Investigating into the influence of social media on the buying pattern of consumers in the restaurants and fast food industry in Pakistan

Abstract

In this 21st century, the social media has become a vital part of our lives. People of middle age group and specially teenagers spend most of their time using various social media tools like facebook, youtube, twitter, etc. Also, the trend of dining out from restaurants and food outlets is very common these days and it is increasing with each passing day. Multiple business including the food provider companies have now shifted their marketing strategies from conventional to online. This research aims at finding out the influence these online marketing strategies have on the food industry consumers’ decision making and purchase behavior. The previous research work in this regard confirmed the advent of technology and reliance of general public on technology including the social media tools. The findings of this research confirmed that the shift of marketing and promotion methods of food providing companies from orthodox to online has certainly influenced the consumers’ decision making and purchase behavior. But the social media is very much different to the conventional electronic or print media. On social media, the communication is two way and the concept of mutual decision making is strengthening. The companies need to realize this aspect as soon as possible to try and tailor their marketing strategies accordingly. Another unique aspect of social media platforms is that its user demands better customer relationship from the businesses. So, the food provider businesses need to increase their availability through social media to satisfy the consumer demands.