Social commerce isn’t the cherry on the cake, its the new cake! How consumers’ attitudes and eWOM influence online purchase intention in China

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Bilal ◽  
Umair Akram ◽  
Hassan Rasool ◽  
Xiaoyan Yang ◽  
Yasir Tanveer

Purpose In the recent decade, social media popularity and growth have boosted the development of social commerce (SC). This study aims to explore the significant impact of guanxi (关系) elements (ganqing 感情, renqing 人情 and xinren 信任) on online purchase intentions. Furthermore, this study investigated the moderating role of social support between electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and online purchase intentions. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted on 309 consumers who had online purchasing experience through WeChat, a famous social media application in China. Structural equational modeling was used to test all hypotheses. Findings The results indicate that guanxi elements are positively related to eWOM, affective attitude and online purchase intentions in SC. Additionally, social support has a significant moderating role between eWOM intention and online purchase intention. Practical implications Considering the effects of guanxi elements on eWOM affective attitude and online purchase intention in Chinese SC, online retailers are advised to carefully develop their marketing strategies to retain and attract new consumers. Furthermore, online retailers can use the findings from this study to understand the consequences when online purchase intention is strongly influenced by guanxi elements. Originality/value This research extends the current literature by applying the notion of guanxi components to the sense of SC and relating the notion of guanxi components and consumer decisions. The results show an understanding of the reality by which guanxi elements may affect the intention of eWOM sharing and boost online purchase intention.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Razaz Waheeb Attar ◽  
Mohana Shanmugam ◽  
Nick Hajli

PurposeSocial media is still influencing consumers and is extending social commerce (S-Commerce) use. Different social media activities can influence the users' trust and e-satisfaction at different levels, which in turn influence the purchase intentions. This is evident for the food and beverage industry as S-Commerce mediated by social media can help realise a shorter time to market and meet buyer demands. In addition, credibility factors may influence trust and purchase intentions. Understanding the various factors of influence such as social constructs, namely ratings, reviews and referrals; design constructs such as credibility and features and behavioural constructs such as trust, satisfaction and motivation; and analysing the relationship between these factors and how they influence purchase intentions can provide deeper insights into S-Commerce research, decision-making process and purchase intentions particularly from a food and beverage context.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on trust through social media activities and surface credibility as well as e-commerce satisfaction, the authors have proposed a research model to investigate the purchase intention of consumers in S-Commerce platforms. Survey data were collected from six countries in Asia and analysed using SEM-PLS.FindingsResults indicated that both trust and surface credibility significantly influence e-commerce satisfaction leading to purchase intention. Furthermore, surface credibility, which is a novel predictor for purchase intention in S-Commerce context, is highly significant on e-commerce satisfaction. Besides, encouraged by surface credibility, it was identified that trust significantly affects e-commerce satisfaction and results in purchase intention. This research adds contribution to theory and practice in S-Commerce stream as discussed at the end of the paper.Originality/valueThe results of this research contribute to the S-Commerce literature and have practical implications for practitioners in the food and beverage industry. As such, focussing on these constructs, this paper analyses the relationship between the social media activities, trust, e-commerce satisfaction, surface credibility and intention to buy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 493-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Sahabi Yusuf ◽  
Ab Razak Che Hussin ◽  
Abdelsalam H. Busalim

Purpose As a business paradigm, social commerce (s-commerce) has brought about a new stage of innovation, and by extension, has transmuted the power from seller to buyer. S-commerce is a combination a commercial and social activities in which individuals may spread word of mouth (WOM) about their shopping experiences and knowledge and provide information about product and services to their to their friends. This kind of social interactions among individuals has increased the potentials of eWOM communication. Given such a backdrop, this paper aims to look into the influence of eWOM engagement on consumers’ purchase intention in s-commerce, which may complement the current effort of the research community in this area. Design/methodology/approach This study used elaboration likelihood model, theory of reasoned action and social support theory to investigate the influence of eWOM engagement on consumers’ purchase intention in s-commerce. The study used 218 respondents to evaluate the proposed model using SmartPLS. Findings The empirical results indicate that information characteristics, consumer behavior and technological factors exert a positive influence on consumer purchase intentions. All hypotheses between attitude toward eWOM, information credibility, innovativeness, website quality and eWOM engagement are significant. Also, eWOM engagement has a significant positive influence on consumer purchase intention. However, information quality and social support does not have any significant relationship with eWOM engagement. Research limitations/implications This study seeks to address the dearth of research in the field of s-commerce, especially as it relates to eWOM. The study proposes a new model and empirically validates the hypothesized relationships. This research can serve as a stepping stone for future research in this field. Practical implications This study is one of the early studies focusing on the influence of eWOM engagement, especially in s-commerce. The study offers comprehensive and empirically validated factors pertaining to eWOM engagement in s-commerce. The results of this study are also important to practitioners and online companies’ managers. The study’s model has demonstrated the contextualization of what makes customers engage in eWOM and its influence in s-commerce. The study will also offer insights for firms on how to encourage eWOM engagement among customers. Originality/value A new eWOM engagement model in s-commerce is proposed with consideration on information characteristics, consumer behavior, technological and social factors. The model is validated afterwards.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 529-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingting Zhang ◽  
William Yu Chung Wang ◽  
Ling Cao ◽  
Yan Wang

