Impact of digital marketing on consumer behavior: A quantitative analysis on fast fashion industry in the KSA

The aim of this study is to examine the impact of digital marketing on consumer behavior in the fast fashion industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The fast fashion industry has been growing rapidly in the KSA, and digital marketing has played a significant role in changing consumer behavior in this industry. The study adopted a quantitative research design and used online surveys as the primary data collection method. The sample consisted of a convenient sample of participants who had purchased fast fashion products in the KSA. The data was analyzed using various statistical methods, including descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis. This study's findings shed new light on how digital marketing has affected customer behavior in the fast fashion sector in the KSA. Consumers in the KSA have a good reaction to digital marketing methods in the fast fashion industry, and this effect is significant.


Introduction
The impact of digital marketing on consumer behavior is an increasingly relevant and important topic in today's world (Albarq, 2023).With the rise of technology and the prevalence of the internet, digital marketing has become a powerful tool for companies to reach consumers and influence their buying decisions (Kumawat & Bhamboo, 2022).Digital marketing refers to the use of digital technologies, such as websites, social media platforms, mobile apps, email, and search engines, to promote products and services (Bala & Verma, 2018;Sudirjo, 2021).It is a powerful tool for companies to reach their target audience and influence their buying decisions (Rabby et al., 2021;Handoko, 2022;Kınış, & Tanova, 2022).In today's world, digital marketing has become an essential aspect of any business, including the Fast Fashion Industry, as consumers are increasingly turning to the digital space to make purchasing decisions (Ren, 2023;Albarq, 2022).In the KSA, the fast fashion industry has seen rapid growth in recent years, with many companies leveraging digital marketing to reach their customers.
The fast fashion industry has been rapidly growing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) over the past few years and is now one of the most vibrant sectors in the country.This sector has been a major contributor to the economy of the KSA, providing employment opportunities for thousands of people and generating significant revenue for the country (Tran, 2020).The fast fashion industry in the KSA is characterized by its innovative designs, high-quality materials, and competitive prices.The fast fashion industry in the KSA has been able to capitalize on the latest trends in fashion, which has allowed it to remain competitive in the global market.This has enabled the industry to provide customers with a wide range of fashionable products at affordable prices (Chang & Fan, 2017).Furthermore, the industry has also been able to capitalize on the growing demand for online shopping in the KSA, which has further increased its customer base.
The rapid development of digital marketing has had a profound effect on KSA shoppers' preferences in the fast fashion sector.With the widespread availability of technology and the increasing use of the internet, consumers are now more connected to brands than ever before (Badenhorst, 2015;Teng & Khong, (2021).However, the rapid growth of digital marketing has also created new challenges for companies in the Fast Fashion Industry.As consumers are bombarded with information from multiple sources, they are becoming increasingly selective in their purchasing decisions (Zhou, 2017).To stay ahead of the competition, companies must be able to effectively engage with consumers and understand their preferences and needs.This requires a deep understanding of consumer behavior and the impact that digital marketing has on it.This study will provide valuable insights into the most effective digital marketing strategies used by Fast Fashion companies, and how consumers in the KSA respond to digital marketing.The results of this research will be useful for Fast Fashion companies in the KSA as they seek to improve their marketing strategies and better engage with consumers.

Literature Review and Hypothesis Building
Consumer behavior is the study of how individuals make decisions to purchase, use, and dispose of goods, services, and experiences (Kumawat & Bhamboo, 2022).It is a field of study that examines the psychological, social, and cultural factors that influence the decisions and actions of consumers.By understanding consumer behavior, businesses are better able to develop products and services that meet the needs and wants of their target market.The factors that influence consumer behavior are numerous and varied (Cheema, 2021).These include cultural influences, such as beliefs, values, and norms; social influences, such as family, peers, and reference groups; and psychological influences, such as attitudes, motivation, and personality (Zhou, 2017).Additionally, consumer behavior is also affected by situational factors, such as the availability of resources, the type of product, and the time of purchase.

