Cop or Drop: An Analysis of the Influence of Social Media Marketing on Sneakerheads’ Attitudes and Perceptions Among Resellers and Consumers of Rhand Rhelle

Abstract

The rise of e-commerce became a promising phenomenon that gave opportunity among numerous sneaker business owners, especially in social media. However, regardless of the rapid growth of the shoe market, there are limited studies illustrating consumer behavior, especially among sneakerheads. Therefore, the researcher was driven to analyze how social media marketing influences the attitudes and perceptions of sneakerheads. In addition, the study attempted to modify the research objectives of Gibson's (2018) study to be more suitable in the context of the sneaker market. Thus, the researcher utilized a quantitative-descriptive research design to suffice the mentioned objectives. In addition, the researcher surveyed 120 consumers of Rhand Rhelle, a sneaker store in Metro Manila. Then, the gathered data were further analyzed through descriptive statistics and presented with tables and figures. Finally, the findings revealed that sneakerheads have a positive attitude towards social media, considering their patronage and engagement on it. In addition, sneakerheads perceive social media marketing as an important tool to acquire customer loyalty, increased profits, and widen audience reach. However, sneaker stores shall consider the type of content they post as it was the most important factor perceived by the respondents that are significant for businesses like them. Further, the researcher concluded that social media marketing can influence the attitudes and perceptions of sneakerheads. With this being the case, the researcher gave recommendations that can be utilized by sneaker business owners as a compass for potential strategies and programs.