Social Media Influence on Millennials Purchase Behaviour of Coca-Cola and Pepsi Carbonated Soft Drink ()
1. Introduction
1.1. Background
Any non-alcoholic beverage type that is not primarily carbonated but typically contains natural or artificial sweeteners, edible acids, natural or artificial flavours, and in certain circumstances, juice is a soft drink. Marketers make an effort to pinpoint the consumer’s decision to buy a soft drink in order to comprehend their attitudes, motivations, and preferences when faced with several options. Numerous factors, such as social, economic, psychological, and personal ones, have an impact on consumers’ purchasing behaviour (Mehyar et al., 2020) .
In the Nigeria, the market for non-alcoholic beverages was dominated by carbonated soft drinks (Statista, 2021) . Although carbonated soft drinks account for the majority of the beverage market, there has been a significant trend towards non-carbonated products (Ubeja & Patel, 2014) . The market for non-carbonated soft drinks has seen the introduction of many new brands, and as a result of this historical change, the industry is currently very competitive. Due to these changes in the market, it is important to look at how non-alcoholic carbonated soft drink consumers really buy them as well as to identify and evaluate the factors that may have contributed to any shifts in their buying habits. Many soft drink manufacturers have become more curious about how their activities on social networking platforms may affect how consumers would behave toward the brand as a result of the proliferation of social media (Trifiro & Gerson, 2019) . Social media has the ability to persuade users to engage in addictive behaviours (Lundahl, 2021) , and to adopt attitudes about such behaviours.
Social media has become a more potent tool for soft drink firms and thanks to consumers’ ability to rate products and immediately message or update friends about them (Forbes, 2013) . Given that a positive attitude is established toward using social media, social media is consequently altering the business environment and reinventing how firms communicate across their channels of distribution and with their customers. Boateng & Okoe (2015) has indicated that consumer opinions toward social media advertising and their behavioural responses are significantly correlated. Rapp et al. (2013) found that more than half of online customers communicate with sellers on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and businesses are increasingly leveraging this new advertising concept to deepen their connections with consumers. This may suggest a rise in the awareness, acceptance, and use of social media use. Social media marketing was found to have a significant impact on how people perceive soft drinks and their unconscious intake (Penn-Jones et al., 2021) .
1.2. Rationale
Marketing professionals place a high value on social media activities-behaviour relationships since they, in theory, sum up what consumers think of a product and represent either good or negative emotions and behavioural tendencies. The association between brand social media activity and behaviour, however, may be influenced by additional factors. The nation is particularly concerned about how consumers act when it comes to the variables that affect how people choose which products to purchase, such as perceived attributes, development impacts, affect and cognition levels, and cultural acceptance of the product. Because customer purchase decisions are influenced by purchasing power, they are diverse and can help firms and marketing strategists acquire market share (Hasan & Sohail, 2021) .
Since the initiation and adoption of social media, it has had a significant impact on how consumers and brand marketers interact (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2004; Papasolomou & Melanthiou, 2012) . Due to the exponential rise of social media users globally, it is crucial for marketers to comprehend consumer purchase behaviour (Schivinski & Dabrowski, 2016) . The lowering of portion sizes and the global reformulation of soft drinks with less sugar have had a significant impact on consumers’ perceptions (Pell et al., 2021) . Liu & Lopez (2016) claim that one important factor affecting consumer purchasing behaviour is the introduction of Coca-Cola customers to WOM on social media platforms. The Coca-Cola Company’s market share would drastically decline in the absence of social media interaction.
The Nielsen Company discovered that there were numerous discussions on social media about ordering soft drinks and chips since marketers frequently used soft drink and chip advertisements (Liu & Lopez, 2016) . The study and assessment on brand customer purchase behaviour benefited from these kinds of conversations. Because customers have access to a wide range of brand alternatives online, Silverman & Books (2001) said that marketers are compelled to post assertions on social media about the products or services offered by their brand. Social media is a particularly effective form of media that warrants further examination since it supports a variety of communication channels and facilitates cross-channel interactions (Rambe & Jafeta, 2017) . Additionally, as customers gain knowledge, they are demonstrating a greater concern for their health. The prevalence of fitness facilities and the accessibility of wholesome goods (food and beverages) through both traditional and contemporary trade channels serve as indicators of this belief.
Posts from social media conversations and other local sources support the gradual evolution of a negative bias toward carbonated soft drinks, indicating that consumers believe they are the cause of various unwelcome health and fitness issues, including impacts on tooth and bone, the digestive system, and the urinary system. Although product usage has a tendency to increase, negative attitudes against it are also rising. Additionally, there is a rapid expansion of local and contemporary coffee shops, particularly in the United Kingdom. These coffee businesses are evolving based on the health trend that customers want and as a result, carbonates will have to put up a fierce fight to maintain their market share. Therefore, this study concentrated on examining the influence of social media on millenials Coca-Cola and Pepsi purchase behavior.
1.3. Research Questions
This study was done to examine the impact social media has on consumers’ purchasing behaviour of millennials as regards Coca-cola and Pepsi. The following fundamental research question will be addressed more specifically with potential solutions:
1) What impact does social media challenge organized by brands for consumer on social media have on consumer purchase behavior?
