The role of social media in the apparel retail sector in Vietnam: A study of Facebook fan pages

Abstract

This paper studies two relationships: how the volume, quality and credibility of information found on Facebook fan pages affects the perceived usefulness of this information and how the perceived usefulness of the information affects the intention of customers (ie fans) to continue their relationship with Facebook fan pages. Data were collected through an online survey of 217 Vietnamese Facebook users who are fans of apparel retailing pages. Following a review of the literature, a conceptual model was developed and the data were analysed using linear regression. The results indicate that information quantity, quality and credibility have a significant positive impact on the perceived usefulness of an information source and lead to an intention to continue to use this information source. The research suggests that apparel retail companies should employ social media channels, particularly Facebook, as a means to communicate and interact with their customers and hence improve their relationship with them.