The online purchasing decision process and consumer loyalty of fashion industry products: Influence of social media and “opinion makers”

In the fashion industry, marketers are adopting new strategies where they include blogs and social networks to reach out to new consumers quickly and efficiently, and also as a way of encouraging recurrent purchases, a reflection of consumer's loyalty to a particular brand or product. Through the application of an online questionnaire to 484 participants, the influence of e-WOM communications in Social Media and of opinion makers was explored in the purchasing decision process and consumer loyalty of online products of the fashion industry. The results showed that e-WOM communications, made in Social Media through opinion makers and other users, influence the purchase decision process, and loyalty, online. For this reason, it is recommended that brands encourage positive e-WOM communication on social platforms about their products and also about the brand itself, in order to promote greater profitability and loyalty online.