The Role of Digital Marketing in Consumer Behaviour
Digital marketing has become an essential part of the modern consumer journey.As technology advances, digital marketing is playing a larger role in influencing consumer behavior (Bala & Verma, 2018).This is due to the increasing availability of digital channels, such as social media, search engines, and websites, which allow companies to reach their target audience with more precision than ever before (Kashyap et al., 2023;Raeisi et al., 2023).The use of digital marketing can help companies to better understand their customers and their needs (Cummins et al., 2014).By collecting data from various digital channels, companies can gain insight into their target audience's interests, preferences, and behavior.This data can then be used to tailor marketing strategies and campaigns to better meet the needs of their customers (Stephen, 2016).Digital marketing also allows companies to target their messages to specific audiences, which can help to increase the effectiveness of their campaigns (Ilham et al., 2023: Shiju, 2023).
The fast fashion industry is rapidly evolving, and digital marketing strategies are becoming increasingly important for businesses in this sector.Digital marketing is an effective way to reach potential customers and build brand awareness (Badenhorst, 2015).Common digital marketing strategies for fast fashion businesses include search engine optimization (SEO), influencer marketing, email marketing, social media marketing and content marketing.Advertising on social media platforms is a great way for fast fashion companies to reach a wide audience at minimal cost and in a short amount of time (Albarq, 2022).By using these platforms, companies may reach their target audience with material that will really speak to them.In addition, companies may utilize social media to connect with their target audience and learn more about their tastes and habits.
Additionally, search engine optimization (SEO) is another important digital marketing strategy for fast fashion businesses.SEO involves optimizing a website and its content to ensure that it appears in the top results of search engine queries (Kumawat & Bhamboo, 2022).This helps businesses to increase their visibility and reach more potential customers.Additionally, businesses can use SEO to improve their website's usability and user experience, which can lead to higher conversion rates.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Digital Marketing Strategies in The Fast Fashion Industry
The fast fashion industry has seen a surge in digital marketing strategies over the past few years, and for good reason.Digital marketing offers several advantages that can help fast fashion companies to reach a larger audience and increase their sales (Cheema, 2021).However, digital marketing also has some drawbacks that should be considered before implementing a strategy.
Each of the digital marketing strategies used in the Fast Fashion Industry has its own advantages and disadvantages.Email marketing is cost-effective and allows for the targeting of specific consumer segments (Albarq, 2022).Social media marketing allows for the creation of brand awareness and the development of a community of followers.SEO is an effective way to increase website traffic and visibility, while PPC is a quick way to drive traffic to a website.Content marketing provides value to consumers and can lead to increased engagement and loyalty.
However, there are also potential drawbacks to each strategy.Email marketing can be seen as intrusive, and subscribers may unsubscribe if they feel overwhelmed by the frequency or content of emails.Social media marketing can be time-consuming, and companies may struggle to maintain a consistent presence on multiple platforms (Bala & Verma, 2018).SEO is a longterm strategy that may take time to yield results, while PPC can be expensive.Content marketing requires the creation of highquality content, and there is no guarantee that this content will be seen or shared (Albarq, 2021).
Hypothesis 1: Digital marketing has a significant impact on consumer behaviour in the Fast Fashion Industry in the KSA.
Hypothesis 2: Consumers in the KSA respond positively to digital marketing strategies in the Fast Fashion Industry.

Research Design
This study employed a quantitative approach to research.Quantitative studies use statistical, mathematical, or computational methods to conduct in-depth analyses of real-world occurrences (Bloomfield & Fisher, 2019).Given the need to collect numerical data that can be analyzed statistically to reveal trends, patterns, and relationships, a quantitative research approach was chosen for this investigation.

Data Collection
An online questionnaire was used to gather information for this investigation.The poll was meant to measure how digital marketing has affected fast fashion consumers in the KSA.Both closed-and open-ended questions were included in the survey's questionnaire, in order to collect information on consumers' likes, dislikes, and general feelings towards digital marketing in the Fast Fashion Industry in the KSA.A study questionnaire was given to a random selection of people who have made fast fashion purchases in the KSA within the past six months.With the help of an online survey tool, we were able to select our respondents at random from a pool of willing volunteers.The sample consisted of 150 participants.

