Impact of Social Media and Relationship Marketing on Society

Abstract

Social Media has revolutionized the dissemination of information in the travel and hospitality industry. Social websites, online blogs, and communities have given consumers an upper hand in accessing and choosing their places of visits. This has been made possible by customer review websites such as Trip advisor which informs and assists consumers. The current study seeks to understand the impact of social media and relationship marketing on customer loyalty and sales in the travel and hospitality industry. The study utilized a mixed-method design to collect primary and secondary data. 70 consumer participants across the United Kingdom were randomly chosen to participate in the study. Qualitative data was obtained by interviewing five Tripadvisor managers from Tesco. Additionally, the existing literature, publications, and journals provided further information on the role of social media and relationship marketing in the travel and hospitality industry. Data was analyzed arithmetically through the calculation of percentages and the use of graphs and charts. The findings of the study depict that factors such as age, education, gender, household income and size are the major factors affecting consumer behavior. The findings also depicted that Tripadvisor has strategically been advanced by its presence on Facebook where it offer extensive service to travel and hospitality consumers. However, the study recommends that Tripadvisor should ensure its presence in other major social websites such as Twitter, Tiktok, Instagram, and LinkedIn.