Evaluating Social Media Platform Effectiveness In Influencing Consumer Buying Behaviour: Evidence From Chennai City

Abstract

Social media has emerged as a powerful digital marketing tool that significantly influences consumer buying behaviour. This study compares the effectiveness of six major social media platforms—WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Telegram, and X in influencing consumer buying behaviour among digital consumers in Chennai City. A descriptive and analytical research design was adopted, and primary data were collected from 150 respondents using a structured questionnaire through convenience sampling. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics, mean score analysis, one-way ANOVA, and Tukey HSD post hoc test with the help of SPSS. The findings revealed that YouTube was the most effective platform, followed by WhatsApp and Instagram, while Facebook, Telegram, and X showed comparatively lower effectiveness. The ANOVA results indicated a significant difference in the effectiveness of the selected social media platforms (F = 18.546, p < 0.001). The post hoc analysis further confirmed that YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram significantly outperformed Facebook, Telegram, and X in influencing consumer buying behaviour. The study concludes that businesses should prioritize high-performing social media platforms to improve consumer engagement and enhance marketing effectiveness. The findings provide useful insights for marketers in designing platform-specific digital marketing strategies.