We need it: How Digital Marketing Tactics Influence the Purchasing Behaviour of Nigerian Millenials

Businesses have come to the realization that customers of today


I. Introduction
In recent decades, numerous changes have surfaced in the modern business world and one major factor that has influenced the way businesses operate today is technology. The increasing pervasiveness of technological advancements has impacted how businesses gather market information, how goods and services are produced and delivered, and how firms interact with their audiences. In the sphere of marketing, the advent of the World Wide Web and the availability of broadband internet connection have changed the dynamics of businesses. Hence, the way marketers interact with past and potential clients, and the tools and processes needed to achieve their marketing objectives have also changed (Marcus, Oyenuga and Ahungwa 2020).
Consumers have also grown consistently demanding over the years (Ekeruke, 2019). Today's consumer is constantly empowered with an increasing number of tools to provide a seamless purchasing experience in the online business world. The availability of digital media that can influence product perception is becoming almost as important as the nature and quality of the product itself (Jenyo & Soyoye, 2015). There is increasing evidence that businesses have gradually harnessed this shift, from the increasing use of content marketing strategies by both local and global brands to influence customer perception and attitude (Oyenuga, Andah, Orji,and Agabi, 2019), to the creation of fully functional online stores that completely eliminate the need for physical contact.

Abstract
Businesses have come to the realization that customers of today especially the millenials are actively engaged over the internet and to give them place utility, they need to engage them digitally. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of selected digital marketing tactics and their influence on the purchasing behavior of Nigerian Millenials. Research was conducted using cross-sectional survey design with data collected using close ended questionnaires designed with 5-point Likert scale questions. The study's population comprised active internet subscribers in FCT within the millennial age group, and a sample size of 400 was arrived at using Taro Yamani's formula. Linear regression analysis was used to test all three hypotheses, and results showed that all two selected digital marketing tactics (social media marketing and search engine optimization) have positive influence on purchasing behavior of Nigerian Millenials. Thus, it was concluded that increased use of digital marketing tactics would positively affect the purchasing behavior of Nigerian Millenials. risks and customer trust, purchase intention, and digital marketing. Unprecedented changes in consumer preferences spurred by technology have been accompanied by studies seeking to understand how marketing efforts through online channels have influenced consumer attitudes and behaviour (Ramsunder, 2011;Ugonna, Okolo, Nebo, & Ojieze, 2017;Ekeruke, 2019;Sharma & Thakur, 2020;Nazarov, 2020).
Marketers have come to rely on their ability to reach customers using the internet and mobile devices, ushering in the era of digital marketing as a supplementary activity to traditional marketing. In addition, the focus on the Millenial age group is due to their profuse of use of digital media (Smith, 2012;Mahajan, 2020), given that they were born into the era when the internet and modern day mobile devices were first innovated. Millenials have revolutionized the business world and how marketers develop and maintain key relationships with prospects and existing clients. The modern day business owner cannot woo a millennial customer with a seamless execution of the marketing mix alone.
In various industries of the Nigerian economy, market leaders such as Guaranty Trust Bank, MTN Nigeria and Jumia Nigeria have consistently capitalized on what many businesses have come to embrace even more post-lockdown, which is a digital marketing strategy (Mwantok, 2020). There is no question as to whether digital marketing has helped firms achieve some of its marketing goals such as awareness and increased brand trust. However, many businesses are yet to understand the effect of the digital marketing tactics as it relates to the buying behavior of the Nigerian Millenial, and existing literature regarding the effect of digital marketing on Nigerian Millenials is relatively scanty.
The Nigerian population is currently reported as one of the youngest populations in the world, with the above groups consisting of 55.6 percent of the population (Varrella, 2021). However, the versatility of business owners in Nigeria to adopt digitally driven tactics to target this growing age group has been slow and stifling (Ekeruke, 2019). There is a huge opportunity for businesses to take advantage of, with the current amount of online shoppers in Nigeria estimated to be over 76 million as at 2019 (Varrella, 2021). Despite this, many Nigerian businesses, especially Small and Medium Enterprises, have failed to successfully key into the opportunities presented by having a comprehensive and effective digital marketing strategy, mostly because of lack of access to all the necessary information and communications infrastructure or an inability to grasp the entire process of digital marketing and its unique benefits to a business (Ighomereho & Iriobe, 2019).
This problem also stems from lack of proper affordable training on digital marketing tools and strategies, limiting most business owners to just a fraction of the digital marketing process, such as social media marketing. Modern day digital marketing is known to equip businesses with tools way beyond the prowess of just social media marketing (Bala & Verma, 2018), and this study seeks to expand existing literature and find out the effect of digital marketing strategies on consumer behavior among Millenials. It also seeks to expose the contemporary strategies and tactics that thriving businesses in today's world rely on to remain relevant and meet customer needs which led to the formulation of these hypothesis: H01: Social media marketing has no significant effect on the purchasing behavior of Nigerian Millenials. H02: Search Engine Optimization has no significant influence on the purchasing behavior of Nigerian Millenials

