“Customer purchase decisions of clothing amongst students in Nigerian private universities: The effect of digital advertising”

With the proliferation of digital platforms, businesses, including clothing brands, increasingly leverage digital advertising to reach and engage their target audiences. However, limited research explicitly explores its influence on purchasing decisions in Nigeria, particularly among private university students. This research aims to determine the effects of digital advertising on customer purchase decisions for clothing among students. The study surveyed a target population of 450 students randomly selected from four private universities (Covenant


INTRODUCTION
In the modern era, the evolution of advertising has taken a remarkable turn towards the digital realm (Dellaroza & Indrawati, 2022), offering unprecedented avenues for connecting with audiences.Within this dynamic landscape, the interplay between digital advertising and customer awareness unfolds as a captivating narrative of influence and engagement.In the current environment of digital marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an essential tactic for enhancing online visibility and attracting organic website traffic (Haider & Sundin, 2019).With billions of individuals worldwide using search engines like Google as their primary information route (Omar & Atteya, 2020), optimizing web content to rank prominently in search engine results has become essential for companies looking to enhance their digital visibility and reach potential customers (Dellaroza & Indrawati, 2022).However, beyond its technical intricacies, SEO is pivotal in shaping customer awareness by influencing their search behaviors and perceptions of brands (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2019).

LITERATURE REVIEW AND HYPOTHESES
Digital advertising has evolved into a crucial part of marketing strategies for companies, especially in light of the COVID-19 epidemic, which has sped up the use of social media and other online apps for several purposes, including shopping and entertainment.Digital marketing strategies, including mobile marketing, social media marketing, business resource transformation, and business-customer-customer triangle, have become essential for companies to attract and retain customers in the digital age (Basimakopoulou et al., 2022).The studies indicate that digital advertising significantly influences consumers' propensity to purchase, with many buyers considering it a significant factor in their final purchasing selections (Shiju, 2023).
Notably, many respondents believe in the effectiveness of digital advertising and its impact on their purchasing selection (Shiju, 2023).Moreover, digital advertising frequently influences consumers' purchasing decisions, with a significant share of respondents indicating that advertisements sometimes or frequently influence them (Shiju, 2023).Consumer attitudes towards digital advertising play a crucial role, with many respondents holding positive views on its effectiveness (Achunguh, 2021).Additionally, brand recognition is essential, as many consumers recall seeing online market-ing messages, contributing to the effectiveness of digital advertising (Achunguh, 2021) Also, the relevance and congruence between the influencer and the brand are crucial.Djafarova and Rushworth (2017) found that alignment between an influencer's image and the brand's identity improves the credibility of the endorsement, making consumers more likely to trust and follow the recommendation.This congruence ensures that the influencer's followers, who often share similar values and interests, perceive the promoted products as more authentic and relevant to their needs, thus influencing their purchase decisions (Djafarova & Rushworth, 2017).Moreover, influencers' perceived informativeness and entertainment value also enhance their impact on purchase decisions.Abidin's (2016) empirical study underscores that consumers value the combination of informative content and entertainment that influencers offer, which not only captures their attention but also equips them with the necessary information to make informed purchase decisions.This dual role of influencers as entertainers and information providers increases their persuasive power in the digital marketplace (Abidin, 2016).
A survey by Syed and Ranga (2023) showed that online marketing activities significantly impact customer purchase actions due to widespread internet usage and daily exposure to marketing variables.The primary objective of SEO is to convert web traffic into sales.Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick (2016) provide a comprehensive analysis illustrating the direct relationship between SEO efforts and conversion rates.They found that SEO-optimized websites experience higher conversion rates due to better-targeted traffic and enhanced user experience.The study also highlights the efficacy of longtail keywords and local SEO strategies in driving conversions, as these attract more qualified and purchase-ready customers.
Grasping the customer purchase journey is essential for successful SEO.Lemon and Verhoef (2016) highlight the need to synchronize SEO strategies with each phase of the customer journey, including awareness, consideration, decision, and postpurchase.Their study indicates that focused SEO initiatives at every stage can effectively steer consumers through the purchasing process, resulting in increased conversion rates and enhanced customer loyalty.The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), pioneered by Fishbein and Yzer (2003), stands as a cornerstone in psychological models elucidating human decision-making processes.At its core, TRA posits that intentions wield considerable sway over behaviors, a construct shaped by two key components: subjective norms and perceived behavioral control (Humphrey et al., 1998).In the intricate landscape of digital advertising and its impact on consumer purchase decisions, TRA serves as a guiding framework, offering insights into the mechanisms underlying consumers' intentions to engage in product or service acquisition.Subjective norms within this context encapsulate the potent social pressures influencing behavior, emanating from diverse sources such as familial networks, peer groups, and the pervasive influence of social media platforms (Yzer, 2013).Complementing this, perceived behavioral control delves into the perceived ease or difficulty associated with executing a particular behavior, encompassing factors like product accessibility and affordability (Yzer, 2013).
The application of TRA in understanding consumer behavior within digital advertising realms has yielded significant revelations

