Identifying the Dimensions and Components of Consumer Arousal in Digital Marketing and the Mediating Role of Sales Promotion Strategies Using a Mixed Method (Case Study of Digikala and Instagram Sales Customers)

Abstract

Digital marketing through social media and mobile platforms has transformed the daily lives of millions of people, and the expansion of common communication methods on social media has often led to the formation of customer relationships. The aim of this study is to identify and examine the dimensions and components of consumer arousal in digital marketing using a mixed method (quantitative-qualitative). In the qualitative phase, grounded theory methodology was used, and the necessary data were obtained through in-depth and semi-structured interviews with 9 academic and industrial marketing experts, as well as secondary data. The results of the data analysis, following the three stages of open, axial, and selective coding, were analyzed using Maxqda software, ultimately presenting 98 codes, 20 concepts, and 9 components within a paradigmatic model. In the quantitative section, the research method was descriptive-survey, and the data collection tool was a questionnaire. The statistical population of this section consisted of active users in virtual spaces (Instagram and online sales websites), with a sample size of 384 individuals selected according to Cochran’s formula for an unlimited population. The research results indicate that hedonic and functional benefits were identified as causal and influential conditions in creating the core phenomenon of arousal. Through promotion strategies, they lead to outcomes such as purchase intention, purchase action, loyalty, and word-of-mouth advertising. Additionally, the shift toward the virtual world and internet infrastructure was identified as contextual conditions, and demographic factors were recognized as intervening variables. The results demonstrate that the derived model has a good fit.