E- The impact of social influences on purchasing decisions : the mediating role of Brand love ( Applied on Smartphones in Egypt )

Table of Contents
Abstract ——————————————————————————————- 3
Introduction ————————————————————————————– 4
Research questions ——————————————————————————6
Research objectives —————————————————————————–6
Research importance ————————————————————————— 6
Research definition —————————————————————————– 8
Literature review ——————————————————————————–10
Proposed model ———————————————————————————13
Hypotheses ————————————————————————————–13
Methodology ———————————————————————————–14
Schedule of measures ————————————————————————-15
Limitations ————————————————————————————-16
Appendix —————————————————————————————17
Reference ————————————————————————————–19
3
• Abstract :-
This paper aims to examine the mediating role of brand love in the relationship of social
influences and purchasing decision ;When analyzing the psychological habits of customers
while they love the brand, customers can be directed to purchase a specific brand like
smart phone product through Social Influences; in addition, statistical analysis to
investigate this causal relationship to know the impact of social influences on purchasing
decisions to customer .Therefore, in this study the data obtained from 385 smartphone
users who repurchased a smartphone over 3 years and the Data processing and testing of
hypotheses and models in this study are based on Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).
The sample type is convenient the data was collected through structured questionnaire
with a five-point Likert scale and the data analysis among the factors by Smart pls .
The study investigates the impact of social influences on purchasing decision in the
presence of brand love as the mediating role.
• Keywords:
purchase decision ; brand love; social influences; smartphones; psychological habits ;
repurchase ;causal relationship ;future decision .
4
• Introduction :-
In these days the smartphones are a very important part of our daily life (Goldman,
2010; Shin, 2012; Filieri et al., 2017). All individuals around the world have owned the
modern smartphones at 40% or 3.2 billion people, the special brands of smartphones
have a very expensive segment its price around 400 dollars ,some of companies like
APPLE global company has used to make a cheap segment by advanced materials and
qualified equipment .The most of market share around 57% to APPEL company and
then Samsung and Huawei(Counterpoint research, 2020).
Due to technological changes and the diversity of demand in line with customers’
desires, companies manufacture many types of smartphones to target the largest
segment of customers, using different and converging technologies that make the
purchase decision as difficult as possible. (Seduram, Perumal, Shaari,2016a).
The purchase decision is one of the most difficult decisions to the buyer, and in most
cases, he needs someone who trusts his opinion, and here comes the role of social
influences .
In the beginning, what does the word “Social Fluence” mean? They are people who
have the ability to control or influence in the decisions, emotions, and thoughts of an
individual or a group of individuals (followers) and direct them to make a specific
decision about a product over others, using of Social Influences on different social
platforms and with a degree of confidence and knowledge.( Fiske, S. T. 1993).
There are also many ways to influence customer decisions, including those who work in
the smartphone store or relatives, peers, and friends also consumers choose their phones
to imitate others who make the purchase (Argo et al., 2005; Chebat et al., 2014; Zhang.
et al., 2014) In the opinion of others, consumers make the purchase to enhance their
social hobby(Kirova and Vo Thanh, 2019).
And then I will talk about a very difficult and complex process its customer’s purchase
decision .
5
Can be defined the purchasing decision as the process that leads the customers from
identifying a need to want . The decisions are varied, some are as simple as choosing
shoes , and some are large like purchasing home, the last one need a huge effort to
choose it.( Keller, K. L. 2001).
Purchasing decisions change under the power of social influences information, price,
value that can be obtained and quality. Purchasing behavior is a main point for reaching
and evaluating the product. There are also external and internal motives that affect
consumers during the purchasing process. (Gogoi, 2013).
Customers always think that when the packaging is simple, the price is low, and the
product is unknown, it is a high risk (Gogoi, 2013).
Now it’s turned to talk about brand love Brands are very important in the consumer’s
life. in this study brand love is the mediating role between the relationship of social
influences and purchasing decision .
Love is “something about passion, excitement, and a hunger to lose the self or achieve
union” Aron, E.N. and Aron, A. (1996).
Consumers create relationships and feelings with brands and express those feelings
through a love story.
The paper is organized as follows . The next parts are:
• Research problem
• Research Objective
• Research importance
• Research definitions
• Literature review
• Proposed model
• Hypotheses
• Methodology
• Schedule of measures
• Limitations
• Appendix
• Reference
6
• Research questions :-
The research began with the following questions:
“Why does customer repurchase smartphones?
