The Role of Social Media in Enhancing Customer Trust and Purchase Decision-Making in Electronic Marketing

The rapid growth of information and communication technologies and the increasing expansion of social media have led to fundamental changes in marketing practices and customer purchasing behavior. In this context, electronic marketing, as one of the most significant outcomes of these transformations, faces challenges such as the absence of face-to-face interaction, increased perceived risk, and uncertainty in purchase decision-making. Under such conditions, customer trust plays a decisive role in facilitating purchase decisions and forming sustainable relationships between customers and brands. By providing an interactive and social platform, social media can influence online purchase decisions through strengthening customer trust. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of social media in enhancing customer trust and to analyze the effect of this trust on purchase decision-making in the context of electronic marketing. The research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive–analytical in nature, conducted using a quantitative approach. Data were collected through a survey using a standardized questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale. The statistical population included customers using electronic marketing services and online stores active on social media, and sampling was conducted through non-random convenience sampling. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data and test the relationships among variables. The findings indicate that social media have a positive and significant effect on customer trust and that marketing activities based on these media can significantly enhance customer trust. Moreover, the results show that customer trust is a multidimensional construct comprising perceived honesty, competence, reliability, and benevolence, all of which are influenced by social media interactions. In addition, the results demonstrate that social media directly affect customer purchase decisions, and customer trust also plays a positive and significant role in facilitating purchase decision-making. Overall, the findings indicate that customer trust plays an important mediating role in the relationship between social media and purchase decision-making. These findings can be useful for managers and practitioners in electronic marketing in designing effective trust-based strategies on social media.