This document provides an overview of the introduction chapter of a dissertation on how social media influences customer purchase intentions. It introduces the topic, outlines the research background on how businesses are using social media for marketing. It then discusses the luxury fashion industry in India and how the brand Armani specifically uses social media. The chapter concludes by stating the research aim is to analyze how social media impacts customer purchase intentions for Armani in India and identifying the key factors influencing purchases in the luxury fashion industry.

1. MMN223633 Dissertation
Answer:
Chapter 1: Research Introduction
Introduction
The relevant study intends to offer a comprehensive analysis on how every popularized
platforms of social media such has a considerate influence in the purchase intentions of
customers while the platform had found a considerable increase in its utility among
business organization. Based on that premise, the considerate focus of this section of the
study set out the nature as well as purpose of the study that sets out the structure of the
narrative as well as introduces the topics that are being investigated in its context. Hence,
the relevant chapter details out on the aim, objectives and rationale of the study while
summarizing a background that seems relevant to the subject of the study.
Research Background
Business organizations are utilizing different ways in order to attract customers nowadays
in which the platform of social media plays its significant role in capturing the attention of
the customer (Rasool, Shah and Tanveer 2021). In the modern age of business, social media
plays its vital role as an effective platform by facilitating interactions between organizations
and customers. As much as it has seen its usefulness in increasing loyalty of a brand as well
as providing aid in customer services, the virtual platform has proved itself as one that has
more to offer when it comes to engaging with brands (Shareef et al. 2019). In the purpose of
facilitating engagement between businesses and customers, organizations have considered
developing strategies that are effective in their way of exposure to the users of social media.
The strategies being devised in that correspondence sees to attract customers to a certain
brand while in turn see to make its presence aware to a large set of people thus granting
adequate exposure. It is with that correspondence, the present study intends to analyze the
influence being exerted by the platform of social media in the purchase intentions of the
customers (Iankova et al. 2019). It sees to base its explorative analysis on the fashion
brands for the sector has certainly seemed to utilize the platform of social media effectively
in order to attract customers during the pandemic. Hence the considerate purpose of the
study is to analyze the influence of social media in the purchase intentions of young
customers based in India towards luxury fashion brands and their products (Bilgin, 2018).

2. With that being stated, the relevant study sees to bear reference of the luxurious fashion
brand of Armani for understanding its usage of social media platform in order to
understand how it influences the customer’s purchasing behavior.
Industry Overview
Luxury fashion is a prominent sector of business in India that had seemed to incur a
tremendous rate of growth during the last few years. While seeking to utilize high quality
products in its production, the fashion industry in India is known to charge high prices as
well due to its luxurious essence. However, the reason why the price is being charged so
high is because of the fact that it constitutes the value of the brand as well as its quality
(Gage and Pasricha 2020). As much as the concept of fashion has seemed to alter gradually,
it has led towards development of luxurious fashion industries across the globe. In
consideration of the demography that the market seems to attract, the segment constitutes
the young populaces that attributes to ninety percent of the share of customers in the
fashion industry of India. The brands are further known to utilize different methods in
order to attract customers towards the brand while the industry has seemed to witness
more personalization in its sector compared to that of other sectors (Kuldova 2020).
Following the advent of Internet, the entire business sector has seemed to revolutionize
although in case of luxurious fashion products the relevant industry has seemed to make its
effective utility by attracting customers and thereupon increase the market share of its
product. It is in that regards, social media has come to serve as an effective toolset for its
considerable impact on the customer’s purchase intention while it plays its vital role in
motivating the customers for them to be influenced in purchasing a product (Gupta and
Banerjee 2019). The contents being displayed in the platform of social media as well as
various types of interaction it facilitates seems to influence the customers in their purchase
which in the case of luxury fashion industry relates with enhancing the visual appeal of a
product with the help of social media.
Company Overview
Armani has its luxurious fashion brand established all across India as it sees to operate
among the major cities in India while intending to serve a large number of customers who
are mainly young. The brand being one of the most recognized is known to manufacture,
distribute as well as retail fashion and lifestyle products. In that regards, the brand sees to
offer apparels, eyewear, accessories, watches, home interiors, jewelries fragrances as well
as home interiors under differing range of names such as Emporio Armani, Giorgio Armani
or A/X Armani Exchange (IANNELLI 2018). With Giorgio Armani being the only shareholder
of the brand, the fashion brand intend to cater to different segments of the market and
gradually went on to become one of the strongest fashion luxury brand in the world
(Odoardi 2019). As per the relevant marketing strategy, Armani chooses to utilize the
platform of social media for the purpose of reaching to a large number of customers and
further see to capture the attention of the customers.

3. Consumer Buying Decision Process
The framework of buying decision process relates to the overall decision making process
that consumers undertake in consideration of potential transaction market before, after or
during the purchase of a service or a product. It entails the process of identifying need
recognition while deeming it as a part of the consumer decision making process (Stankevich
2017). In consideration of the stages that seemed to be followed under the consumer
decision making process there are mainly five of them that eventually leads to the final
stage of product purchase. It initiates from the stage of problem or need recognition and
consecutively goes through information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase and
finally leads to the stage of post purchase behavior.
Research Aim
The purpose of the study is to analyze the impact of social media on the purchasing
behavior of the customers on the basis of which the study has opted the fashion industry of
India for it being a relevant sector that sees to attract customers. In that consideration, the
study has opted the luxurious fashion brand Armani while seeing to relate its social media
marketing strategies and analyze the considerable role it plays in influencing the purchase
behavior of the customers. In its evaluative scope, the study will intend to assess different
factors that has affected the customer’s purchase intentions in the luxury fashion industry
with the considerate focus exerted on the young populaces for them being the one targeted
by the relevant industry.
Research Objectives
To analyze the impact of social media on the purchase intentions of customers in Armani
India
To assess the significance of social media in the purchase intention of young customers in
the luxury fashion industry in India
To provide suitable recommendations for Armani India in improving customer purchase
intention through social media
To identify the different factors that are affecting the purchase intentions of customers in
the Indian fashion luxury industry
Research Question
How social media impact the purchase intentions of customers in Armani India?
What is the significance of social media in the purchase intention of young customers in the
luxury fashion industry?
What suitable alternatives can be recommended for Armani India in improving customer
purchase intention through social media?
Which factors tend to affect the purchase intentions of customers in the Indian fashion
luxury industry?
Research Hypothesis

4. H0: Social media does not have any influence on the purchase intentions of India’s young
consumers of Armani
H1: Social media has a positive influence on the purchase intentions of India’s young
consumers of Armani.
Research Rationale
The relevant study intends to offer insight on how the platform of social media bears an
impact on the purchase intentions of the young customers while basing its context towards
the luxury fashion brands of India. In that regards, the study will seem to help an
organization in developing strategies for social media in order for it to attract consumers.
Armani already uses the platform of social media for the purpose of maintaining
engagement with customers and at the same time seeing to increase the awareness of the
brand. On that aspect, the present research will help in identifying the factors that are
influential in regulating the purchase intentions of the customers thereupon showcasing the
significance of social media in influencing those factors. Hence, it will provide an insight on
how the social media platform sees to influence customer’s purchasing behavior while at
the same time indicating factors that an organization needs to remain considerate towards
while developing social media marketing strategies.
Significance Of The Research
In consideration of the stated purpose and the objectives that needs to be fulfilled, the study
can prove to be insightful for the research community to understand how customers can be
influenced with social media thereupon indicate the role of online technology in deploying
marketing strategies. Furthermore, the relevant issue being discussed in the context will
further help in understanding the theories relevant with that of customer purchase
behavior and thereupon analyze its correspondence with the new age of marketing through
social media. As the research has not been conducted before on the organization of Armani,
the relevant study can prove to be insightful as it offers a different perspective while being
based on a particular brand. The considerate brand has not been researched in regards to
how it utilizes social media as a platform for influencing the customer’s purchase behaviors
that the study intends to fulfill with a comprehensive evaluation.
Overview Of Research Method
For the relevant study to be conducted, the researcher has opted a quantitative approach
while incorporating the philosophy of interpretivism accounted with Deductive approach.
With the considerate aim of devising theories the quantitative approach will see to utilize
the technique of survey for the relevant study to be able to attain the stated objectives.

