Challenges of Selected Proprietors of Thrift Stores in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija in Using Social Media Marketing

Abstract

For business owners, having more knowledge about what challenges they will encounter and how they will solve the problem without losing money are the most crucial things for them. It requires more than coming up with a brilliant idea and working hard to solve the challenges they encounter. In this study, the researchers explored the challenges of thrift store owners and how they overcame them. The phenomenological qualitative method was employed in the study to help the researchers gather and understand the experiences of thrift store owners in using social media marketing. The researchers used interview questions and an audio recorder to gather the data needed. A total of 8 owners in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, were the respondents of this study. This study has shown that challenges can't be avoided in using Facebook to sell products. There are circumstances in which the owners experienced getting restricted by Facebook, and they encountered some unfavorable consumer behavior which led them to find ways to overcome these challenges. Creating another account when they get restricted helps them to be still able to promote and sell their products as well as to reply to customers’ messages and comments.

Additionally, the owners did a repricing strategy, wherein they lowered their prices when they encountered unfavorable consumer behavior, which helped them to sell their products without losing money effectively. Despite the challenges encountered by the thrift owners, it is clear that their way of overcoming these has been effective to them. The findings of this study revealed that many thrift store owners who participated in this study experienced challenges such as getting restricted by Facebook as they use it for their business and encountering some unfavorable consumer behavior. However, they overcome these by creating another account to be still able to promote and sell products and reply to customers' messages or comments. They also do a repricing strategy for the customers' demands without losing money.