1.4. Study’s Aims and Objectives
The research on the trends and factors that influence young adults’ use of soft drinks on social media in Nigeria shows a glaring gap. Examining consumer purchasing behaviour for soft drinks is the goal of this study, with focus on Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and to investigate chances for improving brand social media usage for increased productivity.
Additionally, this study’s goal is to get additional knowledge about the influence social media has on millennials decisions to buy soft drinks in Nigeria. On social media sites, both unsponsored and sponsored content will be taken into account in this project work.
1.4.1. General Objective
Social media factors influencing consumer purchase behaviour in Nigeria as well as how they relate to carbonated soft drinks were the focus of this study.
1.4.2. Specific Objectives
1) To investigate contributing visual content on social media effects on Coca-Cola and Pepsi Purchase behavior.
2) To research effect of competition/contest on social media on consumer purchase behaviour.
3) To investigate the effect f coupon offered on social media on consumer purchase behavior.
1.5. Significance, Scope, and Limitations of the Research
Understanding consumer purchase behavior in relation to social media technologies is crucial for effective market competition strategies. This study aims to determine consumer preferences for various social media promotional tactics, providing valuable insights for marketers. By understanding consumer behavior, managers can implement successful plans to attract customers and enhance their social media content strategy and engagement methods. This study bridges an informational gap, offering practical insights into the evolving landscape of consumer purchasing behavior.
However, limitations exist due to constraints such as financial, time, and skill limitations. As a result, this study focuses on examining the impact of social media competitions, coupon offerings, and content elements on purchase behavior. Additionally, the study’s scope is restricted to the campus of the University of Huddersfield, potentially limiting the generalizability of results to other institutions. Despite these limitations, the study aims to provide valuable data on consumer actions and theoretical understanding in the context of social media marketing.
2. Literature Review
2.1. Theoretical Review
2.1.1. Social Media and Consumer Purchase Behaviour
One of the most useful tools for raising awareness, shaping attitudes, and disseminating information to prospective customers is social media and it ultimately affect consumer purchase behaviour. According to Kumar & Yadav (2021) , the characteristics that consumers demonstrate when purchasing products and services for their personal use are considered to constitute their purchase behaviour. Yilmaz et al. (2011) continue further by revealing that the social media source credibility of soft drinks company attracts more attention to the message been passed and gives a positive feeling to the message which in return results to strong consumer purchase behaviour. Kotler and Keller (2012) believe this consumer purchase behaviour resulting from the brand credibility can be influenced by social factors.
Social media constitute a significant role in the lives of millennials and have been thoroughly researched in terms of how to develop relationships with customers (Thomas et al., 2017) . Dolan et al. (2019) asserts social media as an online platform, application and services that is created around sharing of content, communication between individuals and public communication. According to Kaufhold et al. (2020) and Miller et al. (2016) , social media is an online platform where content is produced and shared using web technologies.
Bucko, Kakalejčík, & Ferenkova (2018) reveals that studying consumer purchase behavior for social media users is mandatory due to the unpredictable differences between users’ real-life characteristics and social media behaviours especially for people who have never bought anything on social media before is unpredictable.
According to study by Ward & Hill (1991) , taking part in social media competitions can positively affect customers’ purchasing behaviour. However, the impact social media competition has on consumers’ purchase behaviour is little in comparison to sweepstakes. Veiders (2015) says that social media contest generate excitement that brands needed among consumers, gives a greater brand exposure and says it’s a better way to connect with the millennials as its hard to connect with them with traditional advertising. Engaging consumer through contest is becoming increasingly popular and this new type of engagement is attractive to both advertisers and consumers (Seligman, 2013) . In addition, Hongjun (2010) proved that contest on social media are a good way to engage with fans and to positively influence consumer purchase behavior. Social media contest is a great way in which brand could position itself in the mind of the consumers (Kumar & Mirchandani, 2012) .
In order to offer the client a one-time price cut and foster brand awareness and loyalty, coupons have long been utilised as important advertising tools, according to Pettigrew et al., (2015) . Digital coupons are a well-liked promotional strategy as a result of the increase in internet usage (Nayal & Pandey, 2022a) . However, there are few studies that have looked at social media as a distribution and redemption channel for digital coupons (Im & Ha, 2013; Liu et al., 2015; Nayal & Pandey, 2020b) .
Furthermore, due to the increased usage of smartphones and better mobile internet, social media users’ behaviours are changing, which is contributing to the shift toward visual social media (Li & Xie, 2020) . Meeker (2016) estimates that in 2015, members of social networks together on Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp transmitted an average of 3.2 billion pictures every day. Although several research have looked at the factors that influence the efficacy or virality of user-generated content (UGC), the vast bulk of these studies concentrate on text content (Pang et al., 2014) . So yet, little research has been done on the impact of picture content and video content on consumer behavior.
2.1.2. Understanding and Value of Consumer Purchase Behaviour
Consumer purchase behavior is the behaviors exhibited by customers while they are seeking for, obtaining, utilising, evaluating, and discarding products they feel will satisfy their own needs. Understanding how people choose to spend their money, time, and effort on goods and services is the study of consumer purchase behaviour (Johnstone & Tan, 2015) .