5. Chapter 2: Literature Review
Introduction
In the words of Paul and Criado (2020), literature review indicates the search as well as the
evaluation of literature present on a given subject where it sees to synthesize the availed
information into a brief summarization. As such, while surveying on scholarly articles,
books that are relevant to a particular issue or area of a research, literature review
undertakes theoretical connotation and in implementing so helps provide a description,
summary as well as a critical evaluation of the research problem being investigated in a
particular context (Snyder 2019). Based on that premise, the relevant chapter of the study
sees to conduct a literature review while contemplating on the subjects that are being
investigated in the study.
India’s Luxury Fashion Market
While luxury has always seemed as a prominent culture in India’s fashion market, it has
displayed immense growth that led it to become the world’s fifth largest luxury market.
Valuing nearly sixty billion dollars in the apparel market, the sixth largest apparel market of
India is deemed as being a lucrative market for consumer instead of being a hub for
outsourcing. As per Jain and Mishra (2020), there are mainly three major types of luxury
goods labelled as accessible supreme premiums, old luxury extensions and mass prestige
commodities. The accessible supreme premiums includes those that are accessed by the
elite class whereas the old luxury brand has seemed to include the same segment. However,
Asif (2020) opines that the market do seem to attract customers with low income group
while it has seemed to introduce new class of variant. The industry, as such, is deemed as
being the fastest growing industry with factors like increasing number of high net worth
individuals as well as increasing population of urban middle class contributing to it. The
luxury fashion brands are more involved in reaching out to their ideal customer segment by
seeking to engage, inform, indulge as well as entertain loyal as well as potential clienteles.
On that aspect, social media has served a big influence with its broadcasted fashion shows
as well as social commentary are more inclined towards seeking young consumers for
keeping their brand value intact.
Purchase Behavior Of Customers
As per Peña-García et al. (2020), consumer buying behavior is considered as the actions
being taken by consumers before seeking to avail a product or service. It is considered as
the study of individuals, organizations or groups alongside activities that tends to be
associated with purchase, use as well as disposal of services and goods. In that correlated
aspect, Emami-Naeini et al. (2019) mentions that to define the consumer buying behavior, it
is indicated as the study of customers in regards to how they seem to behave while deciding
to purchase a product that sees to satisfy their needs. To indicate how customers tend to
behave prior to purchasing a product, the processes has been deemed to include consulting

6. with search engines, engaging with posts in social media along with a various set of actions.
For a business it is valuable to understand the process as it aids them in tailoring their
initiatives of marketing for consumers to be influenced successfully in buying a product. As
per Auf et al. (2018), the subject of consumer buying behavior is being studied as an aspect
of marketing with its considerate purpose being able to understand how individuals tend to
choose as well as buy and purchase used and disposed goods while factors such as prior
experience, branding, price and taste tend to influence their purchasing decision. To that
extent, Qalati et al. (2019) were the one conducting studies on the subject of consumer
buying behavior while analyzing how previous purchase has impact the buying behavior.
The findings of the study indicated that experience encountered previously and personal
habits produces a direct influence on the purchase decision of consumer while on the other
hand, the image of a product do seem to produce a considerate influence on the consumer’s
purchasing decision. Another study conducted by Qazzafi (2019) sought to analyze the
influence of packaging on the decision making process of a consumer. However, it was
indicated by the findings of the study that there is weak linkage between that of brand
experience and packaging of a product. On the other hand, the findings of the study do
provide the indication that consumers with less income do seem to attain greater brand
experience while purchasing premium products compared to their experience while
purchasing cheaper variants.
While there was little to no clue in regards to how consumer tend to make decision while
buying a product, it was Stankevich (2017) who carried out a study in order to learn about
the five distinct stages that goes towards influencing the purchasing behavior and
thereupon reach to finalized decision of purchasing. The researcher seemed to focus on the
facts that affected the process for a consumer to be able to make a decision regarding
purchase while bear considerate of factors such as demographic effects that relates with
income, gender, education and marital status. Upon analyzing the five stages of the
consumer decision making it was indicated that the impact of family members on the
consumer decision making process seemed significant. As much as the five stages of the
consumer decision making process have further been studied upon by several researchers,
each bear a common viewpoint that led them to describe the consequent stages in a similar
format. The five stages of the consumer decision making process that came to defined were
recognition of problem, search for information, evaluation of alternatives, decision of
purchase and finally evaluation post-purchase. According to Kumar et al. (2018), the first
stage takes place when an individual seems to recognize the difference between what they
possess and what they wish to purchase or have. This perspective was further supported by
Bettiga and Lamberti (2020) who stated problem or need recognition to take place due to
several factors and circumstances that in turn contribute towards the forming the idea of
purchasing. In the consequent stage, the consumer sees to search for information were in
relation to the product or service being desired. Willman-Iivarinen (2017) stated that the
process of information search can be undertaken internally where customers require
relying on personal experiences or externally with consumers looking to gather
considerable amount of information while addressing the media or advertising. As soon as

7. the relevant facts and information have been gathered, the following stage sees to analyze
and evaluate the alternatives which Mishra, Singh and Koles (2021) states as being the most
influential stages wherein a customer takes into consideration all alternatives and variants
along with factors such as quality, size as well as price. However, Moraes et al. (2019) stated
that the consequent stage of purchase decision is the most significant stage of all wherein a
customer, upon recognizing the need, searching for relevant information and consideration
of alternatives requires making decision in regards to whether or not they should consider
go for purchasing. In the final stage of post purchase evaluation, the customers tend to
reflect on the overall experience encountered while purchasing. Although the stage has not
seemingly been highlighted as an important one in the consumer decision making, it does
tend to hold significance for directly affecting the consumer’s purchase of the same product
from similar supplier in that of the future.
Factors Affecting Consumer Purchase Behavior
It has been established by researchers that purchase behavior is indicated as being the
needs as well as wants of the consumer while they seeking to purchase in order to satisfy
their needs. However, when it comes to determining factors that tend to affect the buying
behavior of consumers, many perspectives have seemed to be offered by that of
researchers. Oblak et al. (2017) classified these factors into external and internal denoting
each constituents under a category. However, Victor et al. (2018) seemed to indicate the
existence of several factors wherein each have been divided on four set of categories which
are personal, situational, cultural and social. Situational factors tend to include constituents
such as environment, location, timing as well as conditions of weathering where major
retailers see to construct an environment or situation that in turn motivates consumers to
make decision of purchase. As much as the temporary nature of the situational factors were
being stressed highly by Pratama et al. (2017), the aspect sees to facilitate the movement of
the consumers for them to be influenced in making additional purchase. The personal
factors on the other hand stresses on one’s personal experience in regards to taste, financial
circumstance along with other relevant factors. On the contrary Heinonen, (2017), opines
that the impact of personal factors on consumer decision making is addressed usually by
businesses during segmentation of marketing. While grouping individuals with targeting
and positioning practices in correspondence of personal circumstances, it incorporates
other criteria along with developing services and products that tends to accommodate these
circumstances in an effective format. Social factors on the other hand impact the behavior of
a consumer due to interaction of perspective customers with others on varying levels. It
requires targeting member of a society that are perceived as being opinion leaders with
them requiring to be influenced in buying a product for other members to follow in. Finally,
the cultural factors are relevant with that of cross -cultural differences amongst consumers
on a scale of local to global that requires taking into consideration for formulating as well as
communicating messages of marketing.
Social Media

8. As per Auxier and Anderson (2021), the virtual framework of social media is based off a
culture of convergence wherein it sees to translate into convergence of media, culture of
participation as well as collective intelligence. The researcher considered it to being the
unique set of parameters that in combination contributed to the formulation of social
media. In consideration of the role of media convergence in the platform of social media, the
researcher stated it as the one that altered the communion existed among former
technologies, markets, genres, industries and audience and thereupon is considered to
being a culture that facilitated the shifting of paradigm. In turn, it seemed to alter the logic
on which the overall framework of traditional seemed to have operated as well as the
means through which consumers tend to process entertainment as well as news. As such, it
is the conceptual believe of the author to indicate convergence as being a process and not
being at an end point while inferring that all individual seem to be living in a cultural
framework for quite some time. However, Kapoor et al. (2018) defined social media as the
age defining instant communication as well as transparency while referring it as the
glasshouse effect. The author tends to believe it as being the toolset that sees to deal with
facts available in excess on the platform of Internet while considering it to being a way of
filtering the information one tends to be searching for. In that regards, marketers do not
require creating artificial contents for propagating the image of a brand as Anderson and
Jiang (2018) that they only require listening, engaging as well as reacting to the needs of
potential as well as current customers by letting a brand embedded in former conversation.
To that extent, models of marketing as well as businesses have seemed to change while they
are required to fully adapt to the impacts as well as demands being made by that of social
media. In a differing perspective, it was stated by Akram and Kumar (2017), it enabled
organizations to receive feedbacks from customer while utilizing the platform of social
media with a relevant example being Twitter with it being used highly in order to respond
to the complaints of the customers. As much as the feedbacks or reviews from customers
might be oriented with a bad or a good remark, it has certainly seemed to change how
businesses see to operate. To that extent, Toivonen et al. (2019) opines that organization
can consider feedback of customers to being an opportunity for one to act thereupon and
alongside adjust in a way that tends to accommodate as per the demands of the customers.
It correlates with the conventional tendency of people to opt for opinions of friends or peers
while trying to choose and buy a desired product or select a restaurant instead of utilizing
an engine of research for being able to search for it.
As such with the advent of social media, Voorveld et al. (2018) considers that the hype
facilitated by the platform have seemed to let organizations think that it is easy while seeing
to compete and succeed in the online platform. It has certainly what led these companies to
think that they require a considerate presence on the popularized platforms of social media
such as Twitter or Facebook while trying to hit the potential customer segments and
thereupon attract targeted markets. However, the considerate approach is not if
implemented in the practical continuity and is not enough to reach a wide base of
consumer. People manifested in those virtual platforms will see to share their insights as