Purpose Online shopping has continued to grow in popularity, and the advance of internet technology has enhanced customers’ experiences. One technology online retailers have been using to increase sales is virtual try-on (VTO). The purpose of this paper is to investigate how such technology affects online consumers’ purchase decision process towards purchase intention, especially from an integration of utilitarian, hedonic and risk perspectives, by using advanced partial least square (PLS) approaches. Design/methodology/approach This study applied a web-based survey approach for data collection from online apparel retailing websites. The survey instrument was developed by adapting previously validated measurement items. The valid data collected were analysed using PLS with multi-group analyses. Advanced PLS techniques such as examination of discriminant validity using heterotrait-monotrait ratio, tests of out-of-sample prediction performance, and measurement invariance of composite models were applied. Findings The results of examining the proposed model reveal that customers’ attitude towards VTO technology can affect their intention to purchase a garment online, which is affected by perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment and perceived privacy risk. Perceived ease of use is found to affect perceived usefulness and perceived helpfulness. The results also show no significant differences among age groups and genders in terms of the role of VTO technology in the full decision process towards online purchase intention. Originality/value This study enhances the understanding of the roles that VTO technology plays in consumers’ online purchase intention by providing an integrative view of its utilitarian value, hedonic value and risk. This study demonstrates the feasibility of applying advanced PLS techniques to investigate online consumer behaviour, particularly in the field of VTO application in online retailing. Implications for online retailers and designers of VTO technology are also derived from the findings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Chen Chen ◽  
Kuo-Lun Hsiao ◽  
Shan-Jung Wu

Purpose With the advent of the digital era, the internet has gradually become an essential factor in people’s lives. Its increasing popularity has also caused e-commerce to thrive, and has increased the power of online marketing. In recent years, social commerce has emerged as a new mode of operation which can be distinguished from traditional e-commerce. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The main purpose of this study is to determine which factors influence a consumer’s behavioral intention in the context of social commerce websites, and to explore overall purchase intentions based on the consumer’s cognitive evaluation. The examination reveals that consumers’ multidimensional perceptions influence both their perceptions of value and their purchase intentions. Other related social awareness factors explored by this study are also shown to influence customers’ purchase intentions. Findings In summary, the results show that perceived value and social awareness factors influence customers’ purchasing decisions and behavioral intentions for different gender. These findings have significant theoretical and managerial implications. Originality/value Social commerce is a subset of e-commerce brought about by the development of social networking. Activities conducted on social networking websites can be considered as a form of social commerce. In Taiwan, social commerce is still in the early stages of development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 163-171
Author(s):  
Feby Eka Vivi Setio Putri ◽  
Monika Tiarawati

The Covid-19 pandemic that has hit the whole world has caused economic problems. Household consumption or the purchasing power of the Indonesian people fell very deeply. Whereas consumption or people's purchasing power supports 60% of the Indonesian economy. Therefore, the pattern of marketing is changed by doing marketing online. Companies use  social media influencer to advertise their products. This study was conducted to analyze the impact of social media influencers and brand image on online consumer purchase intentions. The criteria for respondents in this study were women aged 18 years and over who followed Tasya Farasya's Instagram and knew about Maybelline products. Partial Least Square (PLS) is used to analyze the respondent's data that has been collected. The results of this study indicate that social media influencers have no positive and significant effect on online purchase intentions. Meanwhile, brand image has a positive and significant effect on online purchase intentions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 86-108
Author(s):  
Zhang Ying ◽  
Zeng Jianqiu ◽  
Umair Akram ◽  
Hassan Rasool

The aim of this research is to use the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to investigate the potential antecedents of online purchase intention in social commerce environments. Data were collected from 513 online survey participants in China. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques was used to test the study hypotheses. The findings reveal that website quality, trust, and electronic Word Of Mouth (eWOM) positively influence online purchase intentions. Furthermore, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness significantly and positively moderate the relationship between website quality and online purchase intention. These survey results help provide a more comprehensive understanding of online purchase intentions in social commerce in China. The findings and conclusion address notable implications for theory and managers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaizatulaqma Kamalul Ariffin ◽  
Thenmoli Mohan ◽  
Yen-Nee Goh

