The Impact of Social Media Marketing on Saudi Consumers’ Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Para Social Relationships and Perceived Credibility An Applied Study on Medium-sized Furniture Companies in the Cities of Riyadh, Jeddah & Dammam
Abstract
This study aimed to measure the impact of social media marketing on the purchase intention of Saudi consumers in the furniture sector, focusing on the role of quasi-social relationships and perceived credibility as mediating factors. the researcher employed a descriptive-analytical approach using a questionnaire administered to a random sample, its suitability, one of its advantages being that its data is collected from every easily accessible person, and since the sample is representative of the population, it is a large sample (so it is the appropriate method). of 1,617 individuals. key findings revealed that most participants spend more than three hours daily on various platforms, with 92% engaging in online shopping, 70.5% following brands, and 77.1% following influencers. the study confirmed that digital marketing enhances purchase intention, and that augmented reality technologies strengthen the link between marketing and purchasing through virtual product experiences. It also showed that the credibility of influencers and brands contributes to converting marketing interaction into purchase intention, while the consumer’s decision regarding furniture remains rational and less emotionally driven. furthermore, the study demonstrated the dominance of cognitive and technical factors (augmented reality and credibility) over emotional factors and textual recommendations in interpreting purchase intention within the Saudi context of the furniture sector, the study recommended examining the impact of local culture (such as the Saudi context) on consumer interaction with influencers and new technologies, comparing this with other cultures. finally, it recommended boosting investment in social media marketing by focusing on interactive visual content that allows consumers to explore products.
Full text article
References
Abdel Hamid, Talaat Asaad; Abdel Moaty, Hisham; and Ghorab, Howaida Mohamed Fouad (2021). The Impact of E-Shopping Experience on Consumer Purchase Intention via E-Shopping Websites: E-Shopping Website Quality as a Mediating Variable. Egyptian Journal of Commercial Studies, 4(45), pp. 60-104.
Abdo, Alaa Mohamed El-Sayed, and Noman, Samar Salah (2023). The Role of Social Media in Marketing Furniture Products in Damietta Governorate. Journal of Design and Applied Arts Sciences, 4(2), pp. 436-477.
Al-Atwan, Rakan Fahad (2024). The Impact of Digital Marketing of Brands on Social Media on the Purchasing Decisions of the Saudi Consumer. Journal of University Studies for Comprehensive Research, 7(25), pp. 12620-12654.
Al-Qurashi, Huda Abdul Rabbo Hameed (2021). The Impact of Social Media on Consumption Culture in Society. Journal of the Faculty of Education, Research and Scientific Publishing Administration, 37(6), pp. 107-131.
Al-Tantawi, Diaa El-Din; El-Nabawi, Hussein Kamel; and Abdel Rahman, Ahmed Abdel Azim (2020). Digital Marketing Tools and Their Reflection on the Furniture Industry. Journal of Architecture, Arts and Humanities, 5(23), pp. 584-591.
Al-Nasour, Hala; Al-Manasirah, Aksamari; and Al-Zayadat, Mohammed (2016). The Impact of Marketing Using Social Media on Purchase Intention in Jordan. Jordanian Journal of Business Administration, 12(3), pp. 519-530.
Basit, Rizk Ghabrial (2020). The Impact of Social Media Marketing on Purchase Intention: An Analysis of the Mediating Role of Brand Awareness and Electronic Word of Mouth: An Applied Study on Mobile Phone Company Services in Egypt (Published Study). Scientific Journal of Economics and Commerce, 50(1), pp. 441-486, Cairo. DOI: 10.21608/jsec.2020.99534.
Fata, Raghda Imran and Tawfiq, Wijdan Adnan (2022). Saudi Shoppers' Perceptions of Fashion Brands' Application of Augmented Reality (Published Study). Global Design Journal, 12(1).
Mubni, Noureddine; and Lsalj, Aisha (2020). Electronic Marketing via Social Networks and the Electronic Reputation Management of the Institution. Journal of Algerian Institutions Performance, Setif University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, 16(1), pp. 49-60.
Mustafai, Tawfiq (2022). The Impact of Electronic Word of Mouth via Social Media on Consumer Purchase Intention: A Field Study of the Brand (SAMSUNG - Condor). Unpublished Master's Thesis in Services Marketing. Faculty of Economic, Commercial and Management Sciences, University of Saida, Algeria.
