Digital Marketing and Household Purchase Intention for Solar Energy Systems: Case of Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

The transition towards renewable energy increasingly depends on effective communication that can convert household awareness into purchase intention. This study examined the relationship between digital marketing and household purchase intention for solar energy systems in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya. Guided by the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Diffusion of Innovation Theory, the study adopted a quantitative, explanatory, cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected from 328 household heads drawn proportionately from six sub-counties using a structured seven-point Likert-type questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis showed that digital marketing and purchase intention each formed a single component, with retained item loadings above .85. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to estimate the contribution of digital marketing while controlling for gender, age, income, household size, and education level. Digital marketing was positively and significantly associated with purchase intention (B = .235, β = .303, t = 5.744, p < .001). The model explained 16.0% of the variance in purchase intention (R² = .160; adjusted R² = .144). Age was positively associated with purchase intention (β = .137, p = .028), whereas education level showed a significant negative association (β = −.267, p < .001); gender, income, and household size were not significant. The findings indicate that digital communication channels are relevant to household solar-energy purchase intention in this setting, while also showing that substantial variation remains attributable to factors beyond digital marketing.