Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters/MBA)

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    The influence of social media marketing on brand loyalty in the South African retail sector
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Hansjee, Anashree; Ochara, Nixon
    In the contemporary landscape, characterized by the burgeoning influence of social media, this research aims to rigorously examine the effects of social media marketing activities on brand loyalty within the grocery retail sector of South Africa. The study extends beyond a simple analysis of this relationship by exploring the critical function of brand trust as a mediating variable between social media marketing efforts and the development of brand loyalty. From a methodological perspective, the research utilized online surveys conducted via the Qualtrics platform to collect data, focusing on capturing the intricate dynamics that shape consumer perceptions in social media. The target demographic was comprised of individuals who follow leading grocery retailers in South Africa on social media platforms. The study adopted a comprehensive analytical approach, employing descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling for multiple regression analysis. This multifaceted methodology facilitated a thorough examination of the identified variables. Key findings underscore the significant role of brand trust in bridging the impact of social media marketing on brand loyalty. Additionally, the research identified that certain aspects of social media marketing are more influential in shaping brand loyalty than others. By concentrating on the interplay between social media, brand trust, and brand loyalty, the research provides a deeper insight into the intricate network of factors influencing consumer perceptions in South Africa's grocery retail sector. The insights garnered from this study are intended to benefit both academic circles and industry practitioners, offering them valuable knowledge and practical strategies to enhance brand loyalty through effective social media marketing initiatives
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    Influence of Social Media Marketing Capabilities on Business Performance: The Case Study of the Non-Life Insurance Products in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Datadin, Sanjeev; Ochara, Nixon
    In an evolving digital business landscape, the strategic utilisation of social media has become a vital competitive advantage for attracting customers and enhancing business performance. This study investigates the effectiveness of social media capabilities in pricing, product development, communication, planning, and implementation on business performance. The primary objective of this research is to determine the specific social media marketing capabilities that significantly influence business performance within the non-life insurance sector in South Africa. Employing a quantitative research approach, an online survey questionnaire was utilised to collect data, which was analysed through regression, structural equation modelling, and partial least squares structural equation modelling. Key statistical findings reveal that innovative pricing strategies (p-value = 0.001), product development (p-value = 0.028), planning (p-value = 0.046), and implementation capabilities (p-value = 0.004) positively influence business performance. However, social media marketing communication capability showed no significant impact (p-value = 0.978). Key findings unveil that innovative pricing strategies, product development, planning, and implementation capabilities positively influence business performance. Confirmatory Factor Analysis reinforces the interconnected nature of these capabilities, emphasising their collective and holistic impact on each other and the overall business performance. As non-life insurers navigate the highly competitive and evolving digital landscape in South Africa, a practical understanding of contextual factors shaping the effectiveness of social media marketing becomes imperative for growth and sustained competitiveness. The implications of these findings are significant, providing insurers with actionable insights to optimise their marketing strategies for enhanced performance. This research contributes to both theoretical and iii empirical knowledge by highlighting the critical factors that drive business success in the South African non-life insurance sector
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    The use of digital marketing for sales growth in women-owned small, medium and micro-enterprises in South Africa
    (2022-03) Mthethwa, Pumza
    Women are an important part of the entrepreneurial economy. In the 4th industrial revolution, incorporating the latest available tools was an important part of growth and business sustainability. The purpose of this study is to understand the digital marketing usage by women-owned SMMEs in South Africa. The research method utilised was interviews using a convenience sample from 15 participants. The participants were drawn from women-owned businesses and comprised of business owners and employees responsible for marketing within the organisation. The findings show that women-owned SMMEs are aware of and do use some of the available digital platforms. However, their knowledge of how to fully leverage these platforms and take advantage of them is limited. The study highlighted that there are challenges faced by the WO businesses in leveraging digital marketing in their businesses this can be attributed to a deeply entrenched inequality in society or from the fact that women entrepreneurs start off from a worse of position versus men. Interestingly the digital world reflects what happens in the real world. Recommendations include an establishment of a woman representation body that will represent women-owned SMMEs in the public and private sectors, training that will provide easy to implement measures and quantifiable outcomes for SMMEs to use in their strategies or in cases of outsourcing digital marketing implementation to a third party
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    Social media marketing versus traditional marketing approaches for SMMEs, in Gauteng
    (2021) Mopeli, Motebang
    Small micro medium enterprises (SMMEs) are the corner stone of most economies. SMMEs contribute to job creation, poverty alleviation and innovation in most countries. In Africa, they constitute 90% of businesses. Although governments recognise their importance of driving the economy, they are still faced with challenges of limited support from governments and access to finance resources from formal financial institutions. It is noted in some studies that fewer than 50% of SMMEs survive for more than 5 years from inception. Operational challenges also contribute to failure of SMMEs: lack of business management and marketing skills. Some studies have considered reasons SMMEs fail in such a short period, but a few have considered operational challenges such as lack of employment of marketing skills to drive the business. In this study, we look at marketing approaches and options SMMEs could contemplate to improve their businesses and options available given financial constrains they are faced with. The focus will be on social media marketing (SMM) and traditional marketing approaches (TMM), following a quantitative research methodology. A self-administered electronic questionnaire was distributed to 20 respondents (SMME businesses in Gauteng). The respondents are identified as business owners/marketers/decision makers of emerging SMME businesses located in the Gauteng Province, South Africa. Data was analysed using correlation analysis, analysis if variance (ANOVA) and statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). All four hypotheses tested are supported and significant. Social media marketing has the strongest relationship with survival of SMMEs and traditional marketing has the weakest relationship with survival of SMMEs. The study contributes to the literature and theoretical information on small medium micro enterprises (SMMEs) in Gauteng and can be applied in broader South African context and other similar emergent economies. The contributions of the study will benefit scholars, business owners, managers; and other key stakeholders including government departments and business forums