USE OF DIGITAL SOCIAL NETWORKS IN THE DECISION-MAKING PURCHASE PROCESS: A STUDY WITH UNIVERSITY CONSUMERS

Abstract

This article aims to verify whether the use and frequency of use of digital social networks in a purchase decision process are associated with gender, age group, marital status and family income of students from a federal university located in the interior of northeastern Brazil. To this end, a questionnaire was applied to 578 students from this university. The study traces the profile of the university consumer and confronts this profile with the use and frequency of use of social networks in the stages of the purchase decision-making process; in addition, it lists the digital social networks most used by university students in the stages of their purchasing decision-making processes. The findings of this study partially confirm the hypothesis that the use and frequency of use of digital social networks in a buying decision process are associated with the gender variable; but they deny its association with the variables age group, marital status and family income. In addition, they emphasize the need for organizations to pay greater attention to information about the existence, functionality and benefits of goods and / or services that are made available on digital social networks.