When purchasing a product that is necessary, the consumer must make a certain sort of decision. This decision involves several processes and the decisions on what, why, when, where, and how frequently to purchase an item is a complex process (Johnstone & Tan, 2015) . Additionally, consumer preferences were evolving quickly and were becoming quite diverse. Buyers had a variety of tastes and less predictable purchasing behaviour even in industrial markets, where requirements for products and services were more uniform than in consumer markets like Coca-cola and Pepsi (Hyun & Fairhurst, 2018) . All of these factors indicate how crucial it is for businesses, both for-profit and charity, to comprehend consumer behaviour.
2.2. Empirical Review
Researchers and academics have shown a great deal of interest in social media, and as user engagement on the platform is accelerating geometrically and companies are beginning to devote greater resources to social media in order to connect and engage customers, it is now crucial to study social media.
Young et al., (2017) found out that social media influences the customer buying journey and decision in food retailer shop because social media interconnect consumers together, allowing them to interact and share their views through brands social media account pages. According to a study by Kashani’s (2010) , the bulk of people learn about the brands of most soft drinks through traditional media with little to no use of social media. These results refute the assertion made by Appel et al. (2020) that when customers are seeking information about a product, they depend more on social media than company websites. This argument reveals a research deficit.
Different studies has revealed that there are lot of social media positive impact on brand consumption (Bagozzi & Dholakia, 2006; Hausman & Siekpe, 2009) , however, only few of them has talked about the factors influencing consumers attitude towards social media and the effect of this attitude on purchase behaviour. The published researches rather focused on areas like brand user segmentation and participation (Berthon et al., 2008) ; online brand communities, and eWOM (Okazaki, 2009; Riegner, 2007) . Hoyt (2012) believe that other factors such as pricing and quality of the product may also affect the consumer preferences and buying behaviour of products.
Previous research by Kim & Ko (2010) regarding the relationship between social media and consumer purchase behaviour discovered a positive influence of social media. However, this research was done in the luxury brands clothing industry and in Asia continent. It also did not consider promotional factor in its analysis. While deliberating where social media helps brand or not, Platon (2014) revealed that social media tools are still not enough to get the visibility needed by a potent branding campaign. Whereas much literatures on social media influence on brand has revealed they are a strong determinant for brand visibility and productivity: Impact of consumer socialization on soft drink consumption and mediating role of consumer generational behavior (Shahzad et al., 2015) , The effect of social media communication on consumer perceptions of brands (Schivinski & Dabrowski, 2016) , and Do Social Media Marketing Activities Enhance Consumer Perception of Brands? A Meta-Analytic Examination (Ibrahim et al., 2020) .
Nolcheska (2017) conducted a study using a quantitative methodology on how social media affects consumer behaviour in the Republic of Macedonia and his findings show that consumers have favourable opinions toward social media and further show that there is a substantial positive relationship between attitude of consumers and social media influence on purchase behaviour. Similar research was conducted by Simpson et al. (2016) , who examined how social media impacts consumers of different ages and ethnicities and it was shown that millenials are more likely than those of other ages to be affected by social media while purchasing products.; 47% of millenials, versus 19% of others. A previous study by Forbes (2013) looked closely at the impact social media has on US consumer purchase behaviour and the study’s findings found that 59% of respondents to a Facebook survey utilise social media to receive product recommendations from their contacts. This provides credence to the idea that social media significantly impact consumer purchase behaviour.
In Africa, Wali et al. (2020) , carried out an investigation on the influences of social media marketing tools towards online purchases in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The findings of the study revealed that students who view contents online via social media are very mindful of the contents they click due to trust and security and these contents significantly affects purchase decision. Research by Abdulraheem & Imouokhome, (2021) in Nigeria on how social media sites affect consumer buying behaviour at Shoprite Nigeria Limited revealed that social media sites should be updated often to entice current and future customers to make new and repeat purchases. According to this study, the National Youth Policy (2019) of Nigeria identifies millenials as young people between the ages of 15 and 29. However, According to Kagoya & Mkwizu (2019) , African millenials are defined as females and males who are under 36 years old and over the age of 18 in contrast to this definition.
Homegrown social media sites like Nairaland, NAIJ.com, lindaikeji.com, and nairaland.com, among others, have democratised information dissemination and sharing aside from popular platforms like Facebook in Nigeria. This is influencing consumers’ informed “social-intelligence literacy,” which is a skill that allows people to make informed decisions (Harrison, Metayer, & Sarrazin, 2012) . Furthermore, social media usage on a regular basis by businesses and customers helps to close the gap between marketers and customers.
However, only a small number of these studies examined soft drinks, and none of them were carried out in Nigeria or with a particular focus on young people. Only a few individuals were aware of the drink industry’s influence on millennials. Attitude towards soft drinks and its consumption pattern: A study of gen Y consumers of India (Kumar & Ray, 2018) , The marketing of sugar-sweetened beverages to young people on Facebook (Brownbill et al., 2018) , which avoided linking brand preferences to social media.
