Conference Paper

Social Networks and Consumer Buying Behaviour

The increasing adoption of social networking platforms has transformed how organizations engage with consumers and influence purchasing behaviour. The study examined the influence of social networks on consumer buying behavior in the Nigerian telecommunications industry with a specific focus on customers of MTN Nigeria PLC in Ilaro, Ogun State. The study investigated four key dimensions of social networking: content creation, customer engagement, relationship building and data analysis, and their influence on consumer buying behavior. A descriptive research design was adopted, while primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale. The study targeted an infinite population of MYN consumers, and a sample size of 385 respondents was determined using Cochran’s formula. Data were analysed using appropriate statistical techniques to test the research objectives and hypotheses. The findings revealed that relationship building had a positive and statistically significant effect on consumer buying behaviour (ꞵ=0.087, p=0.039), indicating that stronger customer relationship enhance consumers’ purchase decisions. In contrast, content creation (ꞵ=0.063, p=0.215), customer engagement (ꞵ=0.042, p=0.385), and data analysis (ꞵ=-0.030, p=0.493) showed no statistically significant influence on consumer buying behaviour. The study concludes that although social networks remain valuable marketing tools, organization should prioritize relationship-building strategies over mere content generation, engagement metrics, or data collection to achieve meaningful improvements in consumer buying behavior. The study recommends that telecommunication firms strengthen personalized customer relationships, implement customer loyalty programmes, and integrate relationship marketing into their social media strategies to improve customer retention, satisfaction and competitive advantage. Keywords: Social Networks, Consumer Buying Behaviour, Relationship Building, Content Creation, Customer Engagement, Data Analysis.