INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF FACEBOOK ADVERTISING FEATURES ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR

: Many agencies have selected Facebook, one of the most popular social media platforms in Vietnam, as their primary communication and connection channel in their units due to its widespread usage and simplicity of use. Using social networks to advertise products could make people more likely to buy things. Nevertheless, there is still a need for more scholarly attention to understand the impact of social media usage on users' purchase intention, especially in Vietnam – a country with a significant number of social media users worldwide. Hence, this study aims to examine factors regarding social media advertising, including informativeness, performance expectancy, perceived relevance, and interactivity, that impact consumer buying intention through popular platforms in Vietnam, such as Facebook. The authors utilized a set of established scales to measure the constructs under investigation. An online questionnaire with 22 items was designed and developed based on previous research. The survey specifically targeted Vietnamese shoppers who regularly engage in online activities through the social media platform Facebook. From the collected questionnaires, data from 217 valid responses were utilized for the analysis using SPSS. The study revealed the indicators relevant to Facebook advertising of consumer purchase intention. Among them, two-way communication in the form of interactivity, one of the most common features of social networks, plays a vital role in fostering purchase intention as its greatest effect on consumer purchase intention, followed by perceived relevance, performance expectancy, and informativeness. The current research extends the consumer behavior literature in online shopping settings and further consolidates the importance of advertising value for behavioural intention in the context of social media. The findings provide valuable insights for advertising companies to leverage Facebook media in their marketing and advertising endeavors, such as providing users with informative and relevant content, appealing appearance


Introduction.
The current situation highlights the rapidly expanding influence and potential of social media (SM) platforms, which facilitates a business in obtaining the word out and capturing potential value through SM marketing tools.Among the popular platforms, Facebook is a social networking site that many agencies have selected as their primary communication and connection channel in their units due to its widespread usage and simplicity of use.Today, Facebook users often take advantage of the trend of live streaming or promoted posts to advertise products and services as well as for amusement.It is updated that Facebook will become the most used SM platform in the world in 2022 (Belle Wong, 2023).According to the reports by We Are Social in early 2022, approximately 76.95 million individuals in Vietnam, accounting for 97.8 percent of the population aged 13 and above, actively use social networking sites.In Vietnam, the leading SM platform until February 2022 was Facebook, while Zalo and Facebook Messenger were the second and third most popular platforms (Kemp, 2022).In the past few years, Vietnam has continuously remained one of the countries with the most SM users worldwide (Statista, 2022).This upwards trend reflects the increasing popularity and widespread adoption of SM platforms among individuals.Among Vietnamese Internet users aged 16-64, 93.8% use Facebook, while the corresponding figures for other popular social networking platforms, such as Zalo or Messenger, are 91.3% and 82.2%, respectively (Statista, 2022).Hence, Vietnam is thought to be the country that uses Facebook to promote, sell, and provide popular online consumer care, significantly more than other countries in the region.
Using social networks could make people more likely to buy things because they are often exposed to information about products and activities related to consumption, such as ads for products and friends' conversations and opinions about their most recent shopping trips (Chevalier et al. 2006;Moe et al.2011;Stephen et al. 2012).For instance, consumers frequently upload pictures of recent purchases, stories about their shopping adventures, and descriptions of things they want to buy in the future on their SM sites.In comparison with traditional mass media advertising, SM advertising could leverage the most common and well-known features, such as two-way communication, up-to-date and relevant information and appealing appearance, to increase users' awareness and motivate consumers' purchases (Alalwan et al., 2017).A steady stream of recent research has confirmed the engagement of SM promotion and communication in consumers' decision-making process (Tuten & Solomon, 2017).However, it constantly challenges both academicians and practitioners to research and develop effective and attractive SM advertisements.Despite the fact that similar studies have been carried out in the context of online shopping, social implications on buying intention have not yet been investigated in social shopping research (Singh et al. 2020;Zhou et al. 2019).Moreover, in the current context, the influence of SM usage on purchase intention concerning social commerce websites remains a topic that requires further scholarly investigation (Hu & Zhu, 2022), particularly in the context of various marketing practices that firms can employ on SM platforms, such as electronic word-of-mouth, advertising, branding, and customer relationship management (Alalwan, 2018).As dominating features distinguishing Facebook advertising from other platforms, a focus on the influence of the promoted posts when users surf social networking sites requires more attention.