Ahani, A., Nilashi, M., Yadegaridehkordi, E., Sanzogni, L., Tarik, A. R., Knox, K., et al. (2019). Revealing Customers’ Satisfaction and Preferences Through Online Review Analysis: The Case of Canary Islands Hotels. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 51, 331-343. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.06.014.
Al-Alwan, Ali Abdullah. (2018). Investigating the Impact of Social Media Advertising Features on Customer Purchase Intention, International Journal of Information Management, (42), pp. 65-77.
Al-feel, Esraa & Ansari, Zaid Ahmad. (2019). The Impact of Social Media Marketing on Consumer Purchase Intention: Consumer Survey in Saudi Arabia, Journal of Marketing and Consumer Research, (56).
Alexandra Albon, Patricia Kraft, Carsten Rennhak. (2018). A Structural Model of Millennial Tourist Behavior Towards Tourism in Davao Region. Journal of Advances in Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol. (4), Issue (1), 37-50.
Adams, L. (2019). Advertising Effects on Purchase Intention. Journal of Advertising Research, 23 (2), 21-29.
Adams, L. (2022). Consumer Behavior and Purchase Intention. Journal of Marketing Research, 47 (2), 18-25.
Anna Schnee Wind & Nora Sharkasi. (2022). Analysis of the Impact of Brand Fit on Perceived Credibility of Social Media Influencers by European Millennials. Advances in Digital Marketing and E-Commerce (DMEC 2022), Springer Proceedings in Business and Economics,191-207, DOI: www.10.1007/978-3-031-05728-1_22.
Anderson, R. (2018). Digital Marketing: Promoting Products and Services via the Internet. Journal of Online Marketing, 12 (4), 50-60.
Agmeka, Fanni & Ruhmaya Nida Wathoni, Adhi Setyo Santoso. (2019). The Influence of Discount Framing towards Brand Reputation and Brand Image on Purchase Intention and Actual Behavior in E-Commerce. Procedia Computer Science, 161, 851-858.
Appel, G., Grewal, L., Hadi, R., & Stephen, A. T. (2020). The Future of Social Media in Marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48 (1), 79-95.https://www.doi-org.sdl.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00695-1.
Aw, E. C.-X., & Chuah, S. H.-W. (2021). Stop the Unattainable Ideal for an Ordinary Me, Fostering Parasocial Relationships with Social Media Influencers: The Role of Self-discrepancy. Journal of Business Research, 132, 146-15
Baker, J. (2022). The Transformative Role of Digital Technology in Achieving Marketing Objectives. Journal of Digital Marketing Strategies, 25 (2), 78-85.
Brown, A. (2019). Building Customer Relationships with Social Media. Journal of Consumer Engagement, 72, 67-89.
Brown, T. (2018). Consumer Knowledge and Purchase Intention. Consumer Behavior Journal, 30 (1), 20-28.
Brian Lee, H. C., & Li, X. (2018). Impact of Online Word of Mouth on Channel Disintermediation for Information Goods. Journal of Management Information Systems, 35 (3), 964-993 (bsu).
Clark, R. (2019). Using Automation to Enhance Marketing Efficiency. Automation in Marketing, 29 (6), 57-68.
Clark, K. (2021). Innovation and Consumer Interest. Journal of Marketing Research, 37 (4), 37-45.
Garcia, M. (2020). User Engagement on Social Media. Journal of Online Interaction, 61, 61-70.
Gupta, S., Singhal, A. and Kapoor, A. (2016) A Literature Survey on Social Engineering Attacks: Phishing Attack. International Conference on Computing, Communication and Automation (ICCCA), Greater Noida, 29-30, 537-540.
Chloe, Ki; Leslie M. Cuevas; S. M. Chong & H. Lim. (2020). Influencer Marketing: Social Media Influencers as Human Brands Attaching to Followers and Yielding Positive Marketing Results by Fulfilling Needs. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Issue (55), (DOI): www.10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102133.
Chloe W. C. Ki & Youn-Kyung Kim. (2019). The Mechanism by Which Social Media Influencers Persuade Consumers: The Role of Consumers’ Desire to Mimic. Journal of Psychology & Marketing, Vol. (36), 905-922.
