Buyer behaviour toward Instagram based businesses in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study explores the behavior of buyers in Saudi Arabia. Primarily, buyers who are using Instagram to purchase from new types of e-businesses; businesses that use Instagram as their only platform for commerce. The objectives include, help achieve a better understanding of Saudi consumers, suggest how social media businesses can better design their business accounts to promote trust and increase their customer base, help direct future government, public, or private investments, and to participate in reaching the goals and objectives of Vision 2030 in the country. Based on existing literature and theories related to buyer behaviour, including the theory of planned behavior, and the impulse buying behaviour, an online survey was distributed to Saudi Instagram users, to investigate the factors that affect their purchasing decision process with relation to ecommerce businesses that are based on Instagram. 530 participants took part in this study, and it was found that some demographic factors play a role in encouraging the purchasing act, while impulse buying factors do not seem to make a big difference. In addition, factors related to brand trust, product features, customer service, and payment methods are the core elements that drive the consumers in Saudi Arabia to buy from these businesses.