A Research Proposal Investigating Social Media Influence

 A Research Proposal Investigating Social Media Influence on the Spending Habits of fashion products by Teenagers in an Urban High School Setting in Massachusetts, USA
 
Introduction
There has been a remarkable outburst in social media usage in the past decade. Social media platforms are increasingly growing as developers come up with better applications and new features. Consequently, the adoption of such platforms is growing. Such fast adoption is evidenced by the growing number of users in various social media networks ranging from social media platforms such as Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook. The trend is especially noticeable among tech-savvy teenagers who are among the first people to know of new emerging platforms. Evidently, social media and other applications of web 2.0 have had tremendous influence on people’s lives. The world has progressively been transformed into a global village where trans-continental communication is ubiquitous. Consequently, sharing of ideas, cultural exchange among other factors is faster and easier. The use and consequent impacts of social media in spending habits is a particularly critical area in understanding consumer behavior. By understanding social media usage and preferences for particular goods, organizational marketers can develop strategies for product positioning. In addition, such knowledge is of fundamental importance when it comes down to development of social media marketing campaigns. Thus, it is imperative for marketers to understand the use of social media among teenagers who comprise a higher fraction of social media users globally. Failure to understand the consumer behavior can present great marketing challenges.

Objectives of the study
Primary Objectives

To investigate use of social media and its implications on spending habits of teenagers when purchasing fashion products.
To explore the primary trends/major themes associated with discussing influence of social media on consumer spending.
To classify social media as a significant influential factor on teenage fashion.
Specific objectives
To analyze the profiles of teenagers/consumers.
To classify fashion products depending on the number of purchases made by teenagers. The following research questions were formulated to achieve the research aims mentioned above.
To identify the influence index of social media, as a marketing platform, on teenage fashion.
Research Questions
How specifically does social media usage affect the spending habits of high school teenagers?
What are the common features/ characteristics or attributes of consumers who are influenced by similar social media platforms?
How can fashion products be classified on the basis of searches or purchases made?
To what extent does social media, as a dominant marketing platform affect consumer spending?
Significance of study
Understanding consumer behavior is a strategic activity that can be applied in the overall improvement of the organization’s marketing approach. As such, understanding the implications of social media in spending habits of teenage shoppers of fashion products can be of help to marketing strategists around the target region. Moreover, the findings of the study could be generalized to apply to a wider population. Nonetheless, if the generalizability of the findings generated from the study is questionable, the researcher will propose future research areas for studying.

Scope of the study
The aim of the study is as stipulated earlier. The study setting will be 3 high schools located in an urban setting, preferably Boston. The study will be conducted for a period of 6 months starting from May 2017 to November 2017.

Literature Review
Social media plays major roles in the lives of teenagers as it is a key communication platform. Through social media, many people are able to connect remotely and share life experiences and trending news. In the current world, many marketers and business owners have turned to social media as their brand awareness platform to showcase their products to their customers of interest. In fashion industry, marketers rely on the customer retention through promotion of classic items to a wide range of persons. In the United States, use of the Internet is very frequent especially amongst the teenage groups, and hence sharing of products is highly convenient. Research has identified digital behavior, or the use of Internet, as an influential factor on consumer behavior and expectations (Fardouly et al., 2015). The consumer expectations tend to be evolving at a rapid rate and fashion designers and marketers have to identify with the most convenient way to get access to potential customers. In the real essence, every marketer seeks to satisfy the needs of the current customers for retention whereas at the same time attracting new customers through presentation of products (Fardouly et al., 2015; Okazaki & Taylor, 2013).

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