The Impact of Social Media Marketing on Students’ Purchasing Decisions Regarding Bedding

Abstract

This thesis is to examine the impact of social media marketing on students purchasing decisions regarding bedding products among students of Karelia University of Applied Sciences, Joensuu, Finland. It is to determine the extent to which social media influences bedding purchase decisions, to identify the most influential platforms and to also examine key factors affecting student choices. A quantitative research design was adopted. Primary data were collected through an online structured questionnaire from 24 students while secondary data were obtained from academic books, journal articles and credible sources. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and analysis of variance. The findings revealed that social media marketing has a significant positive influence on students bedding purchase decisions. Facebook, Instagram and YouTube were identified as the most influential platforms. Price, quality and comfort were the major factors guiding purchase decisions, while students also relied on store display and peer recommendations. A positive relationship was found between social media usage and bedding purchase behavior. The study concludes that social media is an effective marketing tool for reaching students consumers when combined with affordability, product quality, trust and appealing visual content.