Purpose This paper aims to examine the relationship between six factors of consumers’ perceived risk and consumers’ online purchase intentions. In particular, this study will examine the relationship between financial risk, product risk, security risk, time risk, social risk and psychological risk and online purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach Survey method was used for the purpose of data collection, and quantitative analysis was used to test the hypotheses. A total of 350 respondents participated on an online survey, and data were quantitatively analyzed via IBM SPSS Statistics 24. Findings The findings from this study suggest consumers’ perceived risks when they intend to purchase online. Five factors of perceived risk have a significant negative influence on consumer online purchase intention, while social risk was found to be insignificant. Among these factors, security risk is the main contributor for consumers to deter from purchasing online. Practical implications This study provides useful information to online retailers in electronic commerce (e-commerce) activities. Previous studies show that many online retailers are still facing some risks in online business, and this will affect the transaction and performance of the retailers. It is hoped that the findings can help online retailers to formulate strategies to reduce risks in the online shopping environment, especially security risks for better e-commerce. Originality/value The development of online shopping has led to some challenges to consumers, which comprise security of payment, data protection, the validity and enforceability of e-contract, insufficient information disclosure, product quality and enforcement of rights. This issue emerged because many online retailers do not understand the main factors that will contribute to consumers’ perceived risk. Consumers’ perceived risks will influence consumer attitudes toward online shopping and purchase behaviors. Studies on consumers’ perceived risks toward online purchase intentions are still inconclusive. Thus, this paper fills the gap in the research area.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tengfei Guo ◽  
Shiquan Zhong ◽  
Xuelian Wang ◽  
Geng Li

PurposeIn this research, the authors aim to investigate the impact of product display quantity on consumers' online purchase intention through the diminished pain of payment, in light of signaling theory and mental accounting theory. Additionally, the authors test the role of price in this psychological mechanism.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use a combination of online studies and field experiments to test our predictions. Four online studies are conducted to test the main effect of product display quantity on purchase intention (Studies 1A and 1B), the mediating effect of the diminished pain of payment (Study 2), and the moderating role of price (Study 3). Two field experiments are conducted to strengthen the robustness of our findings.FindingsThe findings suggest that product display quantity has a significantly positive impact on purchase intention, mediated by the diminished pain of payment, and this effect is moderated by price.Originality/valueThis is the first study to investigate the effect of product display quantity on online purchase intention. This research advances the discussion of product display quantity, which provides retailers and consumers with a convenient way to communicate with each other and leads to a more relaxed purchase experience.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 1142-1164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruoyun Lin

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the prevalence of benign and malicious envy on social media, and to examine the relationships between shared content (experiential vs material purchases), envy type (benign vs malicious), and purchase intention (toward the same vs a superior object). Design/methodology/approach Three studies (N=622) were conducted to ask participants to recall the last time they experienced envy due to browsing social media, report an envy-triggering post about either an experiential or a material purchase shared by others and read a post about a friend’s newly bought MacBook in either an experiential or a material phrasing. The degrees of benign and malicious envy were measured, as well as the future purchase intentions toward the same and a superior object. Findings The results showed that most of the envious emotions were actually benign envy. Although there was no main effect of purchase type on envy type, both experiential purchases and phrasings were less likely to be perceived as showing off, and therefore triggered less malicious envy. Furthermore, benign envy was positively associated with the purchase intention of the same envied purchase, and malicious envy was positively associated with the purchase intention of something even superior. Originality/value As browsing other’s social news sometimes evokes envy, people were concerned about the negative effects of envy on consumers. However, this paper addressed the positive effects of envy which comes along with a motivation of moving up. This positive motivation can also be utilized for social media advertising.


2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morteza Hendijani Fard ◽  
Reza Marvi

Purpose In the preceding decades, due to the advancement of social media, traditional marketing has become less significant. Managers and entrepreneurs are seeking novel, effective and efficient ways both for new and technological products/services. Drawing on the theory of reasoned action, information adoption model and technology acceptance model, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of viral marketing on purchase intentions of mobile applications users in Iran. Design/methodology/approach Statistical population includes those Iranian users who have used two social networks (Facebook, Instagram, Line, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Telegram, Twitter, Viber, WeChat and WhatsApp) at least. Invalid questionnaires are excluded and 624 are used for the data analysis. Structural equations modelling is used to test the proposed model. Findings The findings show that the most effective factor on apps perceived usefulness is argument quality of information, followed by source credibility and quantity of information. Perceived usefulness is also predicted by perceived ease of use through the indirect effect of argument quality. Furthermore, it is also found that purchase intention is affected by perceived ease of use, followed by perceived usefulness through attitude towards the purchase. Research limitations/implications This research is limited to the Iranian mobile apps market. Future studies on viral marketing in app markets should collect data from multiple industries and multiple countries in order to achieve a more comprehensive perspective on the effects and consequences of viral advertising. Furthermore, rather than social networks, similar research can be conducted on different communication channels of the internet such as blogs, e-mails, chat rooms, online communities, discussion boards, corporate websites, e-commerce and social commerce websites (e.g. Amazon). It is also suggested that the conceptual model of the research can be extended considering other useful factors on purchase intentions than attitude (e.g. subjective norms and perceived behavioural control). Furthermore, future research should consider the role of mobile apps features in forming purchase intentions. Practical implications For the firms that develop mobile applications (particularly in Iran’s app market), increasing sales requires exploiting social media viral marketing to effectively change potential customers’ perceptions about usefulness and ease of use of their products. The findings suggest that a viral marketing strategy should be developed with high argument quality, followed by high source credibility and a large amount of information on social media. Originality/value This is one of the earliest studies investigating the viral effects of social networks on purchase intention in the mobile applications context. Although very few papers practically recognised the impact of viral marketing on purchase intention, the effect of this concept on mobile applications purchase intention had remained unknown.


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