Digital marketing practices and consumer buying behavior in Myanmar convenience retail evidence from grab and go stores in Yangon

Abstract

Digital channels increasingly shape retail communication, but evidence from Myanmar convenience retail remains limited. This study examines the relationships between social media marketing, online advertising, mobile marketing, content marketing, and consumer buying behavior at Grab and Go stores in Yangon. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with 385 customers who had purchased from Grab and Go during the previous six months. Data from a 35-item, five-point Likert-scale questionnaire were analyzed in SPSS version 26 using descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression. Scale reliability ranged from .778 to .825. All four digital marketing dimensions were positively associated with consumer buying behavior (r = .494-.615, p < .001). The regression model was significant, F(4, 380) = 185.91, p < .001, and explained 66.2% of the variance (adjusted R2 = .658). Social media marketing had the largest standardized coefficient (beta = .334), followed by content marketing (beta = .320), online advertising (beta = .281), and mobile marketing (beta = .207). Customers who evaluated Grab and Go's digital marketing more positively also reported stronger buying behavior. The findings offer channel-level evidence from an under-researched retail setting, although the cross-sectional and self-reported design does not support causal conclusions.