Factors affecting consumer behavior in Smartphone purchases in Nepal

The marketing strategy phenomenon improves significantly, narrowing from a general to a specific cultural ethnicity base and from variable to dimension analysis. This study examines the impact of culture, brand image and price on buying decisions. The study population comprised retail consumers in the sampled area of Situbondo, East Java, Indonesia. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to derive a sample of 112 respondents as a primary data source – descriptive statistics allows for the demographic characteristics of retail consumers in East Java, Indonesia. Surprisingly, the data showed that gender involvement in buyer decision-making was dominant. Most retail customers were identified as private-sector employees and indicated for higher income earners. Responses were then analyzed using multiple linear regressions to answer the research hypotheses. The results showed that Hofstede’s culture dimension and the brand image and price significantly affected consumer buying decisions at retail stores in East Java, Indonesia. Regarding the strength of Islamic culture in East Java, price was the primary consideration in buying decisions. Further research, preferably using ethnographic approaches with an emphasis on qualitative research, is needed to investigate the implications of these relationships.

Acknowledgment
We would like to thank the Research Centre (LP2M) of University of Jember, East Java, Indonesia, for their support and funding. We also want to thank Rusdiyanto, a Ph.D. student from the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia, for his helpful discussions and contributions.

In the digital age and technological advancements, short video platforms have become essential tools for online sales and marketing. In addition, shopping through short video marketing has gained significant attention, especially among Generation Z, as it brings unique and novel shopping experiences. The primary goal of this study is to explore the factors of short video marketing that influence the purchase intentions of Generation Z consumers in Vietnam. To conduct this study, a quantitative approach was employed, utilizing a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire administered online through a non-probability sampling method. The sample comprised 350 respondents aged between 16 and 26 from Vietnam, representing Generation Z, who made purchases through short video marketing. The relationships among various variables were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The study’s results demonstrated a positive, significant, and direct relationship between all factors of short video marketing, including interesting content, perceived usefulness, scenario-based experience, user interaction, perceived enjoyment, and involvement of celebrities and consumer brand attitude. Among these factors, perceived usefulness is the most influential factor on customer brand attitude. In addition, the study revealed that consumer brand attitude, acting as a mediating variable, had a positive and significant impact on consumers’ purchase intentions. Based on the findings, the study suggested strategies for businesses to enhance the quality and content on short video platforms, thereby improving the effectiveness of their marketing strategies.

Acknowledgment
The authors express a sincere gratitude to all the participants who generously took part in this research study.

Innovative marketing has given rise to practitioners’ and scholars’ attention in the 21st-century market. Given this, social media marketing has become the order of the day when accessing modern tools for marketing communication. However, the adoption of this innovation comes with its associated challenges, particularly, from a developing country perspective. Against this background, this study sought to examine the inhibitors characterized in the application of social media channels as an innovative tool for advertising and communication among SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in Ghana. For study results to be achieved, a quantitative research approach with a questionnaire of 650 was distributed among managerial staff of the fashion industry in the central part of Ghana of which 512 respondents were duly received and correctly filled for data processing and analysis. Results from the partial least square structural equation method (PLS-SEM), showed that despite the importance of innovation, lack of managerial skills/marketing expertise, perceived cost, regular systems/links upgrade, and financial constraints are significant inhibiting factors affecting the application of social media as advertising and communication tools among SMEs in developing economy. Interestingly, the findings further showed that ’company’s size’ as well as ’availability of social media channel/tool’ significantly control for the outcome variable (internet/social media) as a marketing communication tool.

Acknowledgment
This work is supported by Tomas Bata University in Zlin through; IGA/FaME/2019/002: The role of the institutional environment in fostering entrepreneurship, and further supported by IGA/FaME/2020/002 and IGA/FaME/2019/008. The authors are thankful to Prof. Jaroslav Belás, Prof. Boris Popesko, and Prof. Miloslava Chovancová for their guidance towards developing this manuscript.