Theory of Planned Behavior
The theory of planned behavior identifies three core components of behavior, which are attitudes, perceived behavioural control and subjective norms which, when combined, shapes an individual's behavioural intention. It was postulated as a psychological theory with the aim of establishing a link between an individual's belief and their behavior (Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975;Ramus & Nielsen, 2005). In summary, it postulates that behavioural intention is the most important determinant of human social behavior.
Behavioural intention is determined by three major factors: subjective norms, attitudes, and perceived behavioural control (Ramus & Nielsen, 2005). Subjective norms are individual perception about a particular behavior, which is influenced by the opinion of significant others, such as friends or family. Perceived behavioural control is the ease or difficulty through which an individual perceives that they can perform a particular task. This is closely related to the concept of self-efficacy. Attitudes arise when an individual evaluates a certain behavior of interest. It can thus be viewed as the extent to which the person has a favorable or unfavorable evaluation of the behavior of interest.
The existence of motivational factors to influence one's behavior is what leads to behavioral intention (Ramus et al., 2005). Thus, the weaker the intention to perform the behavior, the less likely the behavior will be performed, and vice versa. Subjective norms are the beliefs that an individual holds regarding whether they think individuals around them approve or disapprove of a particular behavior, and if said persons think he or she should engage in such behavior. Commonly associated with subjective norms, social norms, on the other hand, refers to the generally accepted codes of behavior in a group even a larger social or cultural context (Ajzen, 1991).
The inclusion of perceived behavioral control as another determining factor from the previous "Theory of Reasoned Action" was mainly because behavioral intention alone was not successfully proven to lead to actual behavior always (Norberg, Horne & Horne, 2007). Perceived behavioral control is the degree to which a person believes that he or she can perform a given behavior. It is the ease or difficulty which a person associates with the performance of a given task. It generally varies across situations and actions, leading people to develop varying perceptions of behavioral control depending on the situation. Such ease or difficulty associated with one's perception of their ability could also be linked to environmental circumstances and the behavior involved (Ajzen, 1991). A person's positive belief that they can successfully perform an action increases the chances of actual execution.
The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) has been widely evaluated with a focus on purchase intention as well as actual purchase through online channels (Tyopine, 2019). The intention to purchase a product is determined by the individuals attitude towards the purchase itself and the process involved, perceived beliefs about the reaction of ones' social surroundings, and ones perceived ability to go through with the purchase. The individual's perception can be perceived either positively or negatively, as it result in either perceived risk and/or perceived enjoyment for the consumer.

