FROM CONTENT TO CART: THE INFLUENCE OF INSTAGRAM AND YOUTUBE SHOPPING FEATURES ON CONSUMER PURCHASE DECISIONS

Abstract: The rapid evolution of social commerce has transformed Instagram and YouTube from content-sharing platforms into integrated digital marketplaces that influence consumer purchasing behaviour. This study examines how shopping features embedded within these platforms affect consumer purchase decisions by analyzing the roles of consumer trust, consumer engagement, and perceived convenience. The study is grounded in the Stimulus–Organism– Response (S–O–R) Theory, which explains how external digital stimuli shape consumers’ psychological responses and purchasing behaviour. A quantitative research design was adopted, and primary data were collected from 100 respondents using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were employed to examine the relationships among the study variables. The findings reveal that social media shopping features significantly influence consumer purchase decisions, with integrated shopping functionalities emerging as the strongest predictor. Consumer trust, engagement, and perceived convenience also demonstrated significant positive effects on purchasing behaviour, indicating that consumers are more likely to complete purchases when shopping experiences are credible, interactive, and convenient. The regression model explained a substantial proportion of the variation in consumer purchase decisions, supporting the proposed conceptual framework and validating the study hypotheses. The findings contribute to the growing literature on social commerce by providing an integrated analysis of Instagram and YouTube shopping features within a single empirical framework. The study also offers practical insights for businesses, digital marketers, content creators, and platform developers seeking to design effective social commerce strategies that convert digital engagement into successful consumer purchases.

Keywords: Social Commerce, Instagram Shopping, YouTube Shopping, Consumer Purchase Decision, Consumer Trust, Digital Marketing.