The article Zhang et al. (2017) reports on a correlation study designed to investigate the relationship between social media use and online shopping. The focus of the article as the connection between spending time on social media and making purchases online.
What the Author’s Sought to Accomplish
The researchers sought to establish if the use of social media encouraged or distracted from online shopping. Using social media and shopping online are two activities that involve spending time on the internet. Typically, the two activities may either supplement each other with the use of social media being a means of finding data for use in making online purchases. On the other hand, the use of social media could take so much time away from internet users to the extent of getting in the way of online shopping. The author’s sought to find out through data analysis, which of the two possibilities applied to the majority of social media users who also shopped online.
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One of the Hypothesis
One of the leading hypotheses for the study reported in Zhang et al. (2017) was that social media usage is a positive bearing factor for online shopping. A majority of social media users share information about products that are available online, thus increasing proclivity for making online purchases.
Dependent and Independent Variables
The primary dependent variables were the use of social media and the making of online purchases. Independent variables included purchasing power among social media users to make purchases for the products they had discussed on social networks. Another independent variable is the preference for using brick and mortar stores as opposed to online stores.
Statistical Test Used
The statistical test used in the study was correlation analysis. Under this approach, the authors applied a formula to compare two sets of data. The first set relates to the use of social media, while the second set involves the making of online purchases for social media users.
Summary of Findings
Based on the results and discussion reported in the article, social media users are more likely to make online purchases. Further, social media usage is directly proportional to the propensity for making online purchases.
References
Zhang, Y., Trusov, M., Stephen, A. T., & Jamal, Z. (2017). Online Shopping and Social Media: Friends or Foes? Journal of Marketing, 81 (6), 24-41. DOI:10.1509/jm.14.0344