9. well as experiences they encountered without the involvement of any organization which
needs to be in continuation while appealing to the generations of social media (Warner-
Søderholm et al. 2018). As much as the fast demographics are those that tend to be above
40 years of age, the appeal of social media tends to incorporate cross generations.
Social Media And Customer Influence
Orben (2020) indicated that there are varying forms of social media with each bearing a
considerate purpose which are social news sites, social networking, and social sharing as
well as social bookmarking. Social news sites are those that enables news articles, stories,
videos, blog posts as well as photos to be reached to the community with platforms like
Reddit, NewsVine, etc. being relevant examples of social news platforms. Social networking
is the popularized form of social media wherein community members are enabled to upload
photos, create groups, add fans as well as invite friends to certain events or post comments
on photos, videos while enabling them to tag friends. Facebook and Instagram are the most
recognized platforms of all that sees to enable all its member with the stated functionalities
while enabling a community to stay in contact with virtual platform. For an entire
community to be able to bookmark as well as share a website among the incorporated
members, the social bookmarking sees to provide the opportunity with existing platforms
like Magnolia and Delicious providing that opportunity to its users (Vraga and Tully 2021).
As for the social sharing type of social media, the considerate purpose of such platform is to
include a common feature among all websites of social media along with blogs, social
events, message boards, wikis as well as online forums. While the varying types of social
media platform sees to perform various function that in turn serves the community, the
considerate aim of the platform is to facilitate connectivity among the users of platform by
posting conversation, opinions on a relevant topic.
Enke and Borchers (2019) has further deciphered the purpose of social media as being a
group that comprises applications based off the platform of Internet one that seems to be
built on the ideological as well as technological foundations of the new Web format. In turn,
it has been defined as a platform that enables the creation of content being generated by
that of a user while seeing to its exchange in the virtual medium. As such, it can seem to
describe the various types of collaborative applications that includes projects like
Wikipedia, blogs such as Twitter, and social networking sites like Facebook or content
communities such as YouTube. Based on that understanding, Enke and Borchers (2019) has
seemed to categorize the various type of technologies of social media in the table below.
Activity
What

10. Goal/ Purpose
Creation of People
User generated contents, blogs, podcasts for instance Blogger, YouTube, Wordpress
People tend to act as publishers that creates as well as shares opinions and knowledge on
others. As such, there are discussion areas that enables a content creator to comment as
well as connect with other creators as well as consumers
Connecting People
Virtual Words and Social network for instance Facebook
By enabling people to add other people in their networks helps in facilitating relationship
while letting one give access to each other’s profile incorporated with personal information
Collaboration of people
Open source such as Wikipedia and Firefox Linux

11. Collaboration letting communities to evolve around in order to create core product such as
online encyclopedias as well as software.
People reacting to each other
Rating, Forums, Reviews that includes commenting as well as rating commodities on
ecommerce platforms like Amazon or other sites such as IMDB.com.
People are enabled to help others while letting them recommend or discourage various
items while granting help to other people in order for one to be able to engage on forums.
Organization of People
Content Tagging
Classification as well as organization of the online world where a content is being tagged in
services of photos and video sharing or blog posts while bookmarking sites. This in turn can
enable sharing for it to become part of personal brand for people.
Acceleration of Consumption
Widgets and RSS where RSS feeds indicate posts from a blog and a widget can be news
being showcased on one’s desktop

12. It indicates the tools that tends to bring content to that of a user without requiring a user to
find. This in turn helps in increasing efficiency by enabling people to monitor more activities
on the social forefront.
Table 2. 1 Classification of Social Media/ Activities
(Source: Created by author)
As depicted in the above table, Napoli (2019) has categorized the different form of activities
one can seem to implement while being in the platform of social media. The activities
primary seemed to include activities such as create, collaborate, connect, organize, reach
out and consume while each differentiating activities refer to the different types of social
media and the purposes being sought to serve differently by each. The table, as such, bear
relevance on how potential customers in the platform of social media tend to act on the
basis of which the considerate brand sees to attract their targeted market.
Social Media – Delivery Of Brand Content
Bhimani, Mention and Barlatier (2019) states that while people are led to think of social
media, they are more likely to think of social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram or
Facebook for them being considerably popularized among the people. While there are other
varying types of social media technologies existing in the virtual world, the author state that
one need not forget about the extensive ranges of technologies that social media
incorporates alongside a large number of social media sites wherein it sees to serve a
considerate purpose. As such, while the varying types of social media technologies tends to
execute different function while abiding by a purpose, it influences several types of
behavior. In that regards, the author has stated the significance of looking at the very
evolutionary framework of social media while intending to determine how it has seemed to
affect the consumers as well as the brand through decades. On the other hand, Helal, Ozuem
and Lancaster (2018) seems to indicate that the very influence of social media is seeing to
transform the web of Internet in a two way conversation wherein customers tend to be
influenced by each other in regards to their preference towards services as well as
products. The author states that the promotion of new insights, ideas as well as different
experiences shared by the various individuals of the platform do seem to influence the
mindset of consumers. As much as facilitation of interconnectedness do seem to be
facilitated in the platforms of social media, Carlson et al. (2019) enunciates it as a term that
cultivates on the varying aspects of social manifestations while terming it as social
relationship. According to the research, what tends to be initiated as a way of connecting
people with each other through groups formulated in the online platform, it tends to lead up
to as social networks that further leads to majority of webpages requiring to present a

13. social dimension. In addition, websites are then required to deliver the personalized to that
of users causing the social mainstream to lead towards a mechanism where there are more
presence of online groups or communities than that of brands.
Social Media And Brands
In consideration of showcasing the interrelated framework between that of social media
and brands, Gancho (2017) proposed a framework illustrating it as The Social Media Trinity
Model wherein the model comprises dividing the platform of social media into three sets of
dimensions where it each seem to bear a particular purpose. The three dimensions being
implanted in the model were labelled as networking, community and conversation that
relates with the aspects of business making as well as awareness of a brand. While the
brand is present at the center with it being surrounded by the three sets of dimensions, the
one with conversation relates with creation of opportunities that in turn helps to create
revenue. On the other hand, community tends to be one wherein one can seem to
communicate for a wider audience letting social media to be established as a platform
facilitating participative communication (Truman 2019). Networking relates with one
wherein one can seem to participate in groups while at the same time bear relevance with
that of the industry. Linked, for instance, is one such platform that helps facilitating
connection with other professionals and at the same time enable others to connect with
family, friends as well as other brands, restaurants and musicians.
Figure : The Social Media Trinity Model
(Source: Kelly, Zhang and Ahmad 2017)
As per Amidi et al. (2017), the model sees to provide power to the brand in order for it to
make its presence bear relevance in the social media platforms or conversation panels with
sites like Facebook, Twitter or YouTube paving way for a brand to be recognized amongst a
community. The model as such do not seem to define the image of a brand based on what it
is being put out through social networking sites. Instead, it bears emphasis on what people
seems to be talking about it in the relevant networks through means of user generated
content. In that regards, if a customer seem to possess more facts and information of a
brand, he or she is more likely to become a potential buyer.
Social media, as such, has found its extensive utility for being utilized as a tool of branding
both for the commercial brands and that of brands of the people. As per a study conducted
by Jacobson, Gruzd and Hernández-García (2020), it was expressed that more than eighty
percent of managers in the sector of America utilizes a form of social media toolset.
Moreover, it was reported that more than fifty percent of functions regarding marketing
business utilizes social media as a form of a toolset for consumers to be interacted with and
thereupon approach them for providing feedback on a particular type of services and
products. Besides, the users are less likely to use an organization who have questions