METHODOLOGY
Going by the nature of this study, the respondents involved are all expected to provide reliable information on digital advertising and customer purchase decisions for clothing in Nigerian private universities.According to Wohlin

RESULTS
Table 1 presents the results of a multiple regression analysis aimed at evaluating the impact of various digital advertising channels on customer awareness of clothing in Nigerian private universities.
The findings indicate that digital influencers have a positive and significant effect on customer awareness (β = 0.176, t = 3.325, p < 0.05), suggesting that they play a crucial role in enhancing awareness.In contrast, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and social media show positive but statistically insignificant effects on customer awareness, with coefficients of β = 0.032 (t = 0.621, p > 0.05) and β = 0.042 (t = 0.663, p > 0.05), respectively.This implies that while these channels may contribute to awareness, their impact is not substantial within this context.The R-value of 0.477 indicates a weak positive relationship between digital advertising and customer awareness, and the adjusted R² value of 0.220 reveals that approximately 22% of the variation in customer awareness can be explained by digital advertising, leaving 78% to other factors not included in the model.
The regression model's constant value of 2.408 suggests a positive baseline level of customer awareness even in the absence of digital advertising efforts.The overall significance of the model is confirmed by the F-statistics (4, 416) = 30.294,p < 0.05), underscoring the importance of digital influencers as key determinants of customer awareness in this market.Consequently, the null hypothesis (H01), which posited that digital advertising does not significantly affect customer awareness, is rejected, highlighting the critical role of digital influencers in marketing strategies within Nigerian private universities.
The regression analysis results in Table 2 reveal the impact of digital advertising on customer in-  This implies that while SEO and social media efforts contribute to generating customer interest, their impact is not substantial within this context.SEO and social media presence alone may not be enough to significantly sway the interest of students, perhaps due to the need for more engaging and direct interaction that influencers typically provide.
The R-value of 0.347 indicates a weak positive relationship between digital advertising and customer interest, suggesting that while digital advertising does have an impact, it is not the only factor driving interest among students.The coefficient of multiple determination (adj.R² = 0.112) suggests that digital advertising explains about 11% of the variation in customer interest, with the remaining 89% attributable to other factors not included in the model.This highlights the complexity of consumer behavior and the multitude of factors that can influence customer interest.When holding digital advertising channels constant at zero, customer interest would stand at 2.525, affirming the overall positive impact of digital advertising.This baseline level of interest suggests that even without active digital advertising efforts, there is an inherent interest in clothing brands among students, which can be significantly enhanced through targeted digital marketing strategies.The F-statistics (4, 416) = 14.024, p < 0.05) highlight the model's significance in predicting the effects of digital advertising on customer interest.The significant F-statistic confirms that the model reliably predicts the relationship between digital advertising and customer interest, lending credibility to the findings.Consequently, the null hypothesis (H02), which posits that digital advertising does not have a significant effect on customer interest, is rejected.
Table 3 displays the outcomes of multiple regression analyses assessing the impact of digital advertising on customer desire.The findings reveal that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) (β = 0.095, t = 2.102, p < 0.05) significantly influences customer desire for clothing in Nigerian private universities.This suggests that SEO is a critical component in driving customer purchase desire within this demographic.Conversely, digital influencers (β = 0.049, t = 1.036, p > 0.05) and social media (β = 0.004, t = 0.072, p > 0.05) exhibit positive but statistically insignificant effects on customer purchase desire.This highlights the varying impact of different digital advertising channels and underscores the particular importance of search engine optimization in this context.
The R-value of 0.332 indicates a weak positive relationship between digital advertising and customer desire, suggesting that while there is a relationship, it is not particularly strong.The Adjusted R² value of 0.102 suggests that digital advertising explains approximately 10% of the variation in customer desire, with the remaining 90% influenced by other variables not included in the model.This highlights the multifaceted nature of consumer behavior, where numerous factors beyond digital advertising contribute to purchase decisions.Holding digital advertising channels to a constant at zero predicts a positive customer desire value of 2.243, indicating that even in the absence of active digital advertising efforts, there is a baseline level of customer desire.However, the effectiveness of digital advertising, particularly SEO, in enhancing this baseline is significant.The F-statistics (4, 416) = 12.758, p < 0.05) confirms the overall model's significance in predicting the effect of digital advertising channels on customer purchase desire.This leads to the rejection of the null hypothesis (H03), which asserted no significant effect of digital advertising on customer desire for clothing in Nigerian private universities.

