FROM AWARENESS TO ACTION: THE IMPACT OF SERVICE AWARENESS, CONVENIENCE, FEEDBACK AND USER ENGAGEMENT, AND FIRM SOCIAL COMMUNICATION ON SERVICE USAGE INTENTION IN CHINA’S INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION SERVICE MARKET
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v23.n2.4399Keywords:
Digital Marketing, Service Awareness and Information, Firm Social Media Communication, Service Usage, Education Market, International Students, Educational ServicesAbstract
The international education services industry has increasingly been shaped by globalization and digital transformation, requiring providers to adopt innovative marketing strategies to stay competitive. This study explores the impact of key digital marketing communication factors, Service Awareness, Convenience and Accessibility, Feedback and User Engagement, and Firm-Created social media on Service Usage Intention in China’s international education market. A quantitative research approach was employed, with data collected from 304 respondents via a structured questionnaire. Purposive sampling was used to target individuals familiar with international education services, particularly with a single educational company, XYC. The data were analyzed using regression techniques to assess the relationships between the variables. The findings reveal that CAA and FCSM are significant positive predictors of SUI, with FCSM exhibiting the most substantial effect (β = 0.282, p < 0.001). FUE also positively influences SUI, though the effect is weaker (β = 0.125, p < 0.017). However, SA demonstrated only a modest indirect influence on SUI, suggesting that while awareness is important, engagement and accessibility play more critical roles in driving usage intentions. These results underline the importance of improving convenience, accessibility, and engagement strategies to enhance service usage intentions among potential customers. For practitioners, this study highlights the need for enhanced service accessibility, better social media engagement, and interactive feedback mechanisms to strengthen customer intention and improve service adoption. It contributes to the growing body of research on digital marketing in the education sector, particularly focusing on customer engagement and its role in influencing service usage.
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