2.3. Review of Relevant Theoretical Model
The AIDA Model and McLutan Media Theory will be used to explain the primary constructions of this research paper.
2.3.1. AIDA Model
E. St Elmo proposed a communication theory called the AIDA model in 1898 (Hassan et al., 2015) . AIDA model which talks about the four stages consumer passes through, from attention, interest, desire and action is one of the popular hierarchies of effect model. Determining how a marketing campaign performs seems difficult but AIDA model makes it possible Manafe & Pramita (2022) . With AIDA model, the purpose of brand marketing is to get consumers attention, develop the consumer interest and desire to make the product purchase (Hadiyati, 2016) .
The AIDA model, according to Manafe & Pramita (2022) , shows how a marketing tool may be utilised by marketers to change how customers view a good or service. The AIDA model has four levels. The cognitive level is when a brand can still draw customer attention. It is the first communication step where the consumers need information about the service. The affective level is when the consumer already has an interest in the product/service and wants more information on what is offered. This results in the desire stage when consumer would like to acquire the product/service. The behavior stage is the buying action is taken in which the consumer uses the product bought as a valued resource.
The Aida model reveals how marketers can bring out brand awareness by using strategies like, promotion, contest, advertising, and person al selling via social media. It is marketers’ job to make sure they utilize the four qualities of the model to easily convert a customer to make purchase.
Marketers must ensure that the social media material they develop will engage its target customers, pique their curiosity in order to learn more about the products, and can then inspire the desire in consumers to buy the products, prompting them to make a purchase (Kelley & Hyde, 2002; Armielia, 2018) .
2.3.2. Media Theory
Mcluhan proposes a communication theory called the media theory in 1964 (Trotter, 2016) . Mcluhan assumed that communication media are tools and the way this tools are used “the content” determine the impact it will have on consumers (O’dea, 2015; Dennis et al, 2008) .
He continues by saying that the social effect of the media is now ingrained in human perception and is changing how we interact with one another. Every time a new media technology is introduced to society, according to Mcluhan, the equilibrium of human senses is altered. His vision was that since we live in a mediated transitional time in which a lot of media technology has come and gone just in few decades, different behaviour exhibition is imperative to be displayed by different generations (Sun & Zhong, 2020) .
Mobile technology experience will differ a lot from wide range of people who have grown up with several media technologies experience (Bolin & Westlund, 2009) . This research utilizes the media theory because different media consumers use attracts different users who choose to use different social media sites. It explains how marketers can fill understand consumers and choose the right social media platforms to engage with its audience and make them realise what content is been disseminated. Based on the consumer features and type of product or service been sold by the brand, Marketers need to select the best social media platforms (Mcluhan, 1964) .
2.4. Summary of Findings
In the theoretical review (2.1), the focus is on the influence of social media on consumer purchase behavior. Social media plays a crucial role in shaping attitudes, disseminating information, and ultimately affecting consumer purchasing decisions. Studies highlight the importance of brand credibility on social media, the impact of social media contests and promotions, and the emergence of visual content on consumer behavior. Additionally, digital coupons and the shift towards visual social media are discussed as significant factors in understanding consumer behavior.
Moving to the empirical review (2.2), researchers emphasize the increasing interest in social media as a tool for influencing consumer purchasing decisions. Various studies explore how social media impacts different aspects of consumer behavior across different demographics and regions. From food retailers to soft drink brands, the influence of social media on consumer purchasing behavior is evident, with millennials often being the most affected demographic. Additionally, studies from Nigeria and Macedonia shed light on how social media influences consumer behavior in specific regions.
Finally, in the review of relevant theoretical models (2.3), two key models are discussed: the AIDA model and McLuhan’s media theory. The AIDA model outlines the stages consumers go through in making purchasing decisions, emphasizing the role of marketers in capturing attention, generating interest, creating desire, and prompting action. McLuhan’s media theory explores how different media technologies impact human perception and behavior, emphasizing the importance of understanding consumer preferences across various media platforms for effective marketing strategies.
2.5. Conceptual Framework
Three social constructs that are highlighted in the conceptual framework as depicted Figure 1, will serve as the research’s guiding principles.
For this study, a research hypothesis was created. The hypothesis was consumer competition/contest on social media boosts purchasing behaviour with the brand and is part of the non-monetary sales promotion which is popularly used to promote consumer engagement because it attracts large numbers of users by giving them the chances of winning prizes based on ability. The hypothesis is: “Social media competition has a significant positive impact on millennials Coca-Cola and Pepsi purchase behaviour”.
Visual Content type on social media and millenials purchase behaviour is the second hypothesis. Another important indicator that influences purchase behaviour and may be applied to assess social media efforts is the preference of consumers when it comes to the type of content (Imagery or Video) been displayed to them (Li & Xie, 2020) , this is crucial for the spread and acceptance of the message (Shahbaznezhad et al., 2021) . “Social media content type influence on millennials purchase behaviour” is the number second hypothesis.
The third hypothesis is coupon influence and millennials purchase behavior. Over 80% of coupon redemption on social media have been conducted in the United States (Pandey & Maheshwari, 2017) . Because consumer purchase behavior differs by region, generalizing the outcome of USA to Africa is risky. The third hypothesis is: “Brands coupons on social media have significant positive impact on millennials purchase behaviour”.