DISCUSSION
Digital advertising has a positive and significant effect on customer awareness of clothing in Nigerian private universities, as indicated by adj.R² of 0.220 and F-statistic of 30.294 (p < 0.05).This result suggests that clothing brands targeting students in these universities should focus more on developing and integrating digital advertising components into their marketing strategies to boost customer awareness.The findings of this study underscore the evolving landscape of consumer engagement, which is increasingly facilitated by digital platforms.This highlights the profound influence of digital advertising in shaping consumer perceptions and preferences within a younger demographic, especially in a technologically interconnected society like Nigeria (Darliana & Yono, 2019).Additionally, the study's findings resonate with previous research that emphasizes the pivotal role of digital marketing in enhancing brand visibility and driving consumer awareness (Mehedi & Sadiq, 2021).This is particularly relevant in the context of Nigerian private universities, where the youth demographic is highly active on digital platforms.The study further underscores the need for businesses to adopt agile and targeted digital marketing strategies to effectively engage with the Nigerian youth market.
Leveraging platforms such as social media and online advertising can help cultivate brand recognition and loyalty (Sinoka et al., 2019).
Moreover, these findings highlight a conceptual shift towards digital-first marketing approaches, which are essential for navigating the dynamic consumer landscape of Nigeria's private university students.By embracing digital advertising, brands can create more personalized and engaging marketing campaigns that resonate with the unique preferences and behaviors of this demographic.This approach not only enhances customer awareness, but also builds stronger connections with consumers, ultimately leading to increased brand loyalty and customer retention.Thus, the study advocates for a strategic emphasis on digital advertising to effectively capture and sustain the attention of university students in Nigeria, ensuring that brands remain competitive and relevant in this rapidly changing market.
Similarly, digital marketing exerts a positive and significant impact on the inclination of students in Nigerian private universities towards clothing products, as evidenced by adj.R² of 0.112 and F-statistic of 14.024 (p < 0.05).This result indithat fashion brands targeting students in these universities should focus on developing and implementing strategies for Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media, and digital influencer channels to boost customer interest.This study highlights the role of digital advertising as a powerful tool for capturing and sustaining consumer interest in an increasingly competitive marketplace (Haudi et al., 2022;Nghiêm-Phú, 2022).Additionally, it emphasises how crucial strategic digital marketing initiatives are for building brand recognition, resolving sales concerns, raising customer satisfaction, and piqueing interest from customers (Wan, 2023).
By recognizing the significance of digital channels in influencing consumer interest, businesses can tailor their marketing strategies to effectively engage with the preferences and behaviors of Nigerian university students.This approach not only enhances brand visibility but also increases market competitiveness in the dynamic fashion landscape of Ogun State.In particular, leveraging SEO can ensure that fashion brands appear prominently in online searches, making them more accessible to potential customers.Social media platforms offer a space for brands to interact directly with students, creating engaging content that resonates with their audience.Digital influencers, who have established trust and rapport with their followers, can further amplify a brand's reach and credibility.These channels, when effectively utilized, can create a synergistic effect that significantly boosts consumer interest and purchase intentions.
This study also emphasizes the need for continuous adaptation and innovation in digital marketing strategies to keep pace with the evolving digital landscape and consumer behaviors.Fashion brands must remain agile, regularly updating their digital marketing tactics to align with the latest trends and technologies.By doing so, they can maintain a strong connection with their target audience, driving sustained interest and loyalty among students in Nigerian private universities.Overall, the findings advocate for a strategic and multifaceted approach to digital marketing, recognizing it as a crucial component in engaging the youth demographic and securing a competitive edge in the fashion industry within Nigerian private universities.
Finally, digital advertising has a positive and significant effect on customer purchase desire for clothing in Nigerian private universities, as indicated by adj.R² of 0.102 and F-statistic of 12.758 (p < 0.05).This result suggests that fashion brands targeting students in these universities should focus on adopting the right components of digital advertising to enhance customer desire.This finding highlights the transformative role of digital platforms in influencing consumer behavior and purchase intentions, underscoring the critical importance of digital advertising in stimulating consumer interest and desire for clothing products, especially among younger demographics (Veronica et al., 2021).Leveraging the interactive and immersive nature of digital channels, marketers can effectively showcase clothing brands, create compelling narratives, and engage with con-sumers in ways that resonate with their preferences and aspirations (Mircea, 2020).For instance, high-quality visuals, interactive content, and engaging storytelling can create a deeper connection with potential customers, making the brand more appealing.Social media platforms, influencer partnerships, and targeted online ads can all play significant roles in this process by offering personalized and direct ways to reach and influence the student market.Furthermore, this study emphasizes the need for businesses to adopt tailored digital marketing channels that leverage insights into the socio-cultural nuances and consumption patterns of Nigerian university students (Alfarraj et al., 2021;Dwivedi et al., 2018).Understanding these patterns allows brands to craft messages and campaigns that are more likely to resonate with this audience, thereby enhancing brand relevance and driving purchase desire in the competitive fashion market of Ogun State.This might include localized content, culturally relevant messaging, and promotions that align with the values and lifestyles of the target demographic.
Besides, the study suggests that digital advertising should not only be about direct promotion but also about building an emotional connection with consumers.Brands that succeed in creating a loyal following through consistent and meaningful engagement are more likely to see a sustained increase in purchase desire.This requires ongoing efforts to understand and respond to the evolving needs and preferences of university students.Overall, these findings advocate for a strategic, multifaceted approach to digital marketing.By effectively utilizing digital advertising, fashion brands can significantly enhance their appeal and influence in the Nigerian private university sector, driving consumer desire and securing a competitive edge in the fashion industry.