14. unanswered as well as complaints gone unacknowledged. It is due to the fact that if an
organization seems to ignore other customer, it might seem to ignore other users when it
comes to providing good customer care services. It further infers the fact that brands
seeking to maintain presence in the platform of social media need to operate their business
successfully in every spaces for them to be able to respond to the customers quickly. To that
note, it was indicated by Shareef et al. (2019) that brands no longer seems to have any
power as it is consumers that have every say in regards to forming opinion about a brand.
With consumers having the upper hand in their will to share insights with other users, it
requires to be able to adapt as well as improve the extent of engagement with that of people
in the platform of social media. As such, if an organization seems unable to sustain the
required level of engagement, it will leave the firm to lose out its clienteles and thereupon
ruin any chances of increasing the base of the customers in the future.
As per a survey conducted by that of Chen and Lin (2019), more than thirty five percent
users in the social media especially in the United States do expect brands respond to the
question imposed on them by posting on the social media. The author further added that
customers do seem to want that their contact with the organization seem to be with a real
individual who represents or work under the organization. As such, it is a desire for the
customers to remain updated on the news as well as promotions while also being hooked
with additional content that one might seem to find in the website of an organization.
However, it further imposes the question on whether organizations or brand need to
employ a person who is specialized on social media customer business relationship in order
for an issue to be addressed effectively.
Social Media Influence On Consumers
Chivandi, Samuel and Muchie (2019) states that on one hand there are consumers who sees
to work together with peers in order to define the next generation of service and product in
a better way and thereupon purchase it in communion. As such, it enables consumer to
share ideas, images as well as thoughts along with profiles for the sake of improving the
overall web experience. However, on the other hand, brands that are enrolling themselves
in the social media by aid of conversational marketing are implementing that through
sponsorship or having their self-community in the online platform. In that regards, brands
are being able to provide customers with more personalized information while thereupon
focusing on leaders such as leaders of the group or that of the community (Andrejevic et al.
2021). It is this phenomenon that is further leading social media into a new system of
identity in regards to web. In turn, it is changing companies to manage their brand while at
the same time letting people manage their own brand or persona.
Hallgrímsdóttir (2018) has further affirmed that it is highly essential for understanding how
relationship seems to come about in the platform of social media. While technologies have
seemed to change it is the consequent influence on personal relationships that have seemed
to be more intensifying. In that regards, Voramontri and Klieb (2019) have opined that

15. organizations are looking into programs of social media as well as campaigns in order for
them to be able to reach the consumers in a better way as they tend to live online. It has
further seemed to be appeared that the development of strategies in social media on
platforms like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook is not considerably a part of an integrated
system of advertising and instead is an event of separation. To that note, Simon and Tossan
(2018) have defined this phenomenon while stating that customers tend to be passive no
longer in the process of exchange marketing. While the extent of consumers that have
seemingly been active as well as have co created everything from design of a product to
promotional changes, it has consequently increased in the last years with increasing
number of users in the social media platform. To that extent, Lou and Yuan (2019) has
postulated that consumers and their increasing usage of social media is not because of them
just researching services and products but to engage with organizations they are
considering to purchase from along with getting into contact with other consumers for the
sake of attaining valuable insights.
Social Media Strategy
Quesenberry (2020) has further opined that the overall ecosystem of the social media is
more fixated towards the consumer experience indicating that the virtual platform are all
about experiences. These experience tend to initiate when marketers seem successfully able
in incorporating strategies of marketing communication into social media while seeing to
combine it with that of traditional media. It was thereupon when Atherton (2019) also
believed that organizations do seek to create platforms of social media in order for it to
operate independently and not as an incorporated strategy that places the experience of the
consumer at the forefront. As such, social media do not seem to replace the traditional
forms of media but it does seem to expand the ability of marketers to be able to engage with
consumers and thereupon attain influence as well as attention. Based on that aspect of
interaction, Kwayu, Lal and Abubakre (2018) considers that the way interaction seems to
happen between consumers and that of companies tend to be quite different. With the
overall dynamic being altered in the perforating age of social media, it is the consumers that
tend to dictate the overall rules. It was therefore by the end of the year 2010 majority of the
organizations have spent an increasing amount of money on social media with certain of
them willing to increase their budgets on social media marketing. However, Thomas (2018)
stated that not a lot of organizations seemed able enough to handle the platform of social
media effectively in business. The considerate strategies being pursued by the marketers
were that of increasing presence on popularized platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and
YouTube while there seemed to be a lack of understanding on approaching the strategy
systematically and managing adequate presence. The two aspects seemed to be indicated as
the considerate factors while implementing social media strategy. As such, the considerate
awareness regarding determining the location of the target market and thereupon
understanding the presence of the target market in the social media seemed to be
incorporated much later with the inclusion of company message and spreading the word
about a brand.

16. Future Implications For Social Media Strategy
Carvill (2018) considers that it is due to the evolving phenomenon of the internet that have
led strategies of a brand to go through significant transformations. As such, for a brand to be
able to succeed in a computer mediated environment, it requires building relationships
while at the same time enable interactivity for offerings to be tailored better in the online
world. It is with that note Thomas (2018) has further affirmed that it requires social media
presence to be developed in a strategic format in order for an organization to effectively
coordinate the differing perspectives while keeping in mind of its aim and objectives to plan
different opportunities that sees to arise in both social media as well as marketing. While
social media tend to be collections of data as well as sources of information if aligned with
a Business Strategy can seem to address how social media and networking processes can
be applied to the operations of an organization in order for it to be able to fulfill its goals. It
is why Quesenberry (2020) has stated that it requires to be developed in collaboration
alongside share interactivity between that of groups and individuals. As much as marketers
have seemed consistent in their approach of branding in social media to be based in a
quantitative format, it requires utilizing metrics as well as analytics in order for one to
measure, compare as well as take conclusions and thereupon modify their efforts of
implementing social media strategy. Eventually, users will seem to be interested in such
matters and as such will expect their customized experience to be better with a better set of
engagement with a brand they seem to be fond of.
Chapter 3: Research Methodology
Introduction
The aspect of research methodology is defined as a specific set of procedures as well as
techniques that intends to identify, select, process as well as analyze information about a
particular subject. In the context of a research study, the section of methodology enables a
reader to critically evaluate the overall validity of a study as well as determine its extent of
reliability. It is the very section of a research study delves into understanding the
approaches being taken into consideration by the researcher and thereupon determine how
it helps in attaining the specified objective of a study. As per Pandey and Pandey (2021),
research methodology sees to clarify the inquiry of a research while determine the
imperative essence of the inquiry and thereupon provide way for one to provide solution to
a research problem in a systematic format. As such, research methodology is considered as
the science of studying wherein it determines how a research needs to be implemented in a
systematic format. In essence, it tends to be the procedure wherein a research goes about
with their effort while seeing to describe, evaluate as well as predict a phenomenon while
intending to provide a plan of work for a research (Snyder 2019). Based on that
understanding, the following section of the research study intends to specify the approaches
as well as techniques that has been considered by the researcher in order to conduct the
overall study. In view of the approaches, philosophies and design being adopted by the

