Consumer behaviour is a result of reciprocal action of various factors, including reference groups. Reference groups maintain present on the web in many different forms, which are virtual communities that represent a framework of community-based references how their members make their purchase choices. From the marketing perspective, they are important due to their influence on the formation of product preferences and the choice of a brand. The empirical part of the thesis is based on the assumption that the greater the influence of the online community on the individual’s choice of brand, the greater the degree of social identification of the individual with the virtual community. Social identification is one of the factors how the influence of the community is exercised among its members. With quantitative analysis of data, obtained through a questionnaire among members of Facebook group “Vegetarijanci, vegani, presnojedci” (ang. “Vegetarians, vegans and raw vegans”), we found a high level of positive correlation between the impact on the brand choice and the degree of social identification the individual has with virtual community. Additional attention was paid to three types of influence, as exercised by virtual community and we found out that individuals’ purchase decisions are based on the preferences and expectations of the virtual community, which leads to the creation of preferential brands.
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