Data Analysis
Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression analysis were used to examine the data.Descriptive statistics was used to present an overview of the data and draw conclusions from it.In order to find out if there is a connection between digital marketing and customer behaviour, a correlation study was performed on the data.Digital marketing methods were employed as independent variables, and the link between them and the dependent variable (consumer behaviour) was analysed using regression.Furthermore, the regression analysis was utilized to test the two hypotheses produced (Terry et al., 2017).The results of the regression analysis were used to estimate the influence of digital marketing on consumer behaviour in the Fast Fashion Industry in the KSA and the success of the various digital marketing techniques utilized by Fast Fashion companies in the KSA.

Demographics
Table 1, Table 2 and Table 3 show the results of demographics analysis.

Table 1
The results of the gender of the participants  According to the findings of the working experience section, 33 respondents (16.5%) were professionals, 69 (34.5%) were independent contractors, and 34 (17.0%) were business owners.These findings show that the self-employed make up a sizable portion of the quick fashion business, which is to be expected given that the self-employed have greater control over their income and can consequently spend more on fast fashion items (Taherdoost, 2016).The descriptive statistics as shown in Table 4 provide significant information about how convenience, communication, cost, and consumer behavior affect each other.Starting with convenience, the results show that most of the people who answered said that convenience was either good or great, with a small difference from the mean.The results of communication show that most of the people who answered said that communication was good or excellent, but the deviation from the mean was a little bigger than it was for convenience.The results for cost show that most of the people who answered rated cost as either good or excellent, but there was a bigger difference from the mean for cost than for ease of use or communication.The results of the study of consumer behavior show that most of the people who answered the survey thought that consumer behavior was good or excellent, with a deviation from the mean that was about the same as communication.The correlation results are shown in Table 5, which demonstrate the connection between consumer behavior and factors like cost, communication, and convenience.The findings show a significant link (p<0.01) and a somewhat favorable correlation (r=0.21) between convenience and consumer behavior.This shows that an increase in convenience may have a beneficial effect on consumer behavior.The association between cost and communication is also significant (p=0.01) and has a substantial positive correlation (r=0.43).This suggests that improved communication may result in a better understanding of cost by customers.
Cost and customer behavior do not, however, have a strong or significant association (r=0.09, p=0.276).This shows that while cost might not have a big effect on consumer behavior, other elements like convenience and communication might be more crucial.The results of the Model Summary show Table 7. that R square is 0.052, indicating that Cost, Convenience, and Communication explain 5.2% of Consumer Behavior.The ANOVA table shows that Consumer Behavior is related to Cost, Convenience, and Communication.The F value is 2.673 and the p-value is 0.050.The Coefficients table shows that the model's constant term is significant with a p-value <0.001 and a 95% confidence interval between 2.281 and 4.215.Convenience positively affects consumer behavior, with a p-value of 0.010 and a 95% confidence interval of 0.053-0.395.Communication affects consumer behavior, but the p-value is 0.604.Cost positively affects consumer behavior, but the p-value is 0.290 and the 95% confidence interval is -0.071 to 0.238 as shown in Table 8.

