INFLUENCE OF ADVERTISING ON THE SALE OF SHOPPING GOODS IN BAYELSA STATE

The major purpose of the study was to determine the extent to which advertising influences the sale of shopping goods in Bayelsa-state. The study answered four research questions and tested four hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The population of the study consisted of 145 proprietors of shopping goods in Bayelsa state. The entire population was studied, hence no sample was taken. Structured questionnaire consisting of 40 items was developed and used for data collection. The instrument was face-validated by three experts, two from university of Nigeria Nsukka while the other was from University of Nigeria, Enugu campus. Crombach Alpha method of establishing reliability was used to determine the internal consistency of the instrument and this yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.75. A total of 145 copies of the questionnaire was distributed to respondents by the researcher and two research assistants. The data collected were analyzed using mean score while t- test statistic was used to test the four null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance .The findings of the study revealed that the use of various advertising media and display of shopping goods in strategic areas in the shop influences consumers to buy. Based on the findings of the study and conclusions drawn, the researcher recommended that proprietors of shopping goods should always carry out proper timing when advertising their products.