Influences of Social Media on Consumer Decision-Making Processes in the Food and Grocery Industry

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, entrepreneurs in the grocery retail industry face numerous challenges in navigating the complexities of online operations and services. As social media platforms have emerged as powerful communication tools for marketing, promotion, and customer service, a fundamental shift has occurred in the marketing landscape. This transformation has granted businesses unprecedented access to monitor customer behavior and preferences. By leveraging social media communications, sellers work diligently to effectively target their desired audience by strategically positioning and categorizing data. Influences of Social Media on Consumer Decision-Making Processes in the Food and Grocery Industry delves into the transformative power of social media and digital marketing techniques, shedding light on how businesses strategically employ online communication strategies to sway consumers’ purchasing decisions. This comprehensive book explores the tireless efforts of grocery and food entrepreneurs to evaluate the far-reaching effects of social media on the consumer decision-making process. It investigates various web-based social media platforms and tools, delves into the impact of social media and mobile apps, and examines the utilization of cutting-edge Information & Communication Technologies (RFID, QR codes, NFC, cloud, SaaS, mobile devices, robots, and more) within the grocery and food sector. By studying the present landscape, this book not only sheds light on the current state of social media communications but also offers valuable insights into the future trajectory of this dynamic industry. Entrepreneurs, marketers, researchers, and policymakers alike will find this book an indispensable resource for understanding the profound impact of social media on the ever-evolving grocery and food landscape.

Theodore Tarnanidis is a marketing scholar, adjunct professor at the International Hellenic University and researcher in Applications of D.Sc. and MCDA. Theodore has six years experience as a marketing and decision making practitioner. He made his post-doc research in the area of sustainable entrepreneurship from the University of Macedonia. He obtained a Ph.D. from the University of London Met., UK. He received his M.B.A from Liverpool University, UK and is a graduate from the University of Macedonia (Business Administration) and Alexander Technological Educational Institute (Marketing). His research focuses on International Marketing, Multi-cultural Marketing, Marketing Management, Consumer Science by Means of Rank-Coded Data, Preference Measurement Techniques, Quantitative Methods & Structural Equation Modelling. His work has been published in various internationally renowned scientific conferences (Academy of Marketing, European Marketing Academy, PROMETHEE Days, Hellenic Operational Research) and in journals (Journal of Business Ethics, World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development,Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Current Issues in Tourism

Maro Vlachopoulou is a Professor at the Department of Applied Informatics, Dean of the School of Information Sciences, University of Macedonia, Greece. Degree in Business Administration, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (1978). Degree in Law, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece (1989). Postgraduate studies in Marketing, University of Mannheim, Germany (1981), and MBS in Business Administration, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1987). PhD in Marketing Information Systems, University of Macedonia, Department of Applied Informatics, Greece (1992). Visiting research professor at the University of Sunderland, UK (1995). Her professional expertise, research and teaching interests include: Digital Marketing, Marketing Information Systems, E-Business/ e-marketing models, emarketplaces, E-Business plan, new technologies and marketing, mobile Business / marketing, SEO & SEM, social media / networks and marketing, ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems, Supply Chain Management (SCM) Systems, Knowledge management systems, e-supply chain management / logistics, with particular emphasis on specific applications (agrifood, e-trust, e-health, government, tourism, environment). She has published over 100 papers in scientific journals and organized numerous of conferences

Jason Papathanasiou is a Professor at the Department of Business Administration, University of Macedonia, Greece. He holds a PhD in Operational Research and a degree in Physics from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. He has worked for a number of years at various institutes and has organized and participated in many international scientific conferences and workshops. He has publishedpapers in international scientific peer referred journals like the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, Environmental Modelling & Software,Regional Studies, European Journal of Operational Research, PNAS,Fuzzy sets and Systems, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, and has edited or authored a number of books.He has coordinated, reviewed proposalsand participated in many research projects in FP6, FP7, Horizon 2020, Erasmus+, Interreg, AMIF and COST; he was also a member of the TDP Panel of COST. He is a member of the coordination board of the Euro Working Group on Decision Support Systems. His research interests include Decision Support Systems, Operational Research and Multicriteria Decision Making.