Factors influencing consumers’ attitudes towards remarketing, retargeting and online purchase intentions

Abstract

The growth of digital marketing has significantly altered how consumers interact with brands online, with remarketing and retargeting emerging as critical strategies for engaging consumers. These marketing techniques leverage consumer data to display personalised advertisements, designed to influence purchase decisions. While remarketing and retargeting have gained prominence internationally, their impact within the South African market remains less explored. This study aimed to fill this gap by proposing and empirically testing a framework that examines the factors that influence South African consumers' attitudes towards remarketing and retargeting and their subsequent online purchase intentions. The main objective of this study was to assess the influence of various factors, such as consumer awareness, conversion conditions, privacy concerns, informativeness, intrusiveness and ecommerce business elements (e.g., web design, online reviews, e-trust and e-reputation) on South African consumers' attitudes and online purchase behaviours. Data for this study were collected from a non-probability purposive sample of 450 South African consumers aged 19 to 58, who had prior online shopping experience and were active on social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and LinkedIn. The data were collected using a structured online questionnaire and analysed through various statistical techniques, including structural equation modelling (SEM), to validate the hypothesised relationships. The study's conceptual model showed that several factors had significant positive effects on consumer attitudes and purchase intentions. Specifically, it was found that the informativeness of remarketing and retargeting strategies positively influenced consumer attitudes, while perceived risks such as privacy concerns and intrusiveness negatively affected these attitudes. Additionally, conversion conditions and e-commerce business factors like web design and online reviews played an important role in shaping consumer attitudes and online purchase behaviours. Further analysis revealed that South African consumers who perceived remarketing and retargeting advertisements as informative were more likely to develop positive attitudes towards these strategies and ultimately be influenced to make online purchases. However, privacy concerns and the frequency of advertisements created barriers, reducing the effectiveness of remarketing efforts. The study also demonstrated the importance of trust and the user experience in the online shopping environment. Consumers were more likely to respond favourably to brands that maintained transparent data practices and user-friendly websites. This study makes several important contributions to the understanding of digital marketing in South Africa. It provides new insights into how South African consumers perceive remarketing and retargeting strategies, highlighting key factors that influence their attitudes and purchase intentions. The study's findings suggest that businesses can improve consumer engagement by focusing on delivering informative, personalised advertisements while minimising privacy concerns and enhancing website design. From a theoretical perspective, this study expands the literature on remarketing and retargeting in emerging markets by developing and empirically testing a comprehensive framework. This model serves as a useful tool for online businesses seeking to understand how different factors, such as consumer awareness and perceived risks, impact online purchase intentions. The results also highlight the importance of building trust and improving user experience, both of which are critical for influencing consumers' attitudes and driving online sales. Future research should address sample diversity limitations, investigate the disconnect between awareness and purchase intentions, explore privacy concerns in greater detail and further examine the roles of informativeness and website design in shaping long-term consumer behaviour. These efforts can deepen our understanding of effective remarketing and retargeting strategies and inform data-driven approaches for improving consumer engagement in the evolving digital landscape.