EVALUATING THE MODERATING EFFECT OF ONLINE REVIEWERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING ACTIVITIES AND CUSTOMER-BRAND RELATIONSHIPS IN THE LUXURY FASHION MARKET

Abstract

Existing Literature agree that social media users are more inclined to trust content created by other users rather than material produced by corporate marketing departments or advertising agencies. However, there is limited understanding of how social media can genuinely enhance brand trust and other key brand relationship outcomes, particularly in the realm of elegant fashion marketing. This research seeks to provide valuable insights by examining the moderating role of online reviewers in the relationship between social media marketing activities and relationship marketing paradigms such as trust, commitment, and emotional brand attachment.

Purposive sampling was used in the implementation of a survey design technique to get primary data. G*Power program was used to calculate the minimum sample size. 450 responses were acquired from the different colleges, coaching centers, shopping malls and universities in Maharashtra, with 38% of the respondents being male and 62% being female.  To assess the suggested model and its hypothesized linkages, a two-stage partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique was used.

The findings reveal that online reviews play a significant and positive role in strengthening the link between social media marketing efforts and outcomes such as brand loyalty, trust, and emotional brand attachment. Additionally, the study shows that moderation exerts a considerable positive influence on social media marketing engagement, as well as on brand commitment, trust, and emotional brand connection.

This study seeks to clarify the traits of high-end organisations that influence their performance, thereby assisting businesses in efficiently managing and enhancing their operations within the swiftly changing luxury market. This study aims to develop a strategy for improving brand performance through the identification of key characteristics associated with Social Media Marketing activities (SMMa). Moreover, the results will enable luxury companies to manage their social media presence and customer value more effectively, while also providing insights for accurately predicting consumer purchasing behaviours.