The Impact of Short-Form Social Media Content (Reels): Its Engagement of Marketing Students in the Consumer Purchase Decision-Making Process
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67167/vertex.662Keywords:
short-form social media content, reels, student engagement, consumer purchase decision-making processAbstract
The increasing popularity of short-form social media content (Reels) has significantly transformed consumer behavior by influencing how individuals discover products, engage with brands, and make purchasing decisions. This study examined the impact of Reels on the engagement of Marketing Management students in the consumer purchase decision-making process by assessing their level of exposure, engagement, involvement across the stages of consumer decision-making, and the relationship between engagement and purchasing behavior. A quantitative descriptive-correlational research design was employed, involving 152 Marketing Management students from the first to fourth year selected through a purposive sampling approach with equal year-level allocation. Data were collected using a structured survey questionnaire and analyzed through weighted mean, ranking, and the Pearson correlation coefficient. The findings revealed that respondents demonstrated a considerable level of exposure to Reels (Grand Mean = 3.62, Evident) and were generally engaged with short-form content (Grand Mean = 3.84, Engaged). Reels also significantly influenced every stage of the consumer purchase decision-making process, yielding an overall weighted mean of 3.97 (Agree), with post-purchase behavior (WM = 4.11) and problem recognition (WM = 4.05) identified as the most prominent dimensions. Furthermore, the study established a very strong positive and statistically significant relationship between engagement with Reels and the consumer purchase decision-making process (r = 0.9618, p = 0.001), resulting in the rejection of the null hypothesis. These findings indicate that Reels have become a powerful digital marketing tool that shapes students' purchasing behavior and engagement. The study recommends integrating educational and interactive content, collaborating with relatable peer influencers, maintaining consistent content strategies, and utilizing analytics to strengthen consumer engagement and support more informed purchase decision-making.
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