Thus, a global SM platform such as Facebook has become a research hub to explore and derive its potential that helps businesses promote their interests through advertising.This study aims to identify factors regarding Facebook advertising as indicators of consumer purchase intention and how components such as informativeness, perceived relevance, performance expectancy and interactivity affect users' behavior.The rest of the paper is organized as follows: the literature review section provides a comprehensive review of the literature relating to the components of Facebook advertising.The next section mentions the methodology and results of the study.Finally, the conclusion and discussion are mentioned in the final section.
2. Literature Review.The likelihood that a client will make a purchase is characterized by Grewal et al. (1998) as "purchasing intention".Zeng et al. (2009) identified a positive association between advertising value and behavioral intentions in the context of SM.Furthermore, further studies (Kim et al., 2011) have recognized the impact of advertising value on purchase intentions in SM advertising as well.Dehghani & Tumer (2015) emphasize that purchase intention is strongly influenced by endorsements and brand values conveyed by other consumers on SM platforms.An important part of the notion of planned behavior is the connection between one's mood and their purpose to make a purchase.Several studies (Dehghani et al., 2016;Yang et al., 2016;Permatasari et al., 2018) focus on this connection within the framework of SM.According to Li and Zhang (2002), consumers' negative opinions about obtrusive web advertisements cause them to act in an undesirable manner.Other research, however, suggests that consumers' purchase intentions and behaviors are more positive when they have a favorable attitude toward advertising.(Chetioui et al., 2020;Hamouda, 2018).
19 Huang & Benyoucef (2013) define informativeness as the relevance and accuracy of information supplied by SM platforms.In this context, it means the data that may be found in a viral message.Tsang et al. (2004) argue that consumers should be provided with timely and relevant updates.Advertising that is both informative and engaging has been shown to increase the likelihood that a person will act on it (Zabadi et al., 2012).Many researchers have considered the informativeness of the commercial as a key factor in the success of the ad.Companies and marketers benefit from this since it increases the likelihood that potential consumers will actually make a purchase after being exposed to the ad (Erdem et al., 2006).Interpersonal information sharing is a major driver of consumer behavior (de Mooij et al., 2010).According to Rao & Minakakis (2003), there is a positive relationship between advertising informativeness and people's perception of it.According to Van Amstel et al. (2008), labels should provide useful information, and an ecolabel's success relies on both the clarity with which it conveys its message and the willingness of consumers to act on it (Hart, 1997;Teisl, 2003).Consumers are always searching for educational commercials that may assist them in picking the finest product choices.As a result of the informational advertisements that they are exposed to, it will provide them the maximum happiness for their right decisions (Ducoffe, 1995).Similarly, in the context of SM, the following hypothesis is proposed: H1: Informativeness positively influences consumer purchase intention through Facebook advertising.
According to Brown et al. ( 2010), performance expectancy refers to the degree to which consumers believe that using a particular technology will bring them benefits and lead to improvements in their performance.Users are more likely to connect to SM advertisements if they find the advertising to be both relevant and helpful (Chang et al., 2015;Alalwan et al., 2017).Chang et al. (2015) presented empirical evidence supporting the significance of usefulness as a factor similar to performance expectations in influencing consumer preferences, intentions, and shared intentions.The research by Lin & Kim (2016) adds to the body of data demonstrating the influence of perceived utility on consumers' views toward SM marketing and, by extension, their propensity to make a purchase.Shareef et al. ( 2017) recently provided more evidence for the idea that consumers' perceptions of SM advertisements are positively correlated with their perceived value.Chong (2013) showed that the most powerful predictor of behavioral intention to utilize mobile apps is performance expectancy.Therefore, users tend to have a higher likelihood of making purchases and maintaining their usage of social networking apps when they perceive them to offer benefits and innovations.
