Influence of Digital Marketing Strategies on the Online Purchase Behaviour of Young Adults in Awka South L.G.A, Nigeria

Digital marketing has become an indispensable tool for influencing consumer purchasing decisions, particularly among young adults who increasingly rely on digital platforms when searching for products and making online purchases. Despite the growing adoption of digital marketing strategies by businesses, empirical evidence on the relative effectiveness of specific strategies in emerging markets such as Nigeria remains limited. This study examined the influence of digital marketing strategies on the online purchase behaviour of young adults in Awka South L.G.A, Nigeria. Specifically, the study investigated the effects of content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization (SEO) on online purchase behaviour. A survey research design was adopted, and data were collected through structured questionnaires administered both online and offline. Out of a sample size of 384 respondents, 351 valid responses were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 32. Multiple regression analysis was employed to test the study hypotheses. The findings revealed that social media marketing and search engine optimization significantly and positively influenced online purchase behaviour, with social media marketing emerging as the strongest predictor. Conversely, content marketing and email marketing did not exert a statistically significant influence on online purchase behaviour. The study concludes that businesses seeking to influence the online purchasing decisions of young adults should prioritise investments in social media marketing and search engine optimization while reassessing the implementation of content and email marketing strategies. However, the study suggests that future studies should employ larger samples, broader geographical coverage across Nigerian cities, and longitudinal designs for deeper insights.

Digital Marketing, Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Online Purchase Behaviour.

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