The impact of digital content marketing in shaping consumer decision-making for tech gadget purchase

Digital content marketing is vital in shaping consumer behavior, particularly within the tech gadget industry. This study investigates how content marketing strategies, content preferences, social media usage and consumer engagement influence purchasing decisions. Data was collected using the mall intercept method from 215 respondents at Al Seeb City Center Mall in Muscat, Oman. The findings reveal that consumers prefer engaging and accurate content, which builds trust in products. Reviews are more influential than blogs and emails, as the latter often contain sponsored content. Many consumers still value first-hand in-store experiences, especially for significant, infrequent purchases like tech gadgets. YouTube and Instagram exhibit higher consumer engagement on social media than Twitter and Facebook. The methodology includes an estimated equation where decision-making (DSM) is modeled as a function of content marketing strategies (CMS), consumer engagement with content (CEC), content preference (CP), and social media (SM). Regression analysis indicates that content marketing strategies are less significant than content engagement and quality, which build trust and drive consumers toward purchasing decisions. These findings underscore the importance of strategic content marketing and emphasize the need for marketers to focus on creating trustworthy and engaging content to influence consumer decisions in the tech gadget market effectively.