3. Research Methodology and Design
3.1. Research Design
This research will embrace the research philosophy of positivism which is based on scientific factual knowledge obtained in the field to produce pure data and facts uninfluenced by human bias (Crotty, & Crotty, 1998) . The measurement of participants using this philosophy will be regulated by known theoretical propositions (Malhotra et al., 2020) . The area for this study is the University of Huddersfield which is a public research university in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England which provides various academic programmes (University of Huddersfield, NA). The target area’s population is Nigerian students from the 3300 international students from over 100 countries around the world studying at University of Huddersfield (Hesa, 2020) who potentially uses social media platforms. The total group of respondents who satisfy the predetermined set of criteria is referred to as the target population (Kothari, 2004) . Population refers to all subjects that the researcher is interested in (Alan & Nadeen, 2005) .
The analysis of this study will use the descriptive research design since it will explain the characteristics of variables in contexts. This study employed a descriptive approach since its goal was to analyze the features of variables in situations, which is the social media variables that affect millennials purchase behaviour. Inferential statistics with the help of multiple regression analysis was employed for this research for its primary quantitative methods. Explanatory research was also used because, by comparing the results with the research topics, it enhances and confirms earlier theories. Explanatory study or research aims to shed light on observed phenomena, issues, or behaviours (Kothari, 2004) . This research is a descriptive and explanatory type, which is consistent with the research’s logic and goal.
The population being investigated, which is the university International Master’s student population, will be used to determine the sample size. Although all convenience samples have fewer evident generalizability than probability samples, we question the assertion that homogenous convenience samples, as shown by the commonality of the young group, have a better generalizability relative to traditional convenience samples (Jager et al., 2017) . The identification of inclusion criteria prior to subject selection is not necessary in convenience sampling (Kothari, 2004) . Convenience sampling techniques are a non-probability sampling strategy that the researcher use to choose samples from the public for this study. For the study’s purposes, conveniently chosen International Nigerian Masters students from the University who satisfied certain practical requirements, including accessibility, proximity in terms of location or time, availability, or willingness to participate, were included, particularly those who were found in lecture classes and university society-organized events.
The sample size is the number of individuals drawn from the population. Calculating the sample size is often a challenging process. Welman & Kruger, (1999) state that the size of a sample depends on the fundamental features of the population, the type of data needed for the survey, and the associated expenses. The formula developed by Tabachnick et al. (2007) , which is N 50 + 8 M, where M is the total number of predictor variables while N is the needed sample size, was used to determine the sample size. Therefore, the study should include at least 74 respondents even though there is a chance that some of the 150 respondents won’t answer. A sample of 150 Nigerian International Masters students at the University of Huddersfield, aged between 18 and 35, was used in the study because of the high response rate.
3.2. Source of the Data
In developing the questionnaire for data collection, careful consideration was given to ensuring clarity, ease of comprehension, and relevance to the research objectives. The questionnaire was designed to gather comprehensive insights into the participants’ perceptions, attitudes, and experiences related to the study’s subject matter.
To enhance the questionnaire’s effectiveness, a Likert-type scale was employed as the primary measurement tool. This scale, consisting of options ranging from “Strongly Disagree” to “Strongly Agree,” was chosen for its ability to provide nuanced responses while maintaining simplicity for respondents. Drawing from the recommendations of Malthora (2007) , the Likert scale was deemed suitable due to its ease of construction and administration, ensuring minimal respondent burden.
Furthermore, the questionnaire was meticulously crafted to cover various dimensions of social media influence on millenials purchase behaviour of carbonated softdrink, ensuring a comprehensive exploration of participants’ perspectives. Each question was designed to be clear, concise, and unambiguous, thereby facilitating accurate responses from the dispersed geographical locations of the study’s participants.
In conjunction with the questionnaire, the survey collection system Qualtrics, provided by the institution, was utilized to streamline data collection processes and ensure the efficient gathering of responses from participants across diverse locations. This platform not only facilitated the distribution of the questionnaire but also enabled seamless data management and analysis, thereby enhancing the overall rigor and reliability of the study.
In summary, the development of the questionnaire was approached with meticulous attention to detail, aiming to maximize its effectiveness in eliciting valuable insights from participants. Through the integration of a Likert-type scale and the utilization of advanced survey collection technology, the research endeavored to ensure both the quality and comprehensiveness of the gathered data, thereby laying a solid foundation for subsequent analysis and interpretation.
3.3. Reliability and Validity of Data
3.3.1. Reliability
A measure is deemed reliable when all attempts to evaluate a characteristic result in the same result with Reliability being the extent in which this research may be duplicated while attaining the same results (Quinlan & Zikmund, 2015) . This was corroborated by Malhotra et al. (2020) , who demonstrated that reliability is the consistency of a scale’s capacity to produce consistent results across time. The Cronbach’s Alpha technique, which calculates the average of quantifiable items and their correlation, was used to show the reliability of this study’s findings (Barbera et al., 2021) . Researchers utilise the Cronbach’s Alpha approach, which calculates the average measurable elements and their association, to assess the reliability of an instrument, as shown in Table 1.
