THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL NETWORKING ON CUSTOMER LOYALTY IN AN EMERGING E-MARKET CONTEXT

Abstract

The aim of this study was to understand the impact of social networking on customer loyalty from the customers' perspective in an emerging e-market such as Pakistan, where social media penetration is still at an early stage, but is growing rapidly. The planned sample size is 100 respondents. The primary data were collected by distributing questionnaires among general public in Lahore, Pakistan from December 2016 to January 2017. The data collected were analysed using cross tabs in SPSS. The secondary data collected by analysing literature in the libraries, online journals, and published papers. Seventy four percent of the respondents agreed that website interface was of utmost importance, followed by sixty-seven percent saying that convenience of online shopping and the availability of product information are also of great importance. The findings suggest that social networking does influence the customer loyalty greatly.