Journal of Namibian Studies, 34 S1(2023): 1360–1370 ISSN: 2197-5523 (online) 1360 Influence Of Social Media Usage On The Purchase Decision Process: A Study On Indian Consumers Ms. Sweta Singh 1 *, Dr. Deepika Pandoi 2 Abstract: Social media has revoluonized communicaon and informaon sharing, offering marketers a new avenue to reach customers. In developing countries like India, the rapid growth of social media and social networking sites presents unique opportunies for businesses. However, measuring the real return on investment in social media markeng remains a challenge. This paper aims to assess the impact of social media usage on the purchase decision process. The study examines the usage paerns of social media and their influence on the five stages of the purchase process. The findings reveal that social media is predominantly used as an informaon source due to its perceived convenience, effecveness, and credibility. Addionally, social media reviews and opinions significantly influence the purchase decision process. However, the tendency to share post-purchase experiences on social media is surprisingly low. This research contributes to a beer understanding of the role of social media in shaping consumer behavior and provides insights for marketers seeking to leverage this powerful plaorm effecvely. Keywords: Social media, Social networking, Purchase decision, Communicaon, Informaon sharing, Marketers, Return on investment, Usage paern. Introducon: Social media has transformed the way individuals communicate and share informaon, giving rise to online communies and networks where users can exchange ideas, personal messages, and various forms of content. Over the past decade, social networking sites such as Facebook, Twier, LinkedIn, and YouTube have gained immense popularity, revoluonizing the way people interact and connect based on shared interests. The growth of social media has been parcularly remarkable in countries like India. According to eMarketer, the number of people logging into social networking sites on a monthly basis is projected to reach 3.61 billion 1 *Research Scholar, Instute of Business Management, GLA University, Mathura, sweta.v.singh27@gmail.com, 9670567656 2 Assistant Professor, Instute of Business Management, GLA University, Mathura, deepika.pandoi@gla.ac.in, 95360 08601