Recently, social media marketing has become an effective tool for restaurants to gain visibility, increase customer engagement, and boost sales. Through social media marketing activities (SMMAs) including customization (CUST), entertainment (ENTR), trendiness (TRND), and interaction (INTR), restaurants can connect with their customers in a dynamic way that may affect their satisfaction and purchasing behavioral intention. Hence, this study primarily aims to empirically explore the individual influence of SMMAs namely CUST, ENTR, TRND, and INTR on social media followers’ satisfaction and purchase intention in a sample of casual-dining restaurants in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, drawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model, we also seek to investigate the influence of customer satisfaction as a mediating variable in the relationship between CUST-PI, ENTR-PI, TRND-PI, and INTR-PI. Furthermore, to examine the direct influence of CS on PI. In order to meet these objectives, an online survey was created to collect data from a convenience sample of restaurant social media followers. Data from 415 followers were analyzed using the PLS-SEM with a bootstrapping technique to confirm the research hypotheses. The findings of the study illustrated the significant positive effect of CUST, ENTR, and INTR on followers’ purchase intention, respectively. Trendy social media marketing activities did not significantly affect purchase intention. Additionally, CS partially mediated the relationships between CUST, ENTR, INTR, and PI but fully mediated the trendiness-purchase intention relationship. The results from this research can assist restaurant operators to leverage the benefits of social media more effectively by understanding how SMMAs influence customers’ purchase intentions and enhancing their understanding of how customer satisfaction can be used to capitalize on the benefits of social media.

In recent years, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) has greatly impacted the hotel industry, as social media and online review platforms have given customers many opportunities to share their personal experiences with other individuals. Hence, this study aimed to empirically investigate several relationships within the setting of five-star eco-friendly hotels in Saudi Arabia. These included: (1) the direct impact of perceived quality (PQ), positive emotional experience (PEE), and customer satisfaction (CS) on promoting positive eWOM; (2) the potential intermediary role of CS in the connections between PQ, PEE, and eWOM; (3) the direct influence of eWOM on intention to revisit (ITR); and (4) the potential intermediary role of eWOM in the PQ–ITR, CS–ITR, and PEE–ITR relationships. To achieve these objectives, an online questionnaire was developed and directed to a sample of Saudi individuals who have stayed in five-star eco-friendly hotels, particularly in Riyadh City. Based on their previous interactions with these hotels on the TripAdvisor website during the last six months and their willingness to participate in the field study, a convenience sampling technique was utilized to select participants for data collection. The study mainly focused on Saudi individuals to investigate their behaviors and attitudes toward eco-friendly hotels, which have been considered a growing trend in the country in recent years. Participants were emailed individually, and a total of 423 acceptable forms were gathered and subjected to analysis using the PLS-SEM method. The research’s findings revealed that PQ had the strongest predictive power for promoting positive eWOM, leading to a greater increase in ITR than PEE and CS. Moreover, the study identified the significant mediating influence of CS in exploring how PEE and PQ contribute to customers’ intention to spread positive eWOM. Additionally, the results showed the substantial role of eWOM in mediating the relationships between PQ, PEE, CS, and ITR. Based on these findings, the study suggests practical implications for hotel operators and marketers looking to promote positive eWOM and increase revisit intentions.