Consumers’ decisions in social commerce: the role ofguanxielements

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 759-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue Yang

PurposeRecently, the popularity and growth of social media have boosted the development of social commerce (s-commerce). The purpose of this paper is to investigate consumers’ decisions in s-commerce, for which this study conducted empirical research on WeChat, a very popular social media in China, to validate howguanxielements (e.g.ganqing,renqingandxinren) affect consumers’ decisions in s-commerce.Design/methodology/approachTo examine the research model, an online survey instrument was developed to gather data. The hypotheses were tested using partial least squares modeling.FindingsThe results confirm thatguanxielements are positively related to eWOM sharing intention and social shopping intention. Moreover, these effects are mediated by a sense of belonging.Originality/valueThis study enhances the existing literature by introducing the concept ofguanxielements to the context of s-commerce, and linking the concept ofguanxielements and consumers’ decisions. Moreover, this study improves the theoretical and empirical understanding ofguanxielements by investigating its impact on eWOM sharing intention and social shopping intention. Third, the results confirm thatguanxielements not only influence a sense of belonging but also conjointly impacts eWOM sharing intention and social shopping intention in s-commerce.

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 398-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong-Ki Lee ◽  
Sally Y. Kim ◽  
Namho Chung ◽  
Kwanghoon Ahn ◽  
Jong-Won Lee

Purpose Social commerce using social media has been on the rapid increase. Among various social commerce models, group-buying has become the mainstream. There is a paucity of research related to how customers perceive value in group-buying situations. This paper aims to examine and analyze various factors that influence perceived customer value in group-buying. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected using a survey on customers who had purchased a restaurant service deal on a group-buying site. A partial least squares technique was used to estimate the model. Findings Results show that perceived customer value affects customers’ group buying intentions and that all four antecedents of perceived value (low price, valence of experience, trust in social media and reputation of the group-buying site) have a significant influence. Implications and further research directions are discussed at the end of the paper. Originality/value This study provides valuable strategic implications for social commerce firms.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaidatul Akma Sulaiman ◽  
Mohammad Iranmanesh ◽  
Behzad Foroughi ◽  
Othman Rosly

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of Shariah-compliant hotel attributes on Muslim travellers’ revisit intention. Design/methodology/approach A total of 361 Muslim travellers who have stayed at Shariah-compliant hotels in the previous 12 months were recruited to take part in this research. The hypothesized research model was assessed using the partial least squares (PLS) approach. Findings The analysis revealed that Muslim travellers’ revisit intention is dependent on the halal food and beverages and the provision of Shariah-compliant facilities at the hotel, whereas the Shariah-compliant operation and interior design of hotels are not significantly associated with it. The findings also uncovered that religiosity moderates the impacts of Shariah-compliant facilities and interior design on travellers’ revisit intention. Practical implications Guidelines to offer services that meet Muslim travellers’ needs can be developed based on the results of this study to help Shariah-compliant hotel marketers attract and retain more customers. Originality/value The findings of this study have provided insights into the importance of halal attributes and practices in retaining Muslim customers at Shariah-compliant hotels.


2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 1119-1133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Zhou

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to examine the effect of information privacy concern on users' social shopping intention.Design/methodology/approachBased on the 340 valid responses collected from a survey, structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine the research model.FindingsThe results indicated that while disposition to privacy positively affects privacy concern, both reputation and laws negatively affect privacy concern, which in turn decreases social shopping intention. In addition, trust partially mediates the effect of privacy concern on social shopping intention.Research limitations/implicationsThe results imply that social commerce companies need to mitigate users' privacy concern in order to facilitate their shopping behavior.Originality/valueThis research disclosed that privacy concern receives a tripartite influence from users (disposition to privacy), platforms (reputation) and governments (laws). The results help us gain a complete understanding of information privacy concern mitigation in social shopping.


2018 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 344-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sajad Shokouhyar ◽  
Seyed Hossein Siadat ◽  
Mojde Khazeni Razavi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on understanding how social influence and personality of individuals differentiate between users’ social network fatigue and discontinuance behavior. Furthermore, the most common discontinuance behavior among users was investigated. Design/methodology/approach The research model was tested with the data from 163 Instagram users based on online and offline surveys. The partial least squares method was used to test the proposed hypotheses of this study. Findings The results indicate that social influence affects users’ discontinuance behavior and social network fatigue. Social network fatigue is greater in users with higher reported social influence compared to those with a lower one. Moreover, in response to social network fatigue, users prefer to keep their activities under control instead of switching to alternative social network sites (SNSs) or a short break in social network activities. Practical implications By achieving a better understanding of users’ feeling and behaviors, social network providers may codify their strategies more efficiently. Originality/value The study is novel in exploring users’ SNS fatigue and their discontinuance behavior by integrating social influence and personality. The authors defined a new concept of effect of social influence on social network fatigue. Additionally, the authors examined which discontinuance behaviors in individuals were more prevalent.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 201-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pantea Foroudi ◽  
Elisa Montes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of corporate logo in organisations’ development of corporate e-communication. Design/methodology/approach This research model was designed based on previous studies on corporate logo, its antecedents on e-communication, corporate image and corporate reputation. Online survey was conducted for consumers and followers of the shopping social networking platforms (Facebook and Twitter) in Colombia. Findings Taking into account previous corporate constructs theories, the authors propose a new conceptual framework to explain how corporate e-communication interacts within an organisation’s structure and also to show that the consumer’s interaction in corporate e-communication platforms is based on the corporate logo perception held by consumers; as a consequence, the corporate reputation is affected. Originality/value This study contributes to the understanding and expansion of the organisation’s structure by introducing a new corporate construct, named “corporate e-communication”, defined as the digital interaction that an organisation has with its stakeholders; it involves everything it says, shows and does. However, there are a few other areas of concern with regard to consequences related to corporate image and corporate reputation, particularly in Colombian retail setting.


2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Olander ◽  
Mika Vanhala ◽  
Pia Hurmelinna-Laukkanen

Purpose – Prior research has confirmed the usefulness of both formal and informal protection mechanisms for governing knowledge flows. However, there is lack of research on the motivation and needs driving firms in their choice of mechanisms for each situation. The aim of this paper is to examine the reasons for choosing formal or informal mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach – The hypotheses were tested on a sample of 209 companies engaged in R&D. A Partial Least Squares was used for the analyses. Findings – This study identifies