Digital Marketing Tactics
Digital marketing is defined by use of various digital tactics and channels to connect with customers online and ultimately for the purpose of fulfilling the marketing objective (Desai, 2019). Digital marketing tactics are aimed at the promotion of a product or service through online channels to influence specific marketing goals in an organization as part of a given strategic blueprint (Reddy, 2017). The use of various digital marketing tactics is highly reliant on the online channel to be used (Nduji, Orji , Oyenuga and Oriaku 2023), which are broadly categorized into websites, social media and email. Regardless of the channel, digital marketers focus on driving brand awareness and lead generation, observing certain Key Performances Indices to ensure that such tactics applied across various channels improve marketing performance (Desai, 2019).
In marketing literature, a well devised marketing plan cannot be achieved without the use of certain tactics Tanner & Raymond, 2015). Tactics serve to complement the strategy by outlining specific line of actions that will be implemented, within the framework of the existing strategy, to achieve set goals. Digital marketing tactics are the specific activities used in executed a laid-out marketing strategy (Cvitonovic 2021). The selection of specific digital marketing tactics stem from the definition of the firm's marketing objectives and the strategy it will use to improve performance in the online environment (Belch & Belch, 2015). This usually involves the message that the company will communicate to its audience, the best keyword to be used, when such communication should be implemented, specific customer groups to be targeted, the necessary channels or platforms, the nature/form of the message content.
Digital marketing strategies are usually designed based on the existing strategy of an organization. Afterwards, marketing tactics are selected. Firms may engage in various forms of performance measurement multi-layer analysis to reach decisions based on data and not just assumptions (Cvitonovic, 2021). It has therefore become necessary for organizations to frame their digital marketing tactics based on the marketing funnel, which are the various stages that the buyer goes through before making a purchase decision.
The shift of in the implementation of marketing tactics from traditional to digital channels has improved companies' brand development, promotion and management (Badenhorst, 2015). As such, businesses now take advantage of digital channels including social media, search engines, email channels, and their websites to reach prospects and customers. These channels are also deemed as cost effective, helping brands gather more relevant data to measure the performance of such tactics employed, and using analytics tools for the purpose of aiding decision making (KPMG, 2017). Marketing via mobile and online channels has also helped brands create personalized messages by a thorough analysis of buyer personas, and the use of targeting and retargeting strategies to better anticipate customer needs and develop more suitable responses responses (Istvanic, Milic & Krpic, 2017).

Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing has been defined as the detailed assessment of customers' motivations for brand-related social media use so as to create an integrated pattern of activities for an organization to undertake deliberate engagement initiatives, and transform social media networks and interactions into valuable strategic means to achieve desirable marketing outcomes (Li, Larimo & Leonidou, 2021). It provides companies with a way to reach new customers, engage with existing customers and promote its desired culture, mission or tone (Ekerueke, 2019).
Social media marketing has revolutionized the nature of interactions between firms and their customers. Online, these social interactions now involve specific actions either through passive observations or active communication, which in turn influences others' choices and consumption behaviors (Li et al, 2021). This influence is termed the "word-ofmouth effect", as individuals seem more likely to mimic a behavior if it comes from a credible or familiar source. Frequent social interactions around brands have also been proven to increase social brand equity, hence a more positive perception of a brand among its customers and prospects (Muller & Peres, 2019).
Businesses have become better at managing customer relationships due to the proliferation of social media data, and firms are better able to interact with customers beyond geographic boundaries and build closer connections (Gnizy 2019). It has been known to empowers consumers to be more involved in the marketing process of brands, by being able to share and comment on content and also become creators of content themselves, hence improving overall engagement (Hamilton, Kaltcheva, & Rohm, 2016). Online engagement plays a significant role in building advocates of a brand, whereby they purchase the brand or refer the brand to peers on social media (Muller et al, 2019). Some common measures of engagement metrics on social media include likes, retweets, follows, shares, comments, and content views (Ekerueke, 2019).

