DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES, CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND CONSUMER PURCHASE INTENTIONS OF SUPERMARKET CUSTOMERS IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Kenya's supermarket sector faces significant hurdles in converting consumer intentions into actual purchases, due to shifting consumer preferences, technological advancements, stiff competition, and global economic downturns. To survive, retail businesses must adopt marketing strategies that offer a competitive advantage, such as digital marketing which includes email, social media, short video, and mobile phone marketing. The study aimed to investigate the effect of digital marketing strategies on consumer purchase intention in supermarkets in Nairobi, as moderated by customer satisfaction. The research targeted 129 supermarket outlets in Nairobi County and a sample of 384 respondents calculated using Fisher (1998) formula was used. Data was collected using questionnaires. 38 customers representing 10 percent of the sample were selected using purposive and convenience sampling to participate in the pilot study. Microsoft Excel, Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 24.0 software were employed to facilitate data analysis. The quantitative data was analyzed through descriptive and inferential tests. Descriptive tests employed mean and standard deviation. To test the study hypotheses, calculated p-values from simple linear regression results were used. Short video marketing, social media marketing and mobile phone marketing had positive and statistically significant effect on consumer purchase intention in supermarkets. However, email marketing had a statistically non￾significant effect on consumer purchase intention in supermarkets. The study concluded that; social media marketing, short video marketing and mobile phone marketing have immensely contributed to consumer purchase intentions. The study also concluded that email marketing is not sufficient in affecting consumer purchase intentions and that customer satisfaction plays a moderating role on the effect of digital marketing on consumer purchase intentions. The study recommends that supermarkets increase their presence on social media platforms, upload consistent videos, specify location of shops with special offers, and enhance product accessibility through USSD. The study recommends the enforcement and enhancement of consumer data protection laws to ensure responsible use of consumer data. This study integrated the Engel￾Kollat Blackwell model and the technology acceptance models to support the idea that digital marketing interventions affect early stages of the consumer decision making process and that satisfaction reinforces progression through to the purchase decision. Future research should focus on a comparative study to explore how digital marketing strategies influence purchase intentions in rural versus urban supermarket shoppers.