How social media make you spend more money on purchasing the items you do not need?

Yazhe,Liu

Advertisements in social media have achieved real success because advertiser has spent money on social media platformsuch as Facebook, Twitter, Printerest, and Youtube for marketing.They use any possible approach to advertise and ensure the target audience can see their advertisements. However, we have been overly watched and viewed those advertisements while we are using social media platforms.

More time we spend on social media platforms, the more items we will possibly buy. In other words, we have wasted money while simply using Facebook and other social media platforms to maintain relationships with our friends and families. But how does this work?

( https://www.understandingecommerce.com/advantages-of-advertising-on-social-media/)

The power of social media marketing

To begin with, the rise of social media has enabled many social media platforms becomes a hub for market intelligence as marketers begin to understand consumer’s purchasing behavior. Gradually, when marketers have more understanding of their consumer, they will create produce more attractive advertisements to cater for the need of their potential customer’s desire.

In addition, social media provides a platform for customers to have direct conversation with the brands, which have contributed to the consumption of these brands. This is because the online advertisements allow the marketers to receive consumers’ feedback through social media affordance such as ‘comment’ and ‘share’ what marketers are seeking for. Also, it is interactive for consumers to express their thought about these products that has improved their shopping experience. As a result, they are more willing to purchase the items that is advertised online.

Thirdly, Burberry, as the first luxury brands, using social media to be more connected with their customers. They have their official accounts on social media platform such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. The benefit of using the official account is it can enhance the brand consciousness. Brands can present the brand’s history and exclusive to their target customer and potential customerto share the brand culture to their followers inter. In Twitter and Facebook, they have over 800,000 followers and over 11.6 million “fans” respectively. Accordingly, these series of improvement make Burberry become a successful brand in marketing social media and have become a trend among social media user. Take myself as an instance, one of the followers of Burberry on Facebook, who have purchased her first luxury item, an expensive shirt from this brand after viewed the advertisement, without really consider do I really need to spend a lot of money on one shirt? Ironically, I only wear once because it does not look good on me.

The impact of social media influencer

A similar message is perceived as more authentic and credible when it is communicated by a fellow consumer compared to than when it would have been put forward by an advertiser.For example, when Bella Hadid posts a photo with one of the latest fashion bags on her Instagram, we will want to buy that item because she is a the fashion icon. We will just purchase it to copy her style after viewed her Instagram, but it does not mean we really need this bag.The social media influencer have enhanced our purchase intention through their unique personality and fashion sense.

Bella with her icon bag

(https://www.femalefirst.co.uk/lifestyle-fashion/stylenews/bella-hadid-excited-face-bulgari-accessories-1033512.html)

Additionally, we tend to trust social media influencers we have followed, thus, while they are pursuing us to buy something, we are willing to believe in their speeches and prefer to believe their words and purchase those items. They could be one of the reasons that lead to us over-consuming advertised products. For example, when we follow one of the ‘cute kitty’s ’account, they may do the advertisement of toys that is designed for pets, but we feel it will be useful in the future when we finally start to raise a cat although we do not have any pet at the moment.

It is true that social media influencer has commercial value for brands’ marketing strategy, however, we should stay more reasonable while we are viewing their sharing.

Lesson learned

Generally, we are more likely to purchase items we may not need that much through view the advertisement on social media. In addition, the brands’ social media marketing and social media influencer affect our purchasing. Thus, we should be more critical when we are passive to contact the online ‘trap’.