How should a manager take account of the effects of social media on consumer behaviour in the London restaurant industry?
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- Title
- How should a manager take account of the effects of social media on consumer behaviour in the London restaurant industry?
- Creator
- Alexandra Cheung
- Date
- 2016
- Abstract
- Social media has progressed and transformed significantly over the last few years. Businesses are starting to recognise the monetising potential that this tool offers. In recent years, the London restaurant industry has began integrating social media as a communication tool as part of their marketing strategy. With that said, there has been a lack of understanding and research on the topic of social media specifically applied to the restaurant industry. Due to this, many restaurant managers approach the situation with little set objective, and they often do not fully comprehend how to measure and track the success gained from social media. Consequently, this research has focused on the relationship of social media and its effect consumer behaviour, understanding how it affects the operation of restaurants from the managerial perceptive. The data for this research was collected from the consumer, as well as from restaurant managers. This allowed the research to gain insight from both perspectives, in order to compare and contrast if current London restaurant managers are meeting what consumers want and expect. The data gathered was analysed using the method of coding in order to point out key words and phrases that may highlight a pattern. The results showcased an overlap to both the consumer and restaurant managers agreeing that Instagram as a social media platform is most effective in communicating with customers as both parties believed that the power of image speaks much louder than words. With that said however, it also revealed some discrepancies in how restaurants currently manage their social media. For example, one of the restaurants interviewed believed that Twitter was the most effective social media platform to communicate and advertise their restaurants as it allows for immediate engagement with their customers. However, data showed that Twitter was in fact the platform that least affects a consumer's decision on visiting a restaurant. Instead, it's blog posts that influence their decision the most. This was particularly intriguing as blogs were also the platform with least amount of participants registered as users. While only a limited amount of customers were recorded to actively follow restaurants on their social media accounts, many still use it as a medium to decide whether or not to visit a particular restaurant. With that in mind, the recommendations were set forth for restaurant managers in London. To set clear objectives in order to be better able to measure success. Invest more efforts and time dedicated to inviting bloggers to visit and review restaurant, and allocate a budget dedicated to this. To only use Twitter as a platform to offer news and deals of the restaurant, and as a platform to engage and tend to customer's concerns. To use the restaurant's Instagram to showcase other elements that customers may not realise about the restaurant to better create a story and brand for the restaurant. To encourage customers to post pictures of their food on their social media accounts through promotional offers or activities within the restaurant e.g.: If you share your experience at the restaurant through social media, you receive 10% off your bill. This gives customers incentive to share their experience.
- Subject
- Restaurants
- Business
- Consumer behaviour
- Social media
- Extent
- 79 pages
- Format
- Publisher
- Regent's University London
- degree
- BA Global Business Management
- Language
- English
- Date Issued
- 2016
- Type
- Report
- Rights Holder
- Alexandra Cheung and Regent's University London
- Item sets
- Theses or Dissertation