A Study of Consumer Purchase Behavior Toward Areej’s Online Marketing Channels: A Comparative Analysis of Brand-Owned Platforms and LAAM

Abstract

This project examined the reason behind the fact that Areej, a Pakistani fashion brand is driving 75 percent of its sales over the Internet using the third-party marketplace LAAM; however, its own websites and social media platforms are only pushing 22 percent of sales. The main aim was to learn the consumer behavior in terms of purchase behavior across platforms and suggest ways of minimizing platform dependency. The main source of information was a survey of 120 online fashion buyers and interviews with the management of Areej. It was found that 68% of consumers are more likely to use LAAM because they trust it more, have a more professional interface, obvious customer reviews, explicit return policies, and secure payment options. The SWOT root cause analysis and the Brand Resonance Model by Keller have demonstrated poor site usability, low trust indicators, poor social media strategy, and low digital advertising to be some of the weaknesses. An online pilot (December 2025) established on the website (adding banners of returns, reviews), rearranging the social media (testimonials, live shopping, clear CTAs), trust signals (WhatsApp support), and focused advertising. Findings revealed a 9 percent decrease in bounce rate, 36-second gain in session length, add-to-cart rate actually rose to 4.1 percent, the number of return policy inquiries decreased by 37.5 percent, and the number of clicks on the web site through social media increased by nearly two times. Instagram followers grew from 118,000 to 119,000. A PKR 50,000 advertisement campaign had the 2.56 percentage of a click through rate and 47 direct sales. An implementation strategy (3 phases in January-March 2026) and a technology investment strategy (PKR 1.65-2.0 million) were created. According to long-term forecasts, the LAAM dependency will be able to drop to 45, which will create PKR 10.8 million more profit per year and create a database of 20,000+ customers to create personalized marketing. This project concludes that digital alignment, in terms of enhancing trust signals, user experience, and content, allows brands to decrease their reliance on the marketplace and attain a sustainable growth online. Minor, low investments can bring quantitative outcomes, yet it requires a long-term commitment.