Understanding digital consumers, communities and influencers

The topic for this week will be understanding the digital consumer, communities, and influencers in the context of online shopping.

Have you recently purchased something online? Have you ever browsed for a product or service on the internet? Then you are a digital consumer, as it refers to an e-consumer who searches for and purchases products on the Internet using any type of mobile device (Tkaczyk 2016).

In fact, you are not the only one, but many other people are also a digital consumer. According to Australia Post data, in 2021, 81% of all Australian households have purchased online, with 5.4 million households doing so monthly.

With many other people involved as digital consumers, it is reasonable to assume that the digital consumer plays an important role in increasing a company’s sales. Marketers must therefore be aware of the factors that may influence their online purchasing behaviour, such as the influence of online communities and influencer marketing.

Online communities are made up of people who share a common interest or goal to foster a sense of belonging. With an online community, such as Uscreen, Quora, or a Facebook group, consumers can review and share their experiences online, allowing other consumers to gain information, become more aware, and trust the product. In other words, online communities facilitate electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM).

In fact, eWOM has a significant impact on consumer purchase intentions as it builds trust and raises brand awareness for customers (Sulthana & Vasantha 2019). Thus, similarly, online communities will be beneficial to the business to be adopted.

Influencer marketing influences customer purchasing behaviour by hiring or collaborating with social media influencers or content creators to not only act as models, but also to recommend of a product or service to audiences. It is generally conducted by sharing their experience or providing a honest review of the product or service that they have used to their audiences.

This is also regarded as one of the most efficient methods of increasing customer purchasing intent. Mostly because the influencer’s honest review of the product or service conveys to the customer a sense of authenticity, credibility, and trust. Furthermore, these three factors have been identified as the primary drivers of customer interest in purchasing the product (Lisichkova and Othman 2017). It also indicates that influencer marketing has a significant impact on customer purchasing behaviour.