CONCLUSION
The effects of digital advertising on customer purchase decisions for clothing among students is Nigeria private universities was the focus of this study.The study provided some findings indicating that Digital advertising has profoundly influenced customer purchase decisions by offering a more personalized and targeted approach to marketing.Further finding shows that, utilizing data analytics, businesses can track consumer behavior and preferences, enabling them to craft tailored advertisements that resonate more effectively with their target audience.Additionally, the rise of social media platforms and influencer marketing has facilitated a more authentic and engaging form of advertising, which can directly sway consumer decision-making.For instance, influencers often share personal experiences with products, creating a sense of trust and relatability among their followers.
According to the survey, in order to increase customer recognition, interest, and purchase decisions, apparel businesses that target university students should concentrate more on creating and incorporating digital advertising components into their marketing strategy.
However, the effectiveness of digital advertising is not without its challenges.Consumers are increasingly savvy to traditional advertising tactics and seek more genuine and meaningful interactions with brands.To address this, businesses must focus on building trust and nurturing relationships with their customers through transparent and value-driven messaging.
Moreover, the rise of ad-blocking technology and stricter data privacy regulations complicate the landscape for businesses relying on digital advertising strategies.These regulations require companies to be more cautious and ethical in handling consumer data, necessitating a balance between personalization and privacy.
Despite these obstacles, the potential of digital advertising to significantly impact customer purchase decisions remains substantial.Businesses must continue to innovate and adapt their strategies to stay competitive in the evolving digital marketplace.This includes embracing new technologies, staying abreast of regulatory changes, and prioritizing genuine engagement with consumers to foster long-term loyalty and trust.

Table 1 .
Summary of multiple regression between digital advertising strategies and customer awareness of clothing in Nigerian private universities Note: Predictors: (constant), Search Engine Optimization, social media, digital influencers.Dependent variable: customer awareness.

Table 3 .
Summary of multiple regression of digital advertising channels and customer purchase desire of clothing in Nigerian private universities