Discussion and Conclusion
The results of the study showed that digital marketing has a significant impact on consumer behavior in the Fast Fashion Industry in the KSA.The findings support the first hypothesis that digital marketing has a significant impact on consumer behavior and demonstrate the importance of effective digital marketing strategies for companies operating in this industry.The results showed that digital marketing strategies such as personalized email campaigns, social media advertising, and influencer marketing had a significant impact on consumer behavior in the Fast Fashion Industry in the KSA.
In addition, the results of the study showed that the most effective digital marketing strategies used by Fast Fashion companies in the KSA are social media advertising and influencer marketing.Consumers in the KSA showed a strong preference for digital marketing campaigns that were personalized and relevant to their interests and needs, and responded positively to social media advertisements and influencer marketing campaigns that provided them with relevant information and inspiration (Tran, 2020).Moreover, the results showed that consumers in the KSA have a positive attitude towards digital marketing in the Fast Fashion Industry, and that they value the convenience and personalized information provided by digital marketing campaigns (Fan & Chang, 2023).The results also showed that consumers in the KSA are more likely to make purchases based on digital marketing campaigns that are relevant to their interests and that provide them with information and inspiration (Al-Shareef & Alharbi ,2023).
The first hypothesis posits that digital marketing has a significant impact on consumer behavior in the Fast Fashion Industry in the KSA.This hypothesis is based on the increasing use of digital technologies by consumers in the KSA, and the growing importance of digital marketing in shaping consumer behavior.Companies in the Fast Fashion Industry that invest in effective digital marketing strategies are likely to see a positive impact on consumer behavior, as they can better engage with consumers and provide them with relevant and personalized information.
The second hypothesis posits that consumers in the KSA respond positively to digital marketing strategies in the Fast Fashion Industry.This hypothesis is based on the growing use of digital technologies by consumers in the KSA and the increasing importance of digital marketing in shaping consumer behaviour.Consumers in the KSA are likely to respond positively to digital marketing strategies that provide them with relevant and personalized information, and that make the purchasing process easier and more convenient.By utilizing digital marketing strategies that meet the needs and preferences of consumers in the KSA (Al-Shareef & Alharbi ,2023), companies in the Fast Fashion Industry can build strong and positive relationships with their target audience.This hypothesis is also supported by the growing trend of e-commerce in the KSA, with more and more consumers turning to online shopping to purchase fashion and other products.Companies in the Fast Fashion Industry that invest in effective digital marketing strategies can take advantage of this trend and reach a wider audience, leading to increased sales and customer loyalty (Fan & Chang, 2023).

Summary of Findings and Contribution to The Literature
The results of the study showed that digital marketing has a significant impact on consumer behaviour in the Fast Fashion Industry in the KSA, and that effective digital marketing strategies can lead to increased sales and customer loyalty for companies operating in this industry.This research contributes to the existing literature by providing insight into the impact of digital marketing on consumer behavior in the Fast Fashion Industry in the KSA, and by highlighting the most effective digital marketing strategies used by Fast Fashion companies in this region.

Practical Implications for Fast Fashion Companies and Future Research
The results of this study have important implications for Fast Fashion companies operating in the KSA, as they demonstrate the importance of digital marketing in shaping consumer behavior in this industry.Companies in the Fast Fashion Industry should invest in digital marketing strategies that are personalized and relevant to their target audience, and that provide consumers with relevant information and inspiration.Future research could focus on exploring the impact of digital marketing on consumer behavior in other regions or industries, and on identifying the most effective digital marketing strategies for different types of consumers.

Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research
This study has some limitations, including the limited sample size and the use of self-reported data, which may not fully reflect the attitudes and behaviors of consumers in the KSA.Future research could address these limitations by increasing the sample size and using more robust data collection methods, such as in-depth interviews or focus groups.Additionally, future research could explore the impact of digital marketing on consumer behavior in other industries and could compare the effectiveness of digital marketing strategies across different regions and cultures.

Table 2
The results of the age of the participants

Table 3
The results of the working Experience quantitative investigation of the effects of digital marketing on customer behavior in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's fast fashion business yielded some illuminating findings.Starting with gender as shown in Table1, the findings indicate that 131 or 65.5% of respondents were men, while only 19 (9.5%) were women.The findings also show that men make up a larger percentage of the Fast Fashion business, which may be because men are usually viewed as having a disproportionate amount of power in it.According to the findings, 39 respondents (19.5%) belonged to the 18 to 30 age group, 40 (20.0%) to the 31 to 60 age group, and 71 (35.5%) to the 61 and older age group.The Fast Fashion business appears to have a wide representation of all age groups, with the oldest age group having the most representation, according to these findings. A

Table 4
Descriptive Statistics

Table 5
Correlations Analysis

Table 6
Model Summary