“TO UNDERSTAND THE CONSUMER PURCHASE PERCEPTIONS AND REASONS FOR MOTIVATION TO BUY THROUGH ONLINE MARKETING STES.”

Abstract

Marketers have long understood that consumers' self-concepts influence the products they purchase; conversely,products purchased influence people's self-concepts. Using the symbolic interactionist perspective of identity theory, this study empirically tests the proposition thatonline consumers use electronic word of mouth, and specifically the sharing of online advertising, to construct and express theirself-concepts. The results suggest that self-brand congruity, entertainment value, and product category involvement increase theselfexpressiveness of online ads, which then increase the likelihood of sharing those ads. These findings have both theoretical andmanagerial implications.