SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING AND PURCHASE INTENTION: EVIDENCE FROM KOSOVO

The main objective of this study was to explore the relationship of social media marketing and purchase intention among consumers in Kosovo as a transition economy. The study used a structured questionnaire to collect the primary data and collected a sample of 334 responses from participants in Kosovo, using google forms as an online survey tool. In order to test the proposed research model, structural equation modelling was used. The hypotheses and the mediating effects of brand awareness and brand engagement were tested using the bootstrapping method. The findings revealed a positive indirect impact of social media marketing on purchase intention. They also showed that brand engagement fully mediates the relationship between social media marketing and purchase intention, whereas brand awareness does not mediate the relationship between social media marketing and purchase intention. This study contributes to the literature by providing insights of the impact of social media marketing on brand awareness, brand engagement, and purchase intention in transition economy such as Kosovo. On a practical level, research results provide companies with customer insights relevant to designing effective social media marketing strategies for their potential prospects in transition economies.