Abstract:
Retailers, both nationally and internationally, play a dominant role in supply chains, contribute largely to economies and GOP, are a major source of employment and contribute to sustainable practices. However, retailers' marketing strategies are regularly challenged due to the pressures of the external business environment, and the ever changing industry structure. Given the importance of a business being able to create a positive brand image in the minds of customers and influencing customer purchasing behavior, there is a lack of attention given to the research of the role that social media tools can play in the success of retailers. Numerous research studies have focused on determining the advantages of and impact that social media tools can have on the success of businesses, however, the impact of social media tools on the creation of a positive brand image, and influencing customer purchasing behavior is less evident. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to investigate the influence of social media tools on the brand image of retailers and how it affects customer purchasing behavior