Search Engine Optimization
The rise of technology has necessitated businesses occupying a virtual space, sometimes even seen as more important than possessing a brick and mortar store due to improved visibility. Websites are often seen as the primary basis for online visibility (Velayudham & Rose, 2019), while social media platforms are used to drive traffic to such websites as they create the initial social buzz. With the vast nature of online content, it has become difficult for brands to gain easy visibility on any media platform. Given that many individuals globally seek to gain information and knowledge via search engines, these have become the primary means of such businesses to gain visibility, which led to the emergence of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
SEO is a combination of converted efforts carried out to improve the visibility and ranking of a website or social media profile in the query results of a search engine (Velayudham et al, 2019). It also refers to the various practices that businesses engage in to improve the ranking of their website or a webpage in the results of a search query. Search queries are initiated using search engines, where a user seeks to gather information about a topic, product, etc. and thus searches a keyword or phrase to get results in the form of webpages that provide information. The most popular search engine today, Google, processes an estimated 63,000 search queries per second, translating to 5.6 billion searches per day (Prater, 2021).
SEO practices have also revolutionized the previous dynamics of the business world (Bhandari & Bansal, 2018). In the past, only companies that could afford huge advertising budgets could appear in front of prospects through television ads, newspapers, banners, etc. (Velayudham et al, 2019). In the modern day, however, even the least popular businesses can become widely known and visible by executing an effective SEO strategy at a relatively affordable price. The major requirements are now high quality and relevant content, a well-designed and attractive website/webpage, and a match of the website's content with the user's search query (Velayudham et al, 2019). This means that unknown brands can appear ahead of well-known ones. SEO is also known to induce online shopping (Ekerueke, 2019). Consumers find a product of interest by visiting a website that they consider to be closest to their online search, usually a website that appears on the first page of the search results. In most cases, such result would contain information about the product, availability and pricing, helping the consumer to make a decision faster.

Consumer Purchasing Behavior
Consumer purchasing behavior (also known as consumer buying behaviour) refers to the various actions taken and attitudes exhibited by a consumer before, during, and after the purchase of a product (Oyenuga, Ahungwa, Onoja 2021). Among Millenials, Buying decisions today are not just carried out to satisfy needs, but also as a form of participation in digital era. The old consumer behaviour no longer fits into the current digital era. The adaptation of technology into the purchase process has numerous identifiable benefits, which include increased innovation of the purchase process, quicker assessment of alternatives, faster learning, and reduced costs associated with transactions (Badenhorst, 2015).
Consumers are now developing more preference for interactive visual experiences such as moving images and clickable videos, which makes it easier for them to learn more about the product (Meeya & Gayathiri, 2015). Consumers also use social media to gather information about potential purchases and introduce them to new products. Increased time spent online and exposure to brand content could lead to increased familiarity with a product, ultimately leading to a change of mindset (Fehrer, Woratschek, Germelmann & Brodie, 2018). Such increased exposure could possibly lead to an increased likelihood to purchase the product. Provided that Word of Mouth advertisements have an even more significant influence on product perception than traditional advertisements (Muller et al, 2019), it could be that by such social interactions with peers online, individuals are better convinced to purchase a product.

Stages of Consumer Purchase Decision
The consumer purchasing process comprises five key stages ) thus:

a. Problem Recognition
The recognition of a problem stems from a perceived difference between the current state and the ideal state of the consumer (Jaconi, 2014). The use certain digital marketing tactics to accelerate the identification of a problem has become widespread in many proactive businesses today. The goal is to help prospects feel the need for a more idea state which can only be achieved by purchasing a given product.

b. Information Search
A consumer information search process could either be external or internal. Internal information search occurs when individuals search their memory to recall details about a product they may have encountered in the past via advertisements, word of mouth or any other sources.

c. Evaluation of Alternatives
The third step involves comparing various available options based on predetermined criteria of the individual. The formation of such criteria and judgment is highly predicated on psychological factors such as beliefs and attitudes which are acquired through learning and experiences . Asides from psychological factors, intended functional benefits are also evaluated. Marketers must understand what benefits and product criteria customers are actively seeking for, what attributes are most influential to their decision making process, and deploy strategies accordingly. Marketing communications and strategies used must reflect key buyer needs and product benefits.