17. researcher in the course of the study, the following chapter will see to provide justification
based on how the varying approaches can help in contributing to the overall
accomplishment of the objectives and thereupon determine the significant role being played
by it in the context of the study.
Research Onion
Figure : Research Onion
(Source: Saunders et al. 2009)
Research Philosophy
As per Kennedy (2017), the aspect of research philosophy is indicated as being the way in
which data surrounding a particular phenomenon needs to be gathered, evaluated as well
as utilized in the context of a research study. Providing perspectives in a philosophical
demeanor tends to serve a crucial role due to the fact that it helps in revealing assumptions
being made about a research by the researcher while it is made explicit. In turn, it helps in
leading to choices that are further applied to the design, purpose, and methods,
methodology of the research as well as analysis and interpretation of data. In the words of
Žukauskas, Vveinhardt and Andriukaitien? (2018), addressing research philosophy in the
context of a dissertation do seem to involve being aware as well as formulating beliefs along
with assumptions. In correspondence with the illustrated research onion, the aspect of
research philosophy tends to be positioned at the external layer of the model while the
choice of a research philosophy tends to impacted by implications being made in the
practical aspect. In that regards, the aspect of research philosophy tends to be an important
aspect in the section of research methodology while it devise approaches for enabling one
to decide which approach need to be adopted while it being derived from the question being
stated in the context of a research. In that regards, the important set of assumptions being
made by a researcher on the basis of a philosophical perspective do seem to explain the
viewpoint of the researcher regarding the subject being addressed in the context of a study.
In view of such assumptions, one can seem to determine the strategy of a research as well as
indicate the methods of the strategy.
While Dougherty, Slevc and Grand (2019) stated that there are mainly three types of
research philosophies wherein each seem to be attributed with different set of advantages
as well as qualities, it requires a researcher in choosing one that seems suited with the
purpose of a study. To that extent, the three differing types of research philosophies are
positivism, realism and interpretivism where each seem to provide an approach for a
researcher to be able to implement the study. The research philosophy of positivism
indicates the belief surrounding knowledge of a human that is being produced by
interpreting observational data in a scientific format. According to Novikov and Novikov
(2019), the philosophy of positivism relates with any system that tends to be confined to
the data of experience. With that being stated, the eventual goal of positivism philosophy is

18. to formulate universal as well as abstract laws while it tends to bear its reliance on scientific
evidence.
On the other hand, the philosophy of realism relates to the viewpoint that tends to be
accorded with things which can either be known or be perceived as an existence. In the
context of a research study, the foremost consideration of realism it states the existence of a
reality that is true while there are presence of things present irrespective of it being
perceived (Ryan 2018). In that regards, the conception surrounding realism do seem to be
related with that of idealism while it seems to bear the notion that whatever being believed
by human tend to be an approximation of the reality although the fullness as well as
accuracy of the understanding can further be improved. To that extent, the concept of
realism relies on the conception of being independent from the reality of the human mind
while it seem to rely more on assumption of scientific approach to development of
knowledge.
On the aspect of interpretivism, the term sees to refer to epistemologies or conceptions
regarding how one can gain certain extent of knowledge of the world. Contrary to the
philosophy of positivism that seems to prefer quantitative methods, interpretivism seems to
prefer qualitative methods that are humanistic in nature. In that regards, the philosophy do
seem to rely on interpreting as well as understanding meanings that human sees to attach
with their actions. To that extent, Park, Konge and Artino (2020) opined that the philosophy
of interpretivism tends to deal with principles wherein researcher plays a specific role in
seeking to observe the world. With that consideration, the researcher has opted the
philosophy on interpretivism in the context of the study with the purpose of identifying the
influence of social media in the purchase intentions of customers in regards to buying
luxurious products. Utilizing the interpretivism approach can enable the researcher in
attaining more knowledge of the subject being dealt upon in the research study while
further help in accomplishing the defined objectives of a study.
Research Approach
According to Pearse (2019), the aspect of research approach is indicated as a set of plan as
well as procedure that comprises steps on the basis of broad assumptions that helps in
detailing the method of data collection, analysis as well as interpretation. While the
approach of a research is based on the nature of the problem being addressed in the study,
it does seem to enable a researcher in being able to formulate the outline of a study. Hence,
it can be regarded as the study of research methods or in more formal use of words a
contextual framework for a research to be presented in a coherent as well as a logical
format with it being based on beliefs, values as well as views. In turn, it helps in guiding the
choices of the researcher in regards to specifying the method being undertaken. In order for
a researcher to be able to determine an effective research approach it requires specifying an
approach for the purpose of implementing a study that helps in attaining objectives
(Azungah 2018). In that consideration there are two basic approaches wherein a researcher

19. needs to consider any of them in order to utilize it for outlining the format of the study.
Inductive is the first type of research approach that enables a researcher to find out as well
as see to devise new set of models in order to complete the context of a research. It tends to
be defined as the method wherein a set of observations is being synthesized in order for it
to be come up with a general principle. As such, the approach tends to initiate with
observations as well as theories that are being proposed at the end of the research study as
a result of the attained observations (Mitchell 2018). As such, it entails a systematic
procedure wherein the data is likely being analyzed for it to be guided by specific objectives
of evaluation.
On the other hand, the deductive research approach indicates one that people tend to
associate with typically with investigation conducted scientifically. In that regards, the
research intend to study what other seemed to have conveyed or stated on a particular
aspect while reading existing theories and thereupon examine the hypothesis as it emerges
thereupon from existing theories. Hence, in a simple use of words, a deductive approach
tends to be concerned with developing hypothesis on the basis of theories that have existed
before and thereupon design a research strategy for the hypothesis to be tested (Bingham
and Witkowsky 2021). In that regards, the deductive approach is indicated as reasoning
from particular to general. As much as the researcher has opted the philosophy of
interpretivism in the given context of the study, the inductive approach has further been
considered by the researcher for the sake of evaluating the research subject critically and
thereupon explore the results that have been generated from the study. With the concern of
creating new set of ideas as well as theories the researcher aims to devise new postulates
surrounding the influence of social media in the purchase intentions of customers.
Research Design
In order to define the tentative purpose of research strategy, Schoonenboom and Johnson
(2017) refers it as being the overall strategy that one choses to integrate while outlining
different aspects of a study in a coherent as well as a logical format. In that regards, it helps
in ensuring that the research problem is being able to address effectively while it tends to
be constituted as the blueprint for collecting, measuring as well as analyzing data. On the
other hand, Sileyew (2019) stated research design as an arrangement of collection or
condition while it tends to formulate a research problem and thereupon formulate a
literature review as well as formulate research design thereupon defining the very nature of
the study. It was hence suggested that the eventual aim of a research design is to enable a
researcher in explaining the topic of a study more effectively. On that basis, the aspect of
research design is indicated to be provided as a plan of study that sees to permit accurate
assess of cause as well as effect relationships between dependent as well as that of
independent variables (Schoonenboom and Johnson 2017). To that extent, research design
is considered as being the framework of both techniques as well as methods that sees to
combine various components of a research in a manner that seems logical for the eventual
research problem to be handled efficiently. On that basis, it helps provides insights in

20. conducting a research study with utilization of a particular methodology.
With there being three types of research design wherein a researcher can choose to conduct
a study with utilization of one approach, each seemed to be different from the other in
terms of their incorporated attributes (Geoffrey 2019). The three types of research design
are descriptive, exploratory and explanatory among which the researcher has sought to
apply the exploratory research design. The primary reason for the researcher to utilize the
exploratory research design is because of the fact that it can help in devising proper design
while evaluating the influence of social media strategies in the particular context of India.
Out of three types of research design, the explanatory seems more suited in being able to
analyze a particular situation while on the other hand exploratory research design sees to
explore additional details that seems to be associated with a specific research problem. On
that basis, to be able to utilize the exploratory research tends to beneficial as it has helped
in evaluating the additional subject associated with the subject of social media influence on
the purchase behavior of customers while it undertakes inductive approach for devising
new conceptions surrounding the relevant subject.
Data Collection Method
While seeing to collect the required data from relevant sources, it requires defining the type
of data that a research intends to gather for the acquired insight to contribute towards
accomplish the stated objectives of the study. In that regards, there are mainly two types of
data that a researcher sees to acquire for the purpose of providing relevant facts on the
defined issue (Tobi and Kampen 2018). The first data type is that of primary data that
indicates the information being attained first hand without requiring to source data from
published journals as well as articles. As much as primary data refers to the first hand data
gained by the researcher, it requires a researcher to use techniques like surveys,
observation or interviews in order to attain the required information. Secondary data is the
other data type that refers to insight being gathered by someone else that a researcher can
see to input in the study for contributing towards fulfilling the defined objectives. While
intending to analyze the influence of social media on the purchase intention of consumers,
the researcher intends to attain primary data from a selected sample population and
thereupon provide relevant facts for it to be able accomplish the defined objectives.
Upon determining the type of data that the researcher intends to attain, it requires
specifying the method that the researcher has undertaken in order to determine the toolset
being applied for the required information to be collected. On that basis, there are mainly
two differing approaches with one being qualitative and the quantitative that enables a
researcher in collecting the required primary data from a firsthand source. The quantitative
method indicates the aspect of dealing with numbers as well as statistics while it sees deal
with meanings and words in order to evaluate the acquired information in a systematic
format (Johnston 2017). While utilizing tools like survey, questionnaire, and experiments in
order to attain the required data from a relevant sample population, the quantitative