Thus, this study investigated the impact of social influences on purchasing process
and when they repurchase a smartphone, through the following questions:
1. What are the factors that influence on the customer in purchasing decision process ?
2. Dose brand love playing the mediating role in this relation ?
3. What is the role of social influences ?
• Research Objective
This research has several objective that I will talk about it :
1. Determine the factor that influence on purchasing decision .
2. Explain the role of social influences .
3. Investigate the mediating role to brand love in this process.
4. Explore the relationship between factors .
• Research importance :-
Theoretical importance:
The research has benefits in enriching knowledge and clarity in social media
influences as a new concept in Egypt and increasing awareness in helping the
consumers to take the purchasing decision .
in the presence of the mediating role of the brand love .
Investigating the role of social media influences to make difference in smartphones
market.
7
• Practical importance :-
Social influences encourage consumers to take a purchasing decision on condition with
these people trusted and reliable opinion .
Now I will talk about practical importance for this study :
• Helping companies to gain more and more profit .
• Illustrate more information about product usage .
• Exploring a lot of smartphones product to consumers.
• Helping consumers to take right purchasing decision .
• Social influences tested any smartphones to show the advantage and disadvantage .
8
• Research definitions :-
Definitions Author Year
Brand Love :
▪ One author defines brand love as the degree of
obsessive emotions toward the brand love .
▪ Brand love can be defined as the square of
dimensional dependence, affiliation, assimilation,
and exclusivity.
▪ The researcher defines brand love as the degree of
likeness toward brands because a lot of motivates
and memories .
(Caroll and
Ahuvia )
( Rubin )
The
researcher
2006
1970
2021
Social influences :
▪ Social influences can be defined as individuals
make interactions with other to make changes in
felling , thoughts, and behaviors .
▪ Another defined as Influencing individuals and
groups to assist in selection is a prominent concept
in understanding group behavior.
▪ The researcher can define as people who make
changes in consumer decision by tested and turned
on the product to know the advantage and
disadvantage .
(Hu, Chen,
&Davison).
(Zhao et
al.,).
The
researcher
2019
2018
2021
9
Purchasing decision :
▪ during considering and evaluating product Purchase
behavior is a main point for consumers
Consumer’s purchase decision is very difficult.
▪ Another author defines that the
purchase decision is future plan to purchase
specific products and this plan may be implemented
or may not be implemented .
▪ The researcher can be defined the purchasing
decision as its need lead to make future decision
Based on acknowledge and information .
Keller
Warsha and
Davis
The
researcher
2001
1985
2021
10
The paper is organized as follows . The next part is literature reviews on variables of
research
• Literature review :-
1. Social influences :
Now adays a lot of people purchase smartphones by directed by social influences to help
consumer to take right purchasing decision . can impact a focal customer’s thoughts,
feelings, and behaviour during a retail shopping experience” (Argo and Dahl, 2020,
p. 25)
the theory of Bales (1950) He found a difference in each other versus another and by
researching in this rang , the inequality in the influence of group members in the specific
direction to accomplish the different tasks.
French and Raven (1959) provided new concept to social media influences are agents of
change included not just individuals and groups, but also norms and roles. They viewed
social influence as the outcome of the exertion of social power from one of five bases:
reward power, coercive power, legitimate power, expert power, or referent power.
Social influence network theory, as described by Friedkin (1998), It has its origins in
the collective works . This theory is based on two stages, the weighted average of the
influential opinions, and the second stage is the weighted average of the other, i.e., the
opinions of the group.
Harkins et al., 2017 saw in psychology and sociology, social influence is one of the most
important and broadest fields in research and scrutiny. In our daily lives, each of us tries to
influence others and their decisions by using various methods. For example, we may try to
persuade our friends to take a specific outing to a place and we also educate our children
and direct them to do things. In return, we give them gifts and rewards, and also try to
convince our academic colleagues that our theory is correct through some arguments to
guide their opinions.
11
In the study of Smartphone use during shopping and store loyalty: The role of social
influence (2021). In this paper, mobile means a smartphone that offers numerous functions
such as a camera, Internet access, multimedia players, mobile application downloads (for
banking, shopping, travelling, working, etc.), and so on. Mobile and smartphone are used
as synonymous in this paper. Second, it investigates a significant moderation role of social
influence in the relationships between smartphone use, store value and store loyalty.
Some consumers can be influenced by other consumers opinion ,friends, relatives, and
pears .
2. Purchasing decision :
What customers think in their top of mind and will purchase in the future the this is
purchase intention (Blackwell et al.,2001).
When the intent to purchase is strong, there is a high probability of buying a particular
product. The purchase decision can be defined as the possibility of the consumer to make
the actual purchase, by determining the intensity of the purchase in the study to (Dodds et
al., 1991; Schiffman & Kanuk 2000).
In the study to (Kotler &Armstrong 2010) the purchasing decision is very important
construct to consumers intention behavior.