d. Purchase Decision
At this stage, the consumer develops the intention to buy the most preferred product or brand. The consumer must decide from whom to buy, when and where. The purchase decision is also influenced by perceived risk, whereby the purchase can be postponed, modified, or even avoided. Perceived risk attributes are made up of product uncertainty, the value of money involved in the exchange or purchase, and the degree of consumer confidence . Consumers are more likely to develop confidence in the purchase of a product when a good review is gotten from peers (Kavya & Nagabhushanam, 2018).

e. Post Purchase Behaviour
This is the level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction the customer experiences after purchasing the product. Satisfied customers are more likely to promote the product or purchase experience via word of mouth, while dissatisfied may place direct complaints to the organization or share such experiences with others. A dissatisfied customer typically shares their experience with about ten other people . Millenials today are known to share their experiences with past purchase with very little prompts.

Purchasing behavior of Millenials
The specific focus on the Millennial age group is prompted by the knowledge that demographic factors play a key role in purchase decision, as buyer needs, wants, desires and usage rates usually change with demograhic variables (Lahiji, 2016). Specifically, consumer motivation is highly influences by differences in age (Dadras 2015). Consumer preferences and choices tend to change based on their age, and a change in age also leads to changes in said needs, choices and preferences (Barat, 2010;Bryunina & KhodadadSafaei, 2011). As Ellisavet, Lazaros and Dimitrios (2011) stated, consumer purchases are formed throughout their life cycle stages because they mature and change over time. Various age groups also possess different levels of motivation , helping marketers develop their strategies to motive consumer purchase based on different age groups.
Weyland (2011) iterated the technology-centered nature of Millenials, and its strong influence on how they communicate. The increased speed of communication means that this generation is able to process the information at a faster pace, resulting in a tendency to get bored easily. This has also affected their perception of brands in the online space (Moore, 2013). Millenials are especially attracted to companies with strong values, social ethics, and a distinguished brand image. They also prefer to be associated with distinctive brands that serve as a form of self-expression (Valentine & Powers, 2013). The general dislike for any perceived form of direct advertising has made this generation more reliant on the opinions peers, colleagues and family members through electronic word of mouth (eWoM) marketing when making a purchase.

Design and Source of Data
This study adopted the quantitative research design which is suitable for survey research. The data for this study was collected from a primary source through the administration of closed ended questionnaires. The questionnaire was designed by the researcher, and questions for measuring variables were adapted from the study of Iftikhar and Khan (2017) and Laksamana (2018).

Population
The population of this study includes active internet subscribers in the Federal Capital Terrirory (FCT), Nigeria, consisting of 6,915,386 users in January 2022(National Bureau of Statistics, 2022).

Sample Size and Technique
Using Taro Yamane's formula for sample size determination (Yamane, 1967), the sample size for this study is calculated below: n = Where: n = required sample size N = Population size e = Margin of error at 5% (standard value of 0.05). n = n = 399.9999 n = 400 Specific respondents were selected from the population using purposive sampling technique.

Model Specification
Based on the stated hypotheses, the following linear regression model is formulated and estimated for this study. Y = a + β1X1 + β2X2 … + e Y = purchasing behaviour a = intercept (value of Y when Xj is zero) Bj = regression weight attached to the variable j (j = 1,2,3) X1 = social media marketing X2 = search engine optimization Source: Fieldwork, 2022

IV. Results and Discussion
The total number of questionnaires properly filled and submitted was 321 (93%) and 14 (7%) were not properly filled as the researcher allowed the respondents the liberty to select responses that best explains their opinion. The current response rate is above 70% which is high and sufficient for analysis (Bernard, 2000;Uma and Bougie, 2010). Thus, given that this instrument has a return rate of 93%, and is a reliable percentage and all further analysis will be done using the 300 (93%) respondents.