21. method of data collection helps in generating its outcomes in a numerical format. On the
other hand, the qualitative method of data collection is define as one that enables the
researcher to be able to attain the required data systematically without requiring to
generate numerical outputs and seems more concerned with exploring concepts as well as
experiences in detail (Corti 2018). The method sees to acquire the relevant data from
methods such as interviews of focus group discussion wherein the information further
acquired can help in accomplishing the objective of the study. In the given context of the
study, the researcher has chosen to implement the quantitative method of data collection by
seeking to conduct a survey on an overall of fifty respondents who are mainly customers of
the luxurious brand Armani in India. The survey will see to analyze the common set of
attributes for the selected number of Indian customers with the survey being conducted in
an online mode. The researcher upon requesting the selected set of participants to attend
the survey has sought to forward a set of questionnaire through the medium of email where
the selected respondents have to provide responses to the questionnaire being imposed on
them.
Data Analysis Technique
As considered by Kaur, Stoltzfus and Yellapu (2018), the data, upon being collected by the
intended method is required to be analyzed with the proper technique in order for a
research to be able to generate a successful outcome. In the given context of the study, that
seems to be based on attain quantitative data, the researcher has chosen to utilize the
technique of descriptive statistics analysis that tends to summarize aspects from a
collection of data with the technique utilizing the process of using as well as analyzing such
statistics. Utilizing the descriptive statistic technique has helped the researcher in
presenting quantitative evaluation of outcome in a descriptive format and thereupon
summarize data points in a constructive format which tends to be most significant for
conducting analysis of statistical data.
Method Of Sampling
The procedure of sampling is indicated as the process that is used in statistical analysis
wherein it requires taking in a predetermined number of observations. As per Etikan and
Bala (2017), the approach is used to sample from a larger population that tends to rely on
the type of analysis being performed. While seeking to conduct a quantitative survey on a
fixed set of 50 customers of Armani, the researcher has sought to select the respondents in
its sampling population by utilizing the method of stratified sampling and snowball
sampling. In the stratified sampling, the sub division of a population is done. These sub
divisions are called strata. Subjects are selected from the strata is proportionate manner. On
the other hand, in the snowball sampling a chain of referral is used for getting the future
subjects. This is a non- probability sampling in which the existing subjects recruit the future
subjects for the study. In this method the sample size increases until the researcher collects
enough data for the study.

22. Reliability And Validity And Ethical Considerations
For the sake of maintaining reliability as well as validity of data, the researcher has to
choose journals and books relevant to the subject of social media marketing as well as
customer purchasing behavior. In case of primary research, the researcher has to take
permission from the customers before seeing to publish the data for the sake of avoiding
any legal issues. While the researcher has to ensure that the information being provided do
seem relevant with that of incorporated subjects, it has further been essential for the
researcher to bear consideration of the ethical considerations. To that extent, the researcher
has been clear about the journals being chosen in the context of the study while amending
the generate insight of the study with the Data Collection Act of 1998 for maintaining the
anonymity of the sampling population and utilizing the data only for educational purpose.
Limitations
The snowball sampling and the stratified sampling method has been selected for this study.
The snowball sampling has some disadvantages as the margin or errors is high. The subjects
refer to their known communities and therefore, potential sampling bias is enhanced. There
is also a fair chance of lack of cooperation from the samples.
Chapter 4: Discussion Of Results/Analysis And Findings
The data analysis is the chapter that is designed to examine the collected data and their
relevance to the study objectives. Throughout this chapter, the researcher has discussed the
numerical data collected from the SPSS analysis. The aim of this chapter is to reach to the
findings for the study questions and objectives.
Results/Analysis
Descriptive Analysis
Demographic Analysis
Figure : Gender
Figure : Age
Figure : Year Of Using Experience
Figure : Yearly Income
Demographic questions are included in the study to understand the relevance of the sample
and to determine whether they are part of the target population or not. This demographic
analysis gives the idea of what kind of population has participated in the study, their
personal, social and economic status. This has helped the researcher to tendencies of the
particular segments of the population in relation to the research needs. The demographic
variables used in this study are- age, gender, yearly income and experience of using the
Armani watches over the years. Total 50 customers of Armani India were selected for the

23. survey. The demographic analysis shows that majority of the population are between the
age group of 20-30 years and 31-40 years. As the study topic was related to the younger
customers of the company, this target segment was selected with this specific aim. 18 out of
the 50 participants have the yearly income 15,001- 20,000 euro while 17 out of 50 have
20,001- 25,000-euro yearly income. This means that the target population belongs to a mid
to high end income group. This is apt for the study as buying luxury watches is a bit
expensive for the low -income population. Lastly, the researcher has included the responses
of the customers who has been using the brands for different time span. This varied
demographic has enabled the researcher to get a broader perspective of the study scopes in
target population
Variable Analysis
Factors Affecting Consumer Purchase Behavior
Situational Factors
Figure :
Figure :Buyer Decisions Of Additional Buying
Figure :Buying Reasons And Situational Factors Analysis
Situational factors have been identified in the existing literature of the customers decisions
making. At the same time, the researcher has designed the questions to get the primary data
from the Armani India customers regarding their view of the influence of situational factors
in the buying decision making. When the participants were asked whether their buying
decisions are influenced by the situational aspects, 27, out of 50, i.e. almost 56 % of the
population strongly agreed that the situational aspects are influential in their purchasing
decisions. Majority of the population also agreed that the location, timing and market
situation determines the types of customers. The other aspects of the situational factors are
the additional buying motivation. As opined by Pratama et al. (2017), the situational aspects
facilitate the reasons and movements of the additional buying of the customers. This fact
has been agreed by the majority of the participants. 28 out of 50 agreed and 10 participants
strongly agreed that their additional buying decisions are influenced by the location, timing
and even the weather conditions. These situational factors are the motivators for buying the
luxury products. For example, at the time of festivals like Diwali, the younger population of
India tend to buy luxury watches from the renowned brand like Armani for gifting
purposes. Therefore, time of the year is a situational factor that motivated the target
segment to make additional buying for their near and dear ones.
Personal Factors
Figure : Personal Tastes And Financial Circumstances
Figure : Market Segmentation Influence
Figure : Product Development On Personal Needs
The next factor important for the consumer purchasing decision making is the personal
factors. As seen in the literature review part, the personal factors are the personal tastes,

24. financial capabilities, personal needs and brand preferences. The primary data stated that
personal factors influence the decision making for buying the luxury Armani products
among the Indian customers. as most of the participants were from young population, this
can be stated that the young buyer of Armani India makes their decisions of buying these
products according to their personal tastes and preferences. 26 participants agreed that
their personal tastes and financial correspondences influences their purchasing decisions.
The study of Heinonen, (2017) showed that the target segmentation in a business are
developed keeping in mind the target segment’s personal needs. Developing the products
according to the customers’ needs are also important as the majority of the participants
agreed on that. The customers are aware that their personal needs are to be fulfilled by the
companies whom they are paying for the products. Therefore, the customized and
individualization of the products are expected from the luxury brands. Specifically, for the
brand like Armani, who charge high price for their watches, personal needs of the
customers play a crucial role. As stated by the customers participated in this study, the
product development based in personal factors can be a motivator for their buying decision
making. The Armani India can influence the buying decisions of the youth better if they can
address the individual factors and needs in their product development.
Social Factors
Figure : Social Status And Reference Group Influence
Figure : Social Group Influence And Customers Decisions
Figure : Targeting Strategies Impact
The data shows that social factor is crucial for customers understanding and engagement
building. In order to understand how the social factors, influence the participants were
asked whether they get influenced by their social groups, reference groups and the social
status. Majority of the responses agreed and strongly agreed that these social factors
influence their buying decisions in different times. The social reference groups are the
families and friends that could suggest the products to the customers. The second graph in
the figure concerns with the response on the influence of social groups in purchasing
decision making.the social group are the near circles in which the customers look for
refences. As seen in the literature review part, most of the studies confirm that the social
references are significant for decision making for buying luxury and high-end products. The
post purchase experience of the customers plays a crucial; role in the development of the
social refence group in favour of the brands. Armani India has the strategy for targeting the
customers on the basis of the social factors. The customers also assure that the company
products have that social references in their exposure. Therefore, this can be stated that the
social factors are one of the most important part in motivating the young customers for the
Armani India.
Cultural Factors
Figure : Cultural Factors Importance
Figure : Culturally Akin Products

