotes the possibility of WPP for restaurant products and services. This research provides restaurant operators and marketers with valuable insights into how SMMAs influence followers’ behavioral intentions and enhances their understanding of how perceived value can be utilized to capitalize on the benefits of social media.

Investigation of effective factors on WOM in the context of reasoned action theory of tourists preferring local restaurants: Afyonkarahisar case

“…They also found that these visitors influence the level and attempt to interact with other customers through WOM. In the age of communication, where technology has advanced, electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) communication, primarily realized by consumers sharing their experiences with other consumers and consumer candidates through various internet platforms, is also intensely alive, and people of all ages can favor it (Bushara et al , 2023). The study focuses on measuring WOM communication, one of the traditional marketing techniques, and the intention of consumers who experience local flavors to share their experiences with their immediate environment, even though e-WOM is a variable that can be evaluated within the scope of this study.…”

Satisfaction on the Driving Seat: Exploring the Influence of Social Media Marketing Activities on Followers’ Purchase Intention in the Restaurant Industry Context

“…In the fast-food restaurant context, food quality, as well as reasonable price, significantly affected PI [53]. In the SMM setting, advertising and brand reputation can also affect consumer purchase intention [16,17,54]. If a company has created an effective ad campaign that draws in customers, those who have seen the advertisement will likely be more inclined to consider buying the product.…”

“…Social media marketing activities can have a significant impact on sustainable purchasing intentions in several ways [16,60]. First, these activities can be used to promote sustainable products and practices, raising consumer awareness and interest in these issues.…”

“…In response to the recommendations of Bushara et al [16], in addition to the fact that most previous studies have examined the influence of SMMAs, as a whole, on the consumers' PI and satisfaction, we attempt in this study to uncover the individual impact of each element of SMMAs namely CUST, ENTR, TRND, and INTR on consumers' attitudes and behavior toward satisfaction and purchase intention, instead of assessing the effect of SMMAs as a whole. We believe this research can provide valuable insights into the direct and indirect effect of each element on these relationships.…”

“…We believe this research can provide valuable insights into the direct and indirect effect of each element on these relationships. Furthermore, although some previous studies have suggested a substantial association between SMMAs and purchase intention (i.e., [16][17][18]), there have also been some studies that have found that the influence of SMMAs or some of them was not significant [6,[19][20][21]. This has produced inconsistent findings and suggests the need for further empirical research in order to gain a better understanding of the SMMAs-purchase intention relationship.…”