Reliability
Cronbach Alpha reliability test was conducted to determine the extent of the reliability of the instrument. The value of .707 shows that the value is reliable.

Regression Result a. Hypothesis 1 H01:
Social media marketing has no significant influence on the purchasing behavior of Nigerian Millenials  The above results show the linear regression result for hypothesis one. The model is fit given the significant F-statistics shows that (294.562, p<0.05) and p-value is less than 0.05. Hence, the null hypothesis is rejected. The R= .704, R 2 = .496, adjusted R 2 =.495, SD = 4.546. The relationship coefficient between the predictor and the criterion variable was .704. This means social media marketing has shared positive effect on consumer purchasing behavior of Millenials with an R coefficient of .704. The adjusted R 2 of .495 indicates that social media contributed 49.6% to the changes observed in the consumer purchasing behavior of Millenials.
The significant F-test shows that the relationship (294.562, p<0.05) indicates the overall prediction of independent variable to the dependent variable is statistically significant, therefore, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that social media marketing has significant effect on consumer purchasing behavior of Nigerian Millenials. Hence, H0 is rejected.
b. Hypothesis 2 H02 : Search engine optimization has no significant influence on the purchasing behavior of Nigerian Millenials  The linear regression result for hypothesis two are shown above. The model is fit given the significant F-statistics shows that (176.413, p<0.05) and p-value is less than 0.05. Hence, the null hypothesis is rejected. The R= .609, R 2 = .370, adjusted R 2 =.368, SD = 5.082. The relationship coefficient between the predictor and the criterion variable was .609. This means search engine optimization has shared positive effect on consumer purchasing behavior of Millenials with an R coefficient of .609. The adjusted R 2 of .368 indicates that search engine optimization contributed 36.8% to the changes observed in the consumer purchasing behavior of Millenials.
The significant F-test shows that the relationship (176.413, p<0.05) indicates the overall prediction of independent variable to the dependent variable is statistically significant, therefore, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that search engine optimization has significant effect on consumer purchasing behavior of Nigerian Millenials. Hence, H1 is accepted.

V. Conclusion
The rationale for conducting this study was based on evidence that a significant number of Nigerian businesses are not fully aware of the role of digital marketing in influencing consumer behaviour, especially among the Millennial age group. This study, from literature, revealed that despite the many factors influencing consumer purchasing behaviour, the influence of digital marketing is still evident. The researcher, based on the identified gap, proceeded to design the objective, questions and research hypothesis to address the effect of digital marketing tactics on consumer purchasing behaviour of Nigerian Millenials.
The results from testing of hypothesis one show that social media marketing has significant effect on consumer purchasing behaviour. Hence, the use of social media channels to induce purchase intention and actions from Nigerian Millenials is effective to an extent. Results from testing hypothesis two show that search engine optimization have significant effect on consumer purchasing behaviour. Although its degree of influence is not as strong as social media, given its cost-effective nature, it has proven itself to be a viable tool given its influence on Millenial purchasing behavior in this study.

Recommendations
Based on the findings, it is recommended that businesses should further integrate digital marketing tactics into their respective marketing functions. With a focus on social media marketing, it is important to pay attention to social ques among Millenials (what triggers certain behaviours based on an individual environment). This provides companies with an avenue to better reach and engage with customers, and promote its desired culture, mission or tone in a way that leads to expected purchase behavior.
Brands should also ensure the formation of strong social ties, as this usually leads to referral or word of mouth advertising, a key driver of incremental sales revenue with lover advertising spend. Social engagement and online interaction with potential customers have also been proven to increase the changes of visibility to the customer during the phase of information search, in the overall consumer purchasing process. Given that search engine optimization has a moderate effect on purchasing behavior, modern businesses must understand the important of occupying a virtual space to increase online visibility, as Millenials now pay more attention to this criteria as a yardstick for potential purchase.