The impact of social media marketing dimensions on the creation of brand awareness in the Sri Lankan fashion retail sector

Abstract

"Social media has become the most defining technologies that is popularly used in the recent times. This usage ultimately explains why businesses reportedly use social media marketing through Facebook and Instagram as mainstream marketing communication for brand outreach. Although Sri Lankan fashion retailers have started to move to online business and utilize social media, they still use it as a communication tool rather than a strategic tool without understanding its true purpose in the creation of brand awareness. This paper identifies the impact of social media marketing dimensions on the creation of brand awareness in Sri Lankan fashion retail industry. This study was examined through a deductive approach and quantitative research via primary; online survey distribution and secondary data; journals and online publications respectively. The data was collected, analysed, and the findings on the relationship between the SMM dimensions and brand awareness were displayed using SPSS software. The hypothesis demonstrated that all five SMM dimensions (entertainment, customization, interaction, EWOM, and trendiness) have an impact on the creation of brand awareness. Finally, the study concludes with recommendations for future studies aimed at broadening research objectives and enabling fashion retailers to improve brand outreach in the online market."