From Engagement to Purchase: The Role of Digital Marketing Strategies in Shaping Consumer Intentions in Social Commerce

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of digital marketing strategies on consumer purchase intentions within the social commerce environment. We adopt a quantitative cross-sectional design, collecting structured questionnaire data from 1,200 consumers across ten metropolitan cities; after data cleaning, 1,176 valid responses were retained. The sample comprised 48.7% male and 51.3% female participants, with 92.4% reporting daily social media usage. Statistical analyses—including multiple linear regression, Pearson correlation, and structural equation modeling (SEM)—revealed that consumer trust (standardized β = 0.44, p < 0.001), influencer marketing (β = 0.39, p < 0.001), online reviews (β = 0.35, p < 0.001), and personalized advertising (β = 0.31, p = 0.002) are significant predictors of purchase intention, collectively explaining 73.8% of the variance (R² = 0.738). The SEM analysis demonstrated excellent model fit: Chi-square/df = 2.11, CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.045. Furthermore, a strong positive correlation emerged between digital marketing effectiveness and purchase intention (r = 0.81, p < 0.001). Highly engaged consumers showed a 27.6% higher purchase intention, 30.2% stronger brand engagement, and 21.4% greater repurchase intention compared to those with low digital marketing exposure. Consequently, this research advances the theoretical understanding of how trust and interactive digital elements jointly drive consumer decisions in social commerce. The practical significance lies in providing evidence-based guidance for marketers aiming to build long-term customer relationships. Our findings underscore that organizations should prioritize credible influencer partnerships and data-driven personalization to improve marketing effectiveness and foster sustained consumer loyalty