According to Terziev & Petkova-Georgieva (2019) , all four constructs have individual alpha results that are greater than the minimum acceptable scale of .7, making them all reliable due to their proper reliability scale.
3.3.2. Validity
Quilan & Zikmund (2015) reveals that research validity determine whether the research measure what it is intended to measure accurately and the accuracy of the findings. The extent to which the measurement imitates the characteristics existing in the phenomenon that is been investigated is Validity (Malhotra et al., 2020; Quinlan & Zikmund, 2015) . Prior to being officially reviewed by an expert, the instrument underwent a pretesting that included 10 respondents to check for validity.
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Table 1. Reliability test (Analysed data, 2022).
3.4. Research Design
Using a range of statistical techniques including the SPSS programme version 24, the data were analyzed and displayed. The data were examined using several statistical methods, including linear regression analysis.
Multiple Regression Analysis
Multiple regression tests were also employed by the researcher. Due to the strong statistical theory that supports it, it is the method that is most frequently used to examine the connection between a dependent variable and two or more independent variables (Montgomery et al., 2001; Hair et al., 2005) . The inter-correlations between all the variables are taken into consideration in multiple regression analysis.
3.5. Ethical Issues
All study participants and data were treated confidentially, and responders’ identities were kept a secret. Additionally, in the reporting of this study, the privacy of every respondent was maintained. The purpose of the study was explained, and an effort was made to get consent from participants before the research questionnaires were administered. The researcher diligently cited all of her sources in order to prevent plagiarism, which is when someone steals another person’s ideas and claims them as their own.
4. Findings, Analysis and Discussion
This section presents the project findings, analysis carried out, and the discussion of the findings. Utilizing the mean and standard deviation as the first findings, multiple regression analysis and correlation were carried out for the significant constructs using the analysed data.
4.1. The Respondents’ Characteristics
The respondents were requested to submit background data about themselves, including their gender, age, preferred brand and highest education level. 150 people answered the survey, with 53.4% men and 46.6% women. It’s possible that while women tend to use social media for entertainment purposes, men find it more useful to buy products since they are generally more willing to use social media for purchases.
The next question asked respondents to specify their age; 91 (60.7%) of the 150 respondents, according to the results, were between the ages of 18 and 23. However, 52 respondents (34.8%) were between the ages of 24 and 29. And only 7 (4.5%) people between the age range of 30 and 35 years were present. The study’s conclusions showed that youth between the ages of 18 and 23 made up the majority of social media users, followed by people between the ages of 24 and 29 and, finally, people between the ages of 30 and 35. As was already established, a research work by Weller (2016) revealed that youths between the ages of 18 and 34 (Millennials) constitute the majority of social media users.
After that, respondents were prompted to specify their highest degree of education they have achieved. Results indicate that 2 (2.5%) respondents held certificates, 7 (8.8%) held diplomas, 55 (68.8%) finished their degrees, and 16 (20%) had a master’s degrees already from Nigeria and doing another master’s degree in the UK. People with all degrees of higher education participated in the study as a result. According to a related study by Sharma & Asad (2012) , users with post-graduate degrees are the most likely to use social media networks, followed by those with graduate degrees, while users with intermediate degrees are the least likely to do so.
The survey also looked to determine which brand they preferred. 68 respondents (45%) liked Coca-Cola, 68 respondents (45%) favoured Pepsi Cola, fourteen respondents (10%) preferred others. The result implies that Coca-Cola and Pepsi shares almost the same popularity. Nevertheless, it is important to note that there was no immediate proof available to validate that the decision of the respondents was impacted by social media use.
Table 2 presents demographic information and preferences of the survey respondents:
4.2. Mean and Standard Deviations
The predictor variable with the most influence on the outcome variable was found using the mean analysis. Table 3 presents the findings of the analysis.
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Table 2. Demographic information and Preferences (Analysed data, 2022).
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Table 3. Mean and standard deviations (Analysed data, 2022).
The results shown in Table 3 indicate that coupon offering on social media by Coca-cola and Pepsi company is the the most significant predictive variable which directly affects millennials purchasing behaviour, with a mean value (M = 3.96), as the outcome variable. It was discovered in a study by Eti et al. (2021) that during the COVID-19 pandemic, coupon offers on social media substantially have an effects on consumers’ purchase behaviour.
The consumer contest/competition on social media comes next with a mean value (M = 3.76) and shows that consumer involvement in a brand competition on social media has a moderate influence on young people’s soft drink purchase behaviour in Nigeria. Social media competitions, according to Casaló, & Romero, (2019) , boost brand recognition quickly and increase consumer brand loyalty. This could mean that, in order to sell a product very well, the contest content type should carefully be selected considering the goal of the campaign. Likewise, marketers need to assess the repercussions if a contest goes out of control.
