Impact of Short Message Service Marketing on Consumer Purchase Intention in Franchised Fast-Food Chains in Western Province of Sri Lanka

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.