Revista Economică 66:1 (2014) 117 QUALITATIVE MARKETING RESEARCH ON THE INFLUENCES OF ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES ON CONSUMERS FUCIU Mircea 1 , GORSKI Hortensia 2 , DUMITRESCU Luigi 3 1 Romanian-German University, Sibiu 2 Romanian-German University, Sibiu 3 ”Lucian Blaga” University, Sibiu Abstract This article, which is part of a larger study, presents a qualitative marketing research, based on an in-depth interview regarding the influences that online social networking (OSN) sites have on the consumers. The paper underlines the concepts of OSN, consumer, consumer behaviour and the main influences that impact them. We are presenting the importance of OSN, the main reasons for having an OSN account and their influences on the consumers and their behaviour Other presented aspects include several positive and negative aspects of having an OSN account, the impact that the networks have had o the users lives. Keywords: consumer behaviour, online social network, marketing research, influences JEL classification: M30, M31, M39 1. Introduction The new developments of the information and communication technologies in the context of the new business environment of the first decade of the 21 st Century have created on one hand, new methods of reaching the clients and the consumers and on the other hand new means for the companies to be reached by the consumers. These new technologies have brought the consumer and the process of consumption to new levels. In order for the companies to be successful and to be efficient on this new global 1 , Teaching assistant, Ph.D. student, Faculty of Economics, mirceafuciu@yahoo.com 2 Professor, Ph.D., Faculty of Economics, tenzig11@yahoo.com 3 Professor, Ph.D., Faculty of Economics, dumitresculuigi@yahoo.com