Finally, the mean value for content type on social media is 3.42, suggesting that the content type (text, video or both) on social media have a moderate impact on millennials Coca-cola and Pepsi purchasing behaviour. This is supported by Lee et al. study, which discovered a strong relationship between the sort of visual material utilised on social media and the effect on consumer purchasing behaviour. Li & Xie (2020) further added that marketing efforts will not succeed unless brand understand the best content type to use at the right time for its consumers. The three constructs’ standard deviations were all smaller than 3 (SD < 3), indicating that respondents’ opinions were mostly consistent.
4.3. Inferential Statistics
This section tests the model’s fitness, analyses and shows the correlation, if any, between the variables and the results of multiple regressions.
4.3.1. Model Summary
To guarantee that the model was suitable for meeting the study’s objectives in predicting the connection between variables, the fitness of the model was assessed.
According to Table 4 and with 92.1% coefficient of determination, the three predictive variables’ findings have an 85.2% effect on the outcome variable, which is the millennials purchase behaviors for soft drinks. These results suggest that coupon, contest and content type are all reliable predictors of millennials purchasing behavior. In addition to the three variables described in the model, additional factors also affect the remaining 14.8%.
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Table 4. Model summary (Analysed data, 2022).
4.3.2. Correlation Analysis
Correlation analysis is computed below to determine the connection between the three predictor variables (coupon, contest and content type) that are utilised to gauge the influence of social media on millennials soft drink purchasing behavior.
Table 5 findings show that there is a moderate connection between the social media coupon and the visual type of content, with a value of r = .321. Additionally, there is a moderate correlation of r = .324 among the social media contest and the content type the soft drink brand posts on social media., and the relationship between social media contest and coupon has a very strong correlation of r = .713. These constructs indicate that a multicollinearity issue exists. With the Variance inflation factor (VIF) gotten in the regression analysis, all three variables were later examined for multicollinearity.
4.3.3. Multiple Regression Analysis
The three predictor variables, including social media contests, coupons, and the visual content type, were analysed using multiple regression to predict millennials Coca-Cola and Pepsi purchase behavior.
Table 6 shows a relationship of P = .000 among millennials purchasing behaviour and contest on social media. It further reveals a relationship of P = .135 between the outcome variable and visual content type on social media, and P = .000 between the outcome variable and e-coupon offering. These findings demonstrate that the two predicting variables, contest on social media and coupon have a statistically significant link of (P < .05) with millennials purchasing behaviour.
The content type construct, on the other hand, had a positive link with millennials soft drink purchasing behavior (P < .05), but it was statistically insignificant. This demonstrates how purchasing behavior made by young people are greatly impacted by the contest on social media and eCoupon offering. There was a moderate significant positive correlation amidst the three predictor variables, hence a test for multicollinearity was done. By doing this, it was assured that one predictor variable was not directly predicted by another.
The analysis’s findings, which are shown in Table 6, show that all three of the predictive variables’ variance inflation factors (VIF) are below 5. As a result, it may be inferred that the predictor variable has a lower correlation with other factors and that the level is normal.
4.4. Main Findings Discussion
4.4.1. Competition on Social Media and Millennials Purchasing Behavior
The results indicate social media contests, which served as the predicting variable,
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Table 5. Correlation analysis (Analysed data, 2022).
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Table 6. Multiple regression analysis (Analysed data, 2022).
had a major and positive connection with the resultant variable of millennials purchasing behaviour at the .000 level (T value: 6.563). According to the findings, contest by consumers on social media positively influences millennials purchasing behaviour significantly. The assertion is consistent with Benson & Fiddian (2015) , who stated that as part of businesses larger marketing plans, they are all increasingly incorporating social media contests.
Conversely, businesses must be careful about when they kickstart a competition by analysing its theme and the characteristics of the consumers to determine whether it will be engaging for the consumers. This is achieved by looking at content that are being shared the most by consumers, as Charoensukmongkol (2016) reveals that millennials purchasing behaviours are influenced by the amount of information they receive and share. According to the research, participating in a social media contest that gains widespread popularity might influence young people to take very precise actions that are advantageous to brand owners. According to Tafesse & Wood (2022) , both separately and in conjunction with an influencer’s community and content strategy, competition has a substantial impact on follower engagement behaviour.
Social media is effective in affecting consumer purchase behaviour for all demographics, especially the millennials (Simpson et al., 2016) . With that being the case, the Deloitte (2022) survey determined that 47% of millennials, as opposed to 19% of people of all other ages, are persuaded to make purchases by social media. This is because competition by consumers on social media is effective in attracting millennials to a particular brand; this is necessary for both Coca-Cola and Pepsi to attract and keep millennials as their customers by producing competition that speaks to their needs and company mission. Social media is a powerful tool for influencing millennials, therefore marketers must understand how to use it effectively to persuade consumers in particular, millennials to buy their products (Dunne et al., 2010) .
According to the Medium Theory, contents like competition on social media in itself has more to do with the part that attracts customers when they find the competition relatable to them and has less to do with grabbing customers’ attention (McLuhan, 1964) . It also goes over how a marketer may influence customers’ opinions of a brand’s goods by choosing the right media channels to engage them and aid in their understanding of the actual material being exhibited.