25. Figure : Marketing Communication And Cultural Impact
The cultural factors are the cultural associations that are specific to the country and
population. This study has been conducted on the Indian markets of Armani. India is known
for its diverse cultures and ethnical identities. The customers of the country are culturally
associated with their identities and preferences. The reason for choosing the cultural
factors for this study is that fact that, Armani is a foreign brand that wants to have their
strong customers base in India. As opined by Victor et al. (2018), cultural understanding of
the customers gives the foreign brands comoeteiti9ve edge as they get the capability of
understanding the customers trends better. According to the literature review, the cross -
cultural differences in the country influences the customers preferences. This has been
agreed by the participants as well. Majority of the sample population agreed and strongly
agreed that cultural factors influence their buying decisions. In the second graph, it is seen
that 29 people out 50, i.e. 58 % of the total participants buys products which they find
culturally akin to them. The aim of the companies working in the culturally diverse markets
like India is to make sure that they are designing the luxury watches that matches their
cultural needs. The local competitors of Armani like Titan have launched their product
according to the Indian festive themes. The special editions of Armani India also have
different cultural associate themes that attract the customers attention. Cultural
understanding can also contribute to the better marketing of the products. The customers of
the brand think that there is a broader scope for the company to evolve their marketing
communication including the cultural aspects of the target audiences. The young population
of India would be interested in buying the international brand with Indian cultural touch.
Social Media And Customer Influence
Figure : Social Media And Customer Influence
Figure : Social Media Contents
Figure : Feedbacks And Reviews
Social media is the platform for social interactions, cultural exchange and collective
intelligence. The researcher has asked the participants to give their overview of the
importance of social media in their purchasing decision making. The crucial aspects that
was included in the survey questionnaire were the social interactions collaborations,
feedbacks and reviews and the social media contents. 31 out of 50 customers thinks that
social media is a string medium for connecting, influencing and collaboration in present day.
The young generation are used to the digital technology for its convenience higher reach
and activities. The social media is the major tool of modern days that keeps the youth
connected with each other. The brands use the social media for marketing, promotional and
engagement purposes. Armani has limited social media presence in India. As the study
shows, most of the young people are considering the social media as a cultural platform. At
the same time, it is the medium for listening and gauging the trends of the modern times.
As stated by Anderson and Jiang (2018) that they only require listening, engaging as well as

26. reacting to the needs of potential as well as current customers by letting a brand embedded
in former conversation. This is one of the major factors that contributes in the marketing
strategies of the company. The branding is crucial for developing customers base and
loyalty. The marketing models has changed in the present times after the digitalization and
technological interventions. This is one of the reasons that the emergence of social media
has been in context. The Indian customers, specifically, the youth are the part of the social
media for long now. According to Statista.com, the total number of youths using social
media in 2020 were 518 million. The Armani India marketing team can easily reach this
huge audience through their social media marketing endeavors.
Social media contents are the mediums for influencing the mind -set of the customers. The
respondents of this study back up this statement as 60% of the participants confirm that
they get influenced by the social media contests posted by a company. In the case of Armani
India, the customers keep an eye on the social media posts by the company to get the
product descriptions, new launches and marketing messages. According to this study
results, the social media contents accelerate the purchase amount of the customers. The
advertisements and promotions in the social media make the customers to spend more in
their luxury watches. On the other hand, social media is a convenient medium for collecting
the feedbacks and review of the customers. According to the customers of Armani, it is
easier to connect with the company or giving reviews of the products that they are using.
These feedbacks help the companies to detect the negative and positive aspects of their
products. The brand can directly reply to the queries through their social media posting and
therefore, building a better customer service provision.
The research findings indicate that the customers buying decisions are influenced by the
social media activities of the brand. Armani India is targeting the young segment of the
population. This segment is well -equipped with the technology and has the tendency to
connect trough the social media. The social, cultural, personal and situational factors are
more or less associated with the social media influences. References groups are could
formed in the mediums like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. The trends in the social media
are again crucial for the customers perception building. Therefore, the social media
contents, presence and customer interactions are major influence in the buying decisions of
the customers and brand identity building.
Inferential Analysis
Correlation Analysis
Correlations

27. SF
PF
SocF
CF
SMnCI
SF
Pearson Correlation
1
.698**
.625**

28. .704**
.545**
Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
.000
.000
.000
N
50

29. 50
50
50
50
PF
Pearson Correlation
.698**
1
.529**
.692**
.547**

30. Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
.000
.000
.000
N
50
50
50

31. 50
50
SocF
Pearson Correlation
.625**
.529**
1
.646**
.531**
Sig. (2-tailed)

32. .000
.000
.000
.000
N
50
50
50
50
50

33. CF
Pearson Correlation
.704**
.692**
.646**
1
.639**
Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
.000

34. .000
.000
N
50
50
50
50
50
SMnCI

35. Pearson Correlation
.545**
.547**
.531**
.639**
1
Sig. (2-tailed)
.000
.000
.000
.000

36. N
50
50
50
50
50
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Table 4.1: Correlations Table
The relation between the individual factors are analyzed through the correlation analysis.
This means that the correlation analysis in the inferential dimensions denotes how the
independent variables are corelated to each other. This study has the independent variable-
social factors, personal factors, situational factors, cultural factors and social media and
customer influences. The researcher has tried to detect the correlation between these
factors in this study through the SPSS correlation test. The test in done between the pairs
and the value is used for reference of the correlation. The value of correlation ranges

37. between -1 to +1. In the paired variables, if the range is between 0 to +1, the correlation is
positive. One the other hand, if the pair correlation value ranges from 0 to 1-, the pair has
negative correlation. the If the value is more than 7, the pair is considered to have a higher
association. The researcher has tried to detect the correlation between the social media
influencing and customer purchase decision making factors.
The correlation table, i.e. table 4.1 shows that all the factors has positive correlation with
each other. There is no value ranging from 0 to -1, all the values are positive. The highest
value in the correlation table is .704. This represents the correlation between the social
factors and cultural factors. The socio- cultural aspects are almost same in most of the
communities. The customers usually belong to different socio- cultural entities. Social
factors are hugely influenced by the cultural factors. The societal norms, people’s
preference and behavioural aspects are the reflection of the culture that the population
follows. This is the reason that the two factors are correlated with each other. Therefore, the
organisation that can understand the cultural aspects of a target segment have the better
prospect for market success in a country.
The next strong association is between the social factors and personal factors. The
correlation value for this pair is .698 which is very close to .7. this indicates that these
factors are strongly associated with each other. The social factors like family, acquaintances,
social environment, plays a crucial role in developing the personality of an individual.
Therefore, these two factors are strongly associated with each other. The rest of the
correlation results shows all are associated positively with each other. But the associations
are moderate in pairs. This shows that the independent factors selected for this study are
not quite strongly correlated to each other than social and personal factors and social and
cultural factors. In spite of that the positive correlation values confirms that the overall
association of the factors are present and quite significant.
Regression Analysis
Model Summary
Model
R

38. R Square
Adjusted R Square
Std. Error of the Estimate
1
.655a
.429
.364
.573
a. Predictors: (Constant), SMnCI, SocF, PF, SF, CF
Table 4. 2: Model Summary
The first thing that is to be done for testing the hypothesis is the finding of model fit the
dependent variable. In the regression analysis if the R square and adjusted R square value
gaps are negligeable, then the test is model fit for the dependent variable. The R Square
value is .429 and the Adjusted R Square value in the test is .364. Both of these number are
close that means that the value gap is negligeable. That means this is a model fit for the

39. dependent variable testing.
Customer Buying Decision And Social Media Influence
H0: Social media does not have any influence on the purchase intentions of India’s young
consumers of Armani
H1: Social media has a positive influence on the purchase intentions of India’s young
consumers of Armani.
ANOVAa
Model
Sum of Squares
df
Mean Square
F
Sig.
1

40. Regression
10.851
5
2.170
6.618
.000b
Residual
14.429
44
.328

41. Total
25.280
49
a. Dependent Variable: Dependentvariable
b. Predictors: (Constant), SMnCI, SocF, PF, SF, CF
Table 4. 3: Anova Test
The researcher has used the simple linear regression for this test. According to the

