Determining the influence of promotional elements on consumer buying behaviour towards purshasing a hatchback automobile

Abstract

Automobile demand has increased in customer base in South Africa, particularly in Gauteng. Owing to these increasing demands, this study seeks to determine the influence of promotional elements: advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations, and direct marketing on consumer buying behaviour towards purchasing a hatchback automobile and establishing its significance in today’s world, which is full of technological advancement in digital marketing. This study used a quantitative research approach with Gauteng province residents who have purchased a hatchback automobile. Primary data were collected from 320 hatchback automobile purchasers using structured questionnaires, which comprised closed-ended questions through self-administered online-based questionnaires. This study used a descriptive and standard multiple regression directed on IM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. The study’s results indicated that: advertising, personal selling, public relations, and direct marketing have a positive and significant effect on consumer buying behaviour towards purchasing a hatchback automobile, unlike the notion promoted today that they belong in the past. In contrast, sales promotion has a positive but non-significant effect. The study divulges that even though digital marketing's technological advances exist, traditional promotional marketing mix elements still have a role to play. The study recommends that hatchback automobile manufacturers combine traditional media and new media podiums in communicating their marketing messages to attain the combined strong influence of these media platforms for their targeted markets. The study also recommends that hatchback automobile industries invest in sales promotion that may encourage consumer purchasing interest and make decisions based on what they perceive about a product. The study further recommends that hatchback automobile industries should pay particular attention to advertising to entice the younger target market.