The effectiveness of Facebook as a marketing tool for Zalora Philippines as perceived by its fans

Abstract

Social media is indubitably a global phenomenon. The corporate world has seen the value of the Internet in the communications field, leading them to maximize its strength to reach out to its market. Considering that the Philippines is dubbed as "The Social Networking Capital of the World," Filipino marketers have eventually utilized social media to market their products. Social networking sites (SNS) have attracted millions of users, many of whom have integrated these sites into their daily lives. One of the many social networking sites that have initiated immense changes is Facebook (http://www.facebook.com). Facebook serves as a potential marketing tool for many companies. Thus, Philippine companies today utilize Facebook for their respective marketing efforts. The organization in focus is Zalora Philippines. Zalora Philippines is an online fashion department store, offering a wide range of products including clothes, shoes, accessories, and cosmetics, among others. Its main marketing tool is its Facebook brand page with the URL of http://www.facebook.com/ZaloraPH. As of writing, it has gathered over 910,000 fans. This study aims to answer the main problem: Is the Facebook page of Zalora Philippines perceived to be effective as a marketing tool by the individuals who "like" the brand’s Facebook page? This study seeks to answer the following sub-problems: (1) What is the profile of the Facebook users who "like" the Zalora Philippines page in terms of gender, age, highest educational attainment, and average family monthly income?; (2) What is the extent of acceptance of Facebook in terms of the following: as a promotional tool, as a provider of relevant consumer information, as a forum for closing sales and business deals, and as a medium of advertisement? and; (3) How does the Zalora Philippines Facebook page meet the criteria for a successful Facebook page marketing? In answering the questions posed, the researcher employed a quantitative research. Online questionnaires are distributed through a Facebook message to the individuals who have "liked” Zalora Philippines’ Facebook page. One hundred thirteen fans of the brand’s Facebook page were asked to answer the questionnaire since they have already been exposed to the marketing efforts of Zalora Philippines. The data gathered were computed using frequency, percentage distribution, and weighted mean. The study revealed that the profile of a Zalora Philippines Facebook fan is a female, aged 20 - 25 years old, college degree holder and has an average family monthly income of more than Php 100, 001. The over-all extent of acceptance of Facebook by the fans is acceptable. Moreover, the fans agree that Zalora Philippines has met the criteria for a successful Facebook page marketing. From these findings, it is therefore concluded that the Facebook page of Zalora Philippines is perceived to be effective as a marketing tool by the individuals who "like” the brand’s Facebook page.