The Effects of Social Media Tools on Online Retail Businesses in the Consumer Electronics Industry

Abstract Businesses nowadays have been adapting to technological advancements since the start of the 21st century to promote their products. The majority of the global population has been exposed to the digital world, and businesses have engaged themselves in the online environment. Social media tools have become a vital component in advertising products and have contributed significantly to creating countless innovations. Using social media has given online businesses options for managing their performance towards their brand and interacting with consumers through social media platforms. These digital improvements have benefited the consumer electronics industry. The goal of the study was to gain a thorough understanding of how social media platforms and tools impact the performance of online retail businesses in the consumer electronics industry. The study used the quantitative approach, and online survey questionnaires were distributed to 185 respondents. Results revealed that perceived ease of use, social media advertising, and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) all have a positive effect on the performance of online retail businesses in the consumer electronics industry. The implications of this research aim to benefit aspiring online business owners, consumers, and future researchers, and help them maximize social media to make them stand out from prospective competitors.Keywords: customer engagement, digital advertising, online marketing, retail businesses, social media