4.4.2. Visual Content Type on Social Media and Purchasing Behaviour
The findings show that although the influence of visual content on social media is positive, at .135 levels and with a 1.316 T value, it has a less pronounced effect on millennials purchase behaviour. It suggests that whichever content type a brand uses on social media either, full text, videos or a combination of both have little or no effect on their purchasing behaviour with regards to social media. The findings are closely comparable to those of Kim et al. (2015) , who found that Global brands use social media extensively, sending an average of three messages each week, and typically rely on photo content type and interaction-focused content to elicit responses from consumers. Marketers’ strategies and consumer decision-making have been discovered to be influenced by social media communication.
Kelley & Hyde (2002) mentioned that the AIDA Model shows how marketers can use different visual content type promotion as a component of their marketing plan to change a customer’s perception of a product. This means that the preferred content type by millennials on social media must be carefully considered in engaging consumers because it is very difficult to make an effect in consumer purchase behavior using the wrong visual content for the right target audience.
4.4.3. Social Media Coupon and Millennials Purchasing Behaviour
Results show that, at the .000 level and with 9.461 T value, social media coupons had a positive and significant impact on millennials purchasing behaviour, supporting the study’s hypothesis. This suggests that coupon on social media has a significant and positive impact on millennials purchasing behaviour. This perception is in line with the contention of Sharma & Joshi, (2021) , who postulated that consumers today doesn’t mind making an impulse purchase on social media when a coupon is available. As a result, both marketers who sell products or services online and those who do not must make an effort to make available on social media coupon codes for its target audience to establish a relationship with future clients and get important information from them.
Digital media is a fantastic approach to interact and engage one’s target audience. For Coca-cola and Pepsi to influence millennials purchasing behaviour, they develop initiatives like Coke Studio, Dare to do More, Pepsi commercial by Lionel Messi and Salah, and others. Both conventional and social media use these initiatives, and through them, they have successfully influenced millennials purchasing behaviour.
According to the AIDA Model, coupon promotion on social media creates the desire in the consumer purchase journey and is particularly efficient at raising engagement and generating interest, both of which are prerequisites for the creation of Action (purchase). Raji et al. (2019) further clarified that coupon offering on social media can help in catch consumers’ awareness quickly. As a result, Coca-cola and Pepsi can raise more awareness or attract attention by running paid advertisements about their coupon offering so more people can be aware about these promos which they offer.
5. Conclusion and Recommendation
5.1. Conclusion
Investigating the influence of social media on millennials purchasing behaviour was the goal of this study. The primary data source was a survey. The surveys were sent out to first year Nigerian international students at the University of Huddersfield.
The study evaluates how well social media influenced millennials soft drink purchasing behaviour. Based on the conclusions and supporting data, social media use is becoming more and more widespread over time, particularly among soft drink companies worldwide. Owners of businesses now use social media as a tool to influence consumer behaviour, boost sales, and enhance profits since young people spend so much time on these platforms. According to the study’s findings, social media coupon and contest have a significant impact on millennials purchasing behavior when buying soft drinks. As a result, social media features need to be taken seriously by businesses and companies if they want to survive in a cutthroat market, or continue to run their operation smoothly, and make wise marketing choices for their products. In the end, it was discovered that visual content type of brands on social media had a weak effect on the purchasing behaviour of millennials.
5.2. Recommendations
Based on the study’s findings, soft drink marketers should explore using social media to promote their businesses especially on new platforms such as Tiktok. They should focus heavily on creating unique and tailored coupon codes for each product and developing competition/contest among consumers that is appropriate for social media. Additionally, as part of their plan for marketing their brands, companies should create a yearly competition plan that is brand oriented to ensure that it is consistent with or relevant to their products and it will achieve its goal of attracting customers.
Additionally, because the world has transformed into a virtual society in which individuals have created communities on various social media platforms, it makes sense to use specialised material for distinct groups. The media has contributed in reaching a sizable audience, quickly disseminating information, and fostering goodwill between companies and their clients. Finally, brands need to be careful when choosing the best visual content type to use to target its consumers even though the report suggests it have a weak effect on consumer purchase behaviour because changing their disposition can be difficult. This is especially true when consumers preferred video content but were being served with image content.
5.3. Areas for Further Study
Using first year master’s and Undergraduate Huddersfield University Nigerian International Students as a target audience, the study evaluated the impact of social media on millennials Coca-cola and Pepsi purchasing behavior in Nigeria. Future researchers should focus on examining the influence of consumer attitude towards social media on the purchasing behaviour of millennials towards different brands. They might further improve the generalizability of the study by incorporating a noticeably larger sample size from a variety of sectors featuring a variety of products and services.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express sincere appreciation to the ACT Foundation for funding this research and providing the resources that made it possible; special appreciation to Dr. Donia Waseem of the University of Kent Graduate School of Business for all of her help and support in this research endeavour.
The authors appreciate all the volunteers who generously gave their time and experience, as their contribution played an essential role in the success of this research. Additionally, we acknowledge the assistance of the Scientific Research Publishing (SCIRP) editorial team for their support throughout the publication process.
Finally, our gratitude is extended to family and friends for their constant support throughout the duration of this study. It is essential to note that the opinions and views expressed in this article are solely that of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of any institutions or funding bodies mentioned.