H2: Performance expectancy positively influences consumer purchase intention through Facebook advertising.
According to Celsi & Olson (1988), relevance can be defined as the extent to which consumers perceive an object to be personally meaningful or instrumental in attaining their individual goals and values.Previous research has shown the significance of consumers' perceptions of advertising content posted as relevant and personalized to their needs and interests (Campbell & Wright., 2008;Zhu & Chang., 2016).Consumers are more engaged with advertisements they see as relevant to their interests.Zhu & Chang (2016) have provided empirical proof for the mediation function of self-awareness in the relationship between consumer perceptions of relevance and their intentions to maintain usage.It may be claimed that if consumers see SM advertising as relevant to their aims and preferences, they would value them more and be more likely to rely on such ads when making choices.Thus, the following hypothesis was proposed: H3: Perceived relevance positively influences consumer purchase intention through Facebook advertising.
According to Jensen (1998), interactivity is the degree to which a person has influence over the environment and information of the media platform.Rafaeli (1988) defined interactivity as the speed with which a media platform can respond, whereas Rice & Williams (1984) defined it as a two-way flow of information that occurs in real time.According to research by Naylor et al. (2012), Facebook friends' likes and comments favourably affect consumers' opinions of brands and their propensity to make purchases.Members of the community are more likely to talk to people they already know.It has been shown that higher levels of social familiarity in a community are associated with lower levels of uncertainty, higher levels of cognitive trust, and more social contacts (Liu et al., 2016).Janssen et al. (2009) found that when people feel like they know the other people in a group, the quality of their interactions improves, their connection strengthens, and their interpersonal attraction and group norms become more evident.Therefore, in ambiguous social situations where it is difficult to determine what product is appropriate, consumers are more likely to observe and assess the behaviors of familiar members than those of unfamiliar ones.Wang et al. (2013) state that interaction plays a significant role in influencing the online purchasing habits of consumers.In addition, a lack of interactivity on the website being targeted decreases buyers' confidence in the safety of their online transactions (Chen et al., 2010).We posit that: H4: Interactivity positively influences consumer purchase intention through Facebook advertising.
3. Methodology and research methods.This study utilized a set of established scales to measure the constructs under investigation.The questionnaire was designed and developed based on previous studies.Specifically, the five items for informativeness were adapted from Logan et al. (2012), while the five items for performance expectancy were motivated by Venkatesh et al. (2012).The perceived relevance construct consisted of five items derived from Zeng et al. ( 2009), and the interactivity construct comprised four items developed based on Jiang et al. ( 2010).Additionally, the three items for purchase intention were measured following the work of Duffett (2015).All items were assessed using a five-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 to 5.During the pretest phase, a preliminary version of the questionnaire in Vietnamese was administered to a sample of 50 individuals.The purpose of this pretest was to identify any potential issues related to the wording and measurement of key variables in the research framework.Feedback and suggestions were collected from the participants, and modifications were made to the questionnaire based on the received feedback.These modifications aimed to ensure the validity and appropriateness of the instruments for the study.Following the pretest phase, the completed and refined questionnaire was then distributed to potential respondents for the main data collection.The survey specifically targeted Vietnamese shoppers who regularly engage in surfing or using Facebook.Initially, respondents were invited to complete the survey, and subsequently, they were encouraged to refer other potential respondents, thereby expanding the participant pool.The invitation, which included a URL link to the online survey, was shared with the respondents via the Internet.To ensure the relevance of the participants, a required question was included at the beginning of the questionnaire to determine their previous usage or experience with Facebook.From the collected questionnaires, a total of 220 responses were obtained.After conducting data cleaning procedures, a final sample of 217 valid responses was utilized for the subsequent analysis.Pallant (2016) recommends a minimum sample size of over 150 participants, and the sample size in this study meets this acceptable criterion.Data analysis for this study was conducted using SPSS version 22.The set of statistical data analysis methods comprises descriptive analysis, reliability analysis, factor analysis, Pearson correlation, and regression analysis.
