Factors influencing consumer purchase intention : a study of bookstores in Kurdistan region of Iraq

Abstract

Due to the weakness of the banking system infrastructure, there is no online bookstore or E-commerce business in Kurdistan. Many customers complaint about the problem of parking facility, most of the bookstore locations have not enough parking space nearby for the customers to be able to visit the bookstores and spend quite enough time to search for books and buying them. So, the researcher has decided to study the impact of social media marketing on customer purchase intention toward bookstores in Kurdistan region. This study is conducted in four provinces of Kurdistan region of Iraq (Erbil, sulaimaniyah, Dihok, Halabja). The sample of the study consists of 300 respondents of which 231 are males, and 69 are females. The instrument of the study is adapted from previous established studies. The first part of the survey was designed to investigate respondents’ demographics, whereas, the second part focused on the independent and dependent variables of the study. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is the baseline theoretical model to support the conceptual model of the study. The study represented the five variables, three of which are presented as TAM model variables, namely, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitude, along with the native variable social media marketing and their impact on customer purchase intention. The results showed that all the independent variables significantly influenced customer purchase intention toward bookstores in Kurdistan. The findings of the study implied valuable contribution in two aspects. Theoretically, the study findings showed evidence for the establishment of TAM. In terms of managerial implication, the study provided practical recommendation for the practitioners. The research findings come to validate SMM as a potential promotional strategy for bookstores in the region. The results have shown that book readers are significantly influenced by social media marketing. Having social media pages is crucial for the bookstores in the region to facilitate customers in purchasing books. So, bookstore marketers need to include social media marketing to their promotional strategy and improve social media marketing skills which can give advantage for the bookstores