Abstract:
The study investigates the influence of various dimensions of SMS marketing
(entertainment, informativeness, irritation, credibility, and relevance) on consumer
purchase intention in the context of franchise-based fast-food chains operating in the
Western Province of Sri Lanka. In spite of increased use of mobile marketing, few
studies have examined its effectiveness in driving consumer purchase intention in
emerging economies. The main objective was to assess the strength and significance
of the impact, each dimension of SMS marketing on consumer purchase intention. A
quantitative survey approach was used, gathering information from 384 consumers
using a structured questionnaire, which was self-administered in chosen franchise based fast-food chains. SPSS was used to analyse responses using descriptive
statistics, correlation analysis, reliability testing, and multiple regression, after data
assumptions for parametric tests were verified. The findings revealed that credibility
(β = 0.497) and informativeness (β = 0.320) have positive and significant effects on
consumer purchasing intention. Irritation (β = 0.113) also showed a weak but
significant positive effect. Entertainment had a significant negative effect (β = -
0.079), while relevance was statistically not significant (β = 0.014). Three out of the
five hypotheses tested were accepted, while two were rejected. The model explained
41.7% of the variance in consumer purchase intention, meaning that other external
factors also affect it. The results highlight the necessity of ensuring message
credibility and informativeness in SMS campaigns and reconsidering excessive usage
of entertainment-based content that undermines message efficacy. The study
contributes to the limited literature on SMS marketing in Sri Lanka and provides
managerial implications for fast-food franchises, offering insights to develop more
effective mobile marketing campaigns to improve strategies for attracting customers.