4. Results.In this study, the sample consisted of a total of 217 participants, with 167 females (77%) and 50 males (23%).The majority of survey participants were students (60.8%), followed by officers (20.3%) and business (16.6%).Regarding monthly income, 39.2% of respondents earned less than 5 million VND per month, 29% earned between 5 and 10 million VND per month, 20.7% earned between 10 and 20 million VND per month, and 11.1% earned more than 20 million VND per month.In terms of SM usage, the respondents often spent an average of 30 minutes to an hour (33.2%) per day on Facebook.The rest spent an average of one to two hours on the site daily, followed by some users spending more than two hours.Furthermore, 59.4% of consumers reported a shopping online experience through Facebook, with a frequency of once or twice per month.Additionally, 26.7% of consumers made online purchases three to four times per month, while only 13.8% shopped more than four times per month.factor (β = 0. 271, p < 0.01), followed by perceived relevance (β = 0.256, p < 0.01), performance expectancy (β = 0.215, p < 0.01) and informativeness (β = 0.136, p < 0.05).Thus, hypotheses 1, 2, 3 and 4 are all supported.

Conclusions.
The study identifies and investigates the impacts of advertising features on consumer purchase intention through the Facebook platform.Building on the results of numerous studies based on SM marketing, the findings show significant and positive impacts of SM advertising factors on users' buying behavior.Informativeness, performance expectancy, perceived relevance and interactivity play a role as motivators for developing users' further purchase intention.As a result, a strong emphasis on the existing relationships has contributed to enriching and adding value to the limited literature on SM promotion in general and Facebook advertising in particular.
The increasing awareness of the influence of Facebook on purchasing intention becomes more evident.The findings provide valuable insights for advertising companies to leverage Facebook media in their marketing and advertising endeavors.As a result, businesses, organizations, and individuals can gain a better understanding of current consumer purchasing behaviors on social networking sites.This research will enable them to develop effective advertising and sales strategies that enhance their bottom line, revenue, and operational effectiveness.
Interactivity plays a vital role in shaping consumer purchase intention, as it fosters two-way communication, one of the key features of SM.By enabling public reviews and comments about their products or services on the promoted post, the brand can attract new consumers.This implies that consumers are more likely to engage with a Facebook ad that offers a high level of interactivity, and this synergistic effect will motivate them to make a purchase.Informativeness is another key aspect of advertising on Facebook.When users are provided with customer-centric, accurate and up-to-date content through advertisements, they tend to raise awareness of the brand and their preference, thereby increasing purchase intention.Furthermore, a promoted post that includes positive consumer reviews and comprehensive information available through search engines will help provide buyers with reassurance and confidence before making a purchasing decision.
Stores should emphasize the exploratory aspect and strive to exceed consumers' expectations by offering additional benefits such as free shipping, product giveaways, or exclusive discounts on special occasions through advertisements.By providing these extra incentives, stores can enhance consumers' overall experience and increase their satisfaction.In regard to advertising on Facebook, visually appealing ads with timely and credible information are more likely to capture consumers' attention.Higher performance expectations for SM advertisements can indirectly result from a deeper understanding of the mechanisms related to interaction, perceived relevance, and informativeness.By studying and optimizing these factors, stores can enhance the effectiveness of their Facebook advertising campaigns and meet or exceed consumers' expectations.
Perceived relevance plays a significant role in capturing consumers' attention and driving their purchasing decisions through advertisements.Given the abundance of promoted posts on the platform, it is crucial to make a strong initial impression that entices people to read the entire post and consider making a purchase.The advertising method employed should align well with the products being sold, ensuring that it resonates with the target audience.Timely and accurate updates are vital in maintaining perceived relevance.Regularly updating the Facebook page with relevant content ensures that consumers stay engaged and informed about the products or services offered.By providing valuable and relevant information, businesses can establish credibility and attract consumers who find the content meaningful and aligned with their interests or needs.

Table 1 .
Demographic information

Table 4 .
Regression results