Davis, R. (2020). Product Quality and Consumer Purchase Decisions. Journal of Product Management, 38 (1), 30-38.
Dolan, Rebecca; Jodie, Conduita; John, Fahyb & Steve, Goodmana. (2015). Social Media Engagement Behaviour: A Uses and Gratifications Perspective. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 1-17.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0965254X.2015.1095222.
Dinh Tien Minh; Le Vu Lan Oanh & Nguyen Diem Quynh. )2023(. How Gamification Affects Online Shopping Behavior: An Approach with Youngsters (aged 16-30), Cogent Business & Management. Taylor & Francis Journals, Vol. 10 (3).
Dewi, Maria Grace Herlinab & Adine Esther Mutiha Boetar Boetara. (2020). The Effect of Social Media Marketing on Purchase Intention in Fashion Industry, International Journal of Data and Network Science, Vol. (6), pp. 355-360.
Emma. L.; Elvira lsmagilova; Slade, Nripendra P. Rana & Yogesh, K. Dwivedi. (2020). The Effect of Electronic Word of Mouth Communications on Intention to Buy, A Meta-Analysis, Vol. (22), pp. 1203-1226.
Lee, C. (2022). The Impact of Parasocial Relationships on Consumer Trust and Brand Perception. Journal of Consumer Research, 54 (3), 214-227.
Lee, H. (2021). The Influence of Product Design on Purchase Intention. Journal of Design and Consumer Behavior, 33 (2), 32-40.
Lewis, C. (2020). Building Customer Relationships Through Digital PR. Public Relations Review, 68, 68-75.
Lopez, G. (2021). Consumer Experience and Perceived Credibility. Journal of Retailing, 38(6), 70-79.
Lopez, R. (2018). Leveraging Social Media Trends. Journal of Marketing Trends, 46 (2), 75-88.
Hernandez, R. (2023). Demographic and Geographic Targeting on Social Media. Journal of Marketing Research, 68 (2), 115-129.
Hong, Qin A.; Babajide, Osatuyi B. & Lu, Xu. (2021). How Mobile Augmented Reality Applications Affect Continuous Use and Purchase Intentions: A Cognition Affect Conation Perspective, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services. (63).
Indravati, Putri Yones, P. C. & Muthaiyah, S. (2022). E-WOM via the TikTok Application and its Influence on the Purchase Intention of Somethinc Products. Asia Pacific Management Review. https://www.doi-org.sdl.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2022.07.007.
Eugene Cheng-Xi Aw & Stephanie Hui-Wen Chuah. (2021). Stop the Unattainable Ideal for an Ordinary Me! Fostering Parasocial Relationships with Social Media Influencers: The Role of Self-Discrepancy. Journal of Business Research, Vol. (132),146-157.
Eugene, Cheng-Xi Aw & Stephanie Hui-Wen Chuah. (2021). Stop the Unattainable Ideal for an Ordinary Me! Fostering Parasocial Relationships with Social Media Influencers: The Role of Self-Discrepancy. Journal of Business Research, DOI: www.10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.05.001.
Jashari, Fitore & Rrustemi, Visor. (2017). The Impact of Social Media on Consumer Behavior: Case Study Kosovo. Journal of Knowledge Management, Economics and Information Technology. Vol. VII, Issue 1.
Johnson, T. (2019). Social Media as a Communication Tool. Communication Review, 20, 20-30.
Johnson, A. (2018). Credibility Assessment in Digital Marketing. Journal of Marketing Studies, 28 (3), 45-53.
Kan M. P. H. & Fabrigar, L. R. (2017). Theory of Planned Behavior. In: Zeigler-Hill V., Shackelford T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://www.doi.org/10.1007/979-3-319-28099-8_1191-1
Khan, Haajer & Sriram, M. (2019). Role of ole of Augmented Reality in Influencing Purchase Intention Among Millennials, Journal of Management (JOM), Vol. 06, Issue 6, November-December, pp. 37-46.
khasssuren, Mendbyar & Kyung-Doo Nam. (2018). The Effect of Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) on Purchase Intention on Korean Cosmetic Products in the Mongolian Market, Journal of International Trade and Commerce, Vol. (14), No. (4), pp: 161-175.
