PERCEIVED INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISEMENT OF TEMU PRODUCTS ON BUYING DECISION OF KWASU STUDENTS

ABSTRACT In today’s digital era, social media has become a dominant channel for marketing, yet little is known about how such advertising influences the purchasing behaviour of Nigerian university students, particularly for emerging e-commerce platforms like TEMU. Despite TEMU’s aggressive social media campaigns targeting students, there is limited empirical evidence on the extent to which exposure, content quality, and perceived credibility of advertisements affect students’ buying decisions and consumption habits. This study seeks to address this knowledge gap by examining the perceived influence of TEMU’s social media advertisements on students at Kwara State University (KWASU), focusing on the platforms of exposure, consumption patterns, and advertising impact. A descriptive survey research design was employed, targeting full-time undergraduate students who actively use social media. A total of 381 respondents were sampled using stratified random sampling. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, and mean scores. The findings revealed that Instagram (38.1%) and TikTok (28.9%) were the primary platforms through which students encountered TEMU advertisements. Regarding consumption, nearly half (49.1%) of students occasionally purchased TEMU products, while 24.1% purchased frequently, highlighting moderate market penetration. In terms of influence, 44.4% of respondents reported being moderately influenced by TEMU ads, while 28.3% were strongly influenced, indicating that the advertisements effectively stimulate purchase intentions. The study concludes that TEMU’s social media strategy is largely effective in capturing student attention and influencing buying behaviour, particularly through visually dynamic and youth-oriented platforms. However, there remains potential to enhance persuasive impact through deeper engagement strategies, including influencer partnerships, interactive campaigns, and content optimisation.