Now adays the smartphones market is highly developed .smartphones are used in a lot of
things like make communication with distance people but also provides service
convenience, comfort, entertainment, email, internet, music, videos, games, etc. to the
users. The Smartphone has diverse usages to different users . Uddin, M. R., Lopa, N. Z.,
& Oheduzzaman, M. (2014).
When consumers want to purchase a smartphone influence by some factors like brand love
, mobile features and physical attributes which includes physical characteristics of mobile
phone like. Uddin, M. R., Lopa, N. Z., & Oheduzzaman, M. (2014).
12
In study to author the factors affecting purchase decision of Smartphone by identified five
independent factors that affect the purchase decision of Smartphone, which include price,
compatibility, security, and social influence and consumer innovations.
In this paper the factor affecting purchase decision of smartphone by identified
independent factor which include social influences and the brand love as a mediating role .
3. Brand love :
Brand love is a new construct in the marketing literature customer behavior few peoples
are still known about this construct (Thomson, MacInnis and Park 2005).
the authors defined that love is a psychological state ( Aron and Aron 1996).
As the degree of emotions toward the brands as some author defines (Caroll and Ahuvia
2005).In another study Brand love can be defined as the square of dimensional
dependence, affiliation, assimilation, and exclusivity.
Carroll & Ahuvia (2006) outline brand love as “the degree of lustful emotional
attachment that an individual has for a selected brand. Most existent studies on whole love
establish their basis from social love theory and apply interpersonal love theories to the
promoting context. Consumers will expertise feelings of affection towards a whole
(Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006; Batra et al., 2012).
Brand love can also be defined as three-dimensional construct which is made of affiliation
and dependence, predilection to help and absorption and exclusivity (Rubin 1970).
Loyal customers make long term and deep relationship with lovely brand that they
purchase it more and more.
In this study the researcher can be defined brand love as the degree of likeness toward
brands because a lot of motivates and memories .
13
•Proposed model and hypotheses :-
• Proposed model:
• Hypotheses :-
• H1: Social influences decision directly and positively impacts purchasing
decision .
• H2: Brand love directly and positively purchasing decision .
• H3: Social influences decision directly and positively impacts brand love .
• H4 : Brand love playing the mediating role in this relation .
Social
influence
Purchasing
decision
Brand LOVE
14
• Methodology :-
In order to achieve the objectives of this research work and to test the hypotheses proposed,
a quantitative correlation approach has been used Explaining the design of the study causal
approach target population is the customer who is a user to smartphone . Sample type is
convenient chosen from a separate numbered sample total of 509 people responded. The
respondents are smartphone users who repurchased a smartphone over 3 years.
Questionnaire design was used as research instrument to collect data and information, and
its parts were designed through making use of literature that concerned research subject and
they were adjusted in a way that suits the research goal. It contains three main parts, the first
is includes (6) paragraphs concerns social influences variable, and (8) Paragraphs concerns
purchasing decision variable. And the last variable is brand love consist of (6) paragraphs .
The second part is including definite information about the sample .
The data used in this study are based on a five-fold (Likert) scale (Agree completely, Agree,
Neutral, don’t agree, don’t agree strongly), weighing (1, 2, 3, 4 5) successively to ensure that
the questionnaire meets the research objective. The Study in 2020 in Egypt . The relationship
between each of the dependent variables and the selected independent variables was checked
by amous software confirmatory factor analysis. Social influences had a heavy impact on
purchasing decision and mediating role to brand love .
15
• Schedule of measures :-
Objective hypotheses Construct operational
definition measures
sources of
measures
Understanding
the
role of
social influences
in influencing
on purchasing
decision
Social
influences
directly
and
positively
impacts
purchasing
decision
Social
Influences
The researcher can
define as people
who make changes
in consumer
decision by tested
and turned on the
product to know the
advantage and
disadvantage .
People who
are
important to
me think
that
I should use
innovative
new
technologies
when
shopping
Venkatesh et
al.
(2003)
Understanding
the
role of
purchasing
decision in this
relationship
Purchasing
decision
directly
and
positively
Purchasing
decision
The researcher can
be defined the
purchasing decision
as its need lead to
make future
decision
Based on
acknowledge and
information .
(Product) is
very
important to
me
Mittal (1989)
Understanding of
how consumers
expirees about
their brand
preference and
brand love
Social
influences
directly and
positively
impact brand
love.
Brand love
the degree of
passionate
and emotional
attachment that
a person
has for a
particular
trade name
this is a
wonderful
brand?
Caroll and
Ahuvia’s
Brand Love
Scale (2006)
16
• Limitations :-
First: Spatial limits: in Egypt will be applied and in smartphone market .
Second: Human Limits: The study is limited to smartphone users
Third: Time limits: where the data will be collected in November 2021.
Fourth: Objective: an objective environment :
the study can investigate the mediating role to brand love between social influences as an
independent variable and purchasing decision as dependent variable .