Kie, Lady, Andrean. (2020). Effects of Social Media on Purchase Intention and Brand Equity of Marketplace Sites in Indonesia, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, V. IV, No. VI.
Kim, S. (2022). The Impact of Social Media on Sales. Journal of Retail Marketing, 60, 45-70.
Kim, S. (2022). Social Media Metrics and Analytics. Journal of Digital Metrics, 60, 60-68.
King, B. (2021). Influencer Marketing Theory. Journal of Influencer Marketing, 24(3), 55-68.
Kim, H. (2019). Trust in Brand and its Effects on Purchase Intention. Brand Management Journal, 37 (1), 25-33.
Kusumo, Sutopo & Agus Rahayu, Lili Adi Wibowo, Heny Hendrayati. (2020). The Effect of Social Media Marketing on Purchase Intention: Evidence from Indonesia, Advance in Economics Business and Management Research, V. (187).
Kyto, Elina; Markus, Virtanen & Sari, Mustonen. (2019). From Intention to Action: Predicting Purchase Behavior with Consumers’ Product Expectations and Perceptions, and Their Individual Properties. Journal of Food Quality and Preference, Vol. 75, July 1-9.
Lewis, C. (2018). Credibility and Consumer Behavior in Online Marketing. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 34, 57-70.
Martinez, A. (2021). Social Media in Business Communication. Business Communication Review, 48, 48-55.
Martinez, F. (2021). Building Loyalty Through Social Media. Journal of Brand Loyalty, 48, 45-65.
Martinez, R. (2022). Integrating Traditional and Digital Marketing Strategies. Integration Journal, 77, 77-87.
Miller, A. (2020). Creating Engaging Content for Social Media. Journal of Content Marketing, 53 (4), 112-125.
Mugo, David; Njagi, Kageni; Chemwei, Bernard & Motanya, Jared. (2017). The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and its Application to the Utilization of Mobile Learning Technologies. British Journal of Mathematics & Computer Science. 20. 1-8.
Nafees, L., Cook, C. M., Nikolov, A. N., & Stoddard, J. E. (2021). Can Social Media Influencer (SMI) Power Influence Consumer Brand Attitudes? The Mediating Role of Perceived SMI Credibility. Digital Business, 1 (2), 100008.
Nguyen, L. (2019). Cultural Influences on Purchase Intention. International Marketing Review, 29 (4), 26-34.
Nguyen, L. (2019). The Impact of Social Recommendations on Purchase Intention. Social Influence Journal, 27 (4), 22-30.
Park a, Jungkun & Hyowon Hyun. (2021). A Study of Antecedents and Outcomes of Social Media E-WOM towards luxury Brand Purchase Intention, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, (58).
Parker, E. (2020). Promotional Offers and Their Effect on Purchase Intention. Journal of Sales and Promotions, 35 (1), 28-36.
Parker, E. (2021). Social Influences on Consumer Purchase Intentions. Social Psychology of Marketing, 36 (1), 29-37.
Patel, S. (2020). Utilizing Social Media for Competitive Advantage. Competitive Advantage Journal, 60 (3), 78-91.
Phillips, R. (2022). Price and Quality in Consumer Purchase Decisions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 48 (2), 23-30.
Phillips, R. (2023). Social Influences on Consumer Behavior. Journal of Consumer Studies, 49 (3), 34-42.
Poushneh, Atieh. (2021). How Close do we Feel to Virtual Product to Make a Purchase Decision? Impact of Perceived Proximity to Virtual Product and Temporal Purchase Intention, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, (63).
Ruo-Fei, Shi & Zeng, Jing-Yun & Jin, Chang-Hyun. (2022). The Role of Consumer’ Social Capital on Ethical Consumption and Consumer Happiness. SAGE Open. 12.
Rodriguez, F. (2021). Voice Technology for Enhanced User Interaction. User Interaction Journal, 47, 46-56.
Rodriguez, J. (2021). SEO and Social Media Strategies. Journal of Digital Marketing, 53, 45-65.
Sauls, Madison (2018). Perceived Credibility of Information on Internet Health Forums, All Dissertations. 2110. https://www.tigerprints.clemson.edu/alldissertations/2110.
Schivinski, B., & Dabrowski, D. (2016). The Effect of Social Media Communication on Consumer Perceptions of Brands. Journal of Marketing Communications, 22 (2), 189-214.
Schnee wind, A., & Sharkasi, N. (2022). Analysis of the Impact of Brand Fit on Perceived Credibility of Social Media Influencers by European Millennials. In F. J. MartínezLópez & L. F. Martinez (Eds.), Advances in Digital Marketing and eCommerce (DMEC 2022) (pp. 191-207). Springer, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05728-1_22.
Siddiqui, Mohd Shuaib; Urooj, Ahmed Siddiqui; Mohammed, Arshad Khan; Ibrahim, Ghazi Alkandi; Annop, Krishna Saxena & Jaziba, Haroon Siddiqui. (2021). Creating Electronic Word of Mouth Credibility through Social Networking Sites and Determining its Impact on Brand Image and Online Purchase Intentions in India, Journal of Theoretical and applied Electronic Commerce Research, Vol. (16), 1008-1024.
Su, B., Wu, L., Chang, Y.Y., & Hong, R. (2021). Influencers on Social Media as References: Understanding the Importance of Para social Relationships. Sustainability. Vol. 13, No. 19, DOI:10.3390/su131910919
Smith, E. (2018). Enhancing Social Connections Through Social Media. Journal of Social Media Research, 45 (4), 110-125.
Smith, E. (2021). The Spread of Misinformation on Social Media. Journal of Media Ethics, 57 (3), 88-102.
Thao, H. T. P., & Hoa, N. L. T. (2018). Impact of Online Social Media on Consumers’ Purchasing Intention via Social Network Sites. Ho chi Minh City open University Journal of Science-Economics and Business Administration, Vol. (8), No. (1), pp. 19-36.
Theresa Maria Rausch & Cristopher Siegfried Kopplin. (2021). Bridge the Gap: Consumers’ Purchase Intention and Behavior Regarding Sustainable Clothing. Journal of Cleaner Production, Vol. (278).
Theresa, Rausch & Cristopher, Kopplin. (2021). Bridge the Gap: Consumers Purchase Intention and Behavior Regarding Sustainable Clothing, Journal of Cleaner Production, 278.
Ten, et al. (2018). Contributions From the Silent Majority Dominate Dengue Virus Transmission. PLOS Pathogens Journal, May, (DOI) https://www.10.1371/journal.ppat.1006965.
Yulihasri; Aminul Islam & Amir Ku Daud. (2011). Factors that Influence Customers’ Buying Intention on Shopping Online, International Journal of Marketing Studies, Vol. 3, No. 1; February 2011.
Yim, Mark Yi-Cheon & Shu-Chuan Chu b & Paul L. Sauer. (2017). Is Augmented Reality Technology an Effective Tool for E-commerce? An Interactivity and Vividness Perspective, Journal of Interactive Marketing, (39) pp. 89-103.
Zhang, K. (2018). Linking Consumer: Endorser Relationship with Source Credibility and Consumer Brand-Related Responses: A Para-Social Interaction Perspective. Doctoral Thesis, Hong Kong Baptist University.
Zhaoa, C.; Yang, Lin Wanga, C.; Huijie, Tangb, Yaming, Zhang. (2020). Electronic Word-of-Mouth and Consumer Purchase Intentions in Social E-Commerce, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, (41).
Walker, K. (2020). Influencer Marketing on Social Media. Influencer Studies, 72, 72
Wang, J., Li, X., Wang, P., Liu, Q., Deng, Z., & Wang, J. (2021). Research Trend of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology Theory: A Bibliometric Analysis. Sustainability, 14 (1), 10. https://www.doi.org/10.3390/su14010010.
Williams, J. (2022). Creating Customer Loyalty Through Positive Experiences. Customer Loyalty Journal, 45 (6), 61-73.
Wilson, E. (2022). Building Brand Trust Through Social Media Engagement. Trust in Marketing Journal, 20 (3), 68-76.
Wu, B., & Chen, X. (2017). Continuance Intention to use MOOCs: Integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Task Technology fit (TTF) Model. Computers in Human Behavior, 67, 221-232 www.mordorIntelligence.com.
Authors
Copyright (c) 2026 The Arab Journal of Administration
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