42. hypothesis, the null hypothesis is defying the association between social media influence
and the customers purchasing decision of the Armani India luxury watches. On the other
hand, the H1 denotes the positive association with these two variables. The regression
analysis findings show that the P value for this study is 0.00. In the regression analysis, if
the P value is more than 0.05, the null hypothesis is accepted, on the other hand, if the same
value is less than 0.05, the null hypothesis is rejected. As the P value of this regression is
0.00, that is less than 0.05, null hypothesis is rejected. The value of P value is calculated by
95% of confidence level.
Null Hypothesis
P value
Status (95% confidence level)
Social media does not have any influence on the purchase intentions of India’s young
consumers of Armani
0.000
Rejected
Table 4. 4: Hypothesis Testing
As the null hypothesis is rejected, this can be concluded that there is a positive association
between the social media influence and the buying decisions of the customers. The social
media platforms are the popular digital mediums through which the customers connect
with each other. The views and value are shared with collaborative measures. In the luxury
watch section, Armani is a renowned name. in spite of that the market competition is
increasing for the company at the same time, the alternatives like smartwatches are
emerging in the market. In such situation, the luxury watch industry has to level up their
customers associations and services in order to survive their market. The social media

43. influences needed to be considered by the brand. The younger customers are active in the
social media more than traditional channels. In order to make this segment interested in the
brand, the company has to understand the crucial aspects of the social media marketing.
The buying decisions of the customers could be influenced in different level of their buying
decision cycle. Right from the need creation to the post purchase experiences- each and
every aspect could be influenced by the social media contexts.
The study findings also show that the social media contents can work as an accelerator in
the customer buying decisions. The consumers tend to buy more products from their
preferred brands if the contents in the website influence them. Again, in the social media
era, the user generated contents, blogs and reviews also influence the buying decision of the
younger generation. Armani India needs to examine how they can use this strong marketing
tool for reaching to the customers, listening to them and collaborating with them for better
results in their Indian ventures. The social, cultural and personal factors of the customers
are to be addressed by the brand as well so that they can design the social media contents
appropriate for the customer and develop the products that fulfil their needs.
Research Limitations
The research limitations lie in the sample that has been used for this study. The number of
participants in this study 50. The sample size was quite small for the overall understanding
of the research objectives. Other than that, the study has been conducted in limited time.
This has affected the study negatively. The researcher could have included mire research
aspects if the time bound was not there. The enrollment of the customers for the Armani
India was difficult at the time of pandemic restrictions. The survey has been done in online
medium as the face to face survey was not possible. In order to reduce the errors for online
research, the researcher has talked to individual customers personally over the phone and
email to solve their queries before the survey. The scopes of the study were again limited as
the Armani India was selected and one customers segment (youth) was used for this study.
Summary
The analysis of the data collected from the primary resources directed to the study findings.
The research aim was to analyze whether the customer purchasing decisions are influenced
by the social media in the case of Armani India. The findings show that there is a positive
association between the customers purchasing decision making and the social media
influences. This is found in this study that the young generations are hugely influenced by
the social media references before buying their luxury products. The social media is a
strong medium for the youth of India to finalize their choice. Armani India could use the
social media as their major marketing tool to attract the young aged population in India.
There are gaps in the marketing endeavors of the company that could be fulfilled through
the successful social media marketing.

44. Chapter 5: Conclusions
This can be concluded from the findings that the preset day young customers are hugely
influenced by the social media presence and influence of the brands. The Armani India is
not an exception in this case as the primary data supported the secondary data that the
social media influences buying decision making of the customers. In the fashion industry,
the luxury watches are one of the major players for the high -end customers. The active
participation of the target group in the social media is the evident through the primary data.
Therefore, the companies working in high end fashion needs to target this groups through
the social media interventions. The study indicates that the social, cultural, personal and
situational factors are affecting the buying decision making for the customers. On the other
hand, the social media contents, blogs and activities of a company has the impact on these
factors. Therefore, ultimately the buying decisions of the customers are influenced by the
social media presence, image and activities of the Armani India.
Linking With Objectives
Objective 1: To Analyze The Impact Of Social Media On The Purchase Intentions Of
Customers In Armani India
The impact of social media on the purchase intentions of the customers has been discussed
in the literature review as well as in the primary data analysis part. In the literature review,
the researcher has discussed it is the 2.6 part. According to the existing literature, the
customers are using social media for finding their alternatives, knowing about the products
and reviewing a product (Vraga and Tully 2021). All these are impacting the buying
intentions of the other customers. This has been agreed by the majority of survey
participants that social media has influenced their purchase decisions. As shown in the
figure 4.6, most of the customers of the Armani India agrees that social media feedbacks and
reviews has a positive impact in their buying decisions. The objective of analyzing the
impact of social media on purchase intention has fulfilled by these discussions.
Objective 2: To Assess The Significance Of Social Media In The Purchase Intention Of Young
Customers In The Luxury Fashion Industry In India
This objective is linked with the literature review part 2.7 and 2.6. The previous studies
show that the fashion industry is changing rapidly and the impact of digital mediums in the
purchase decision making of the customers are apparent. The social media has become the
platform for exchanging views and feedbacks that creates the impression among the
customers who tends to buy the product according to the review (Helal, Ozuem and
Lancaster 2018). The chapter 4 descriptive analysis also shows that people are suing social
media as their guide for buying products. Again, the social media promotions and
information are accelerating the additional buying behaviour among the customers, hence,
this objective has been proved achieved in this study analysis.

45. Objective 3: To Provide Suitable Recommendations For Armani India In Improving
Customer Purchase Intention Through Social Media
This objective is linked at the end of the study chapter 4, recommendations part. The
recommendations have been included in the study after analyzing the study findings. The
Armani India is a well-known brand in the luxury watch section. But the company lacks its
social media strategi approaches. Through this section, the researcher has addressed this
objective and recommended the brand with effective social media strategies for their young
consumers.
Objective 4: To Identify The Different Factors That Are Affecting The Purchase Intentions Of
Customers In The Indian Fashion Luxury Industry
The different factors that are affecting the buying decisions of the customers has been first
discussed on the basis of the existing literature and then was included in the primary data
analysis part. The literature review part 2.4 directly addresses the different factor that
influence the customer purchasing decisions. According to this section, the customers are
influenced by the situational factors, social factors, cultural factors and personal presences
(Victor et al. 2018). The primary data collected from the customers of Armani Indian
confirms this aspect of the study. In Indian market, the cultural and social factors determine
the buyer types, their purchase capabilities and preferences. The financial factors are the
part of the personal preferences which influence their decisions of buying a luxury watch
(Heinonen 2017). Therefore, this can be concluded that the different factors that are
affecting the purchase decisions are been discussed and analyzed in this study to attend this
research objective.
Recommendations
The strategic recommendation for the brand Armani for their Indian young customers are
stated below-
Developing Appropriate Contents
Social media platforms are used on the basis of the content that the users post. Armani India
has its social media accounts in the platforms like Facebook and Instagram. For the last few
years, the company has not been able to develop customer interactions in these mediums in
spite of their brand reputation. It is recommended for the brand that they should develop
the web contents and social media contents that is target segment oriented. The User
generated contents are positive feedbacks and reviews of the customers. These can be used
as the effective social and cultural references for influencing the buying decisions of the
target segment. For the young customers, the company needs to update their contents with
number, statistics and personalized contents. As the market competition is increasing, the
competitors can easily capture the market share of Armani if customers are not kept

46. updated. The Armani could also include their social work campaigns and attract the
attention of the young generation customers to buy their products. Overall aim of the social
media contents would be keeping the consumers in loop and instigate them to buy the
products.
Boosting Community Engagement
The Armani Indian is suggested to increase their community engagement aspects through
the social media. The brand personality is to be associated with the brad image. Mere
promotional and marketing posts would not be effective for the luxury watch company. The
customers of the company would be more interested in buying the products if they are
engaged with the brand personality. Hashtags, user generated contents- all are the part of
the community engagement. These are the new generation mediums that attract the
attention and develops purchasing intentions.
Using Multiple Platforms
The Armani India is only using Facebook and Instagram in the social media platforms. There
are multiple other platforms like Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn- all these can be used by the
company to gain customers and retain them. The company targets specific kind of
customers who can spend high amount for their luxury watches. Therefore, the higher the
reach, the greater the sales numbers. Using multiple platforms will increase the customers
engagement and brand presence. This is crucial for the young generation as they would like
to be associated with a brand that is global and at the same time technologically advanced.
Future Scope Of The Study
This study findings can be used in the context of the Indian Luxury watches industry. The
companies having their ventures in the Indian market or thinking of launching new
ventures in the luxury brand markets of Indian can use the context of this study. Along with
that in future, this study could be extended for the different customer segments other than
the young buyers. This study can also be used for the social media marketing strategy
development in Indian market as well as the foreign markets for the luxury brands in
different industries.
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