THE IMPACT OF ONLINE MARKETING OF SELECTED RETAIL STORES ON CONSUMER'S BEHAVIOUR OF THE YOUNG GENERATION.

The current sale of goods and services is distinctly different from the past and it is largely influenced by the use of online marketing as a powerful tool for building a competitive advantage. The difference is that consumers are more sophisticated, and they are better oriented on the Internet where they search for product information and references from other consumers. The overall product sales cycle is prolonged significantly. Traditional sales techniques have no longer such an impact on the consumer as they did in the past. Sales companies in Slovakia have started using social networks because more than 50% of Slovaks use the Internet every day. Social networks, especially Facebook, are a significant phenomenon that affects the whole society. In Slovakia, social networks are used by seven out of ten adults at least once a month and daily usage is on 45% level. This fact is also acknowledged by retailing, which communicates with its potential clients through social networks. According to statistics, young people are the most frequent users, although up to 36% of seniors declare that they use social networks at least once a month. Therefore, it is necessary for retailing to use this form of marketing to influence consumers' behavior. Based on the primary results, we can claim that social networking sites are being liked more by women than men. This can also be due to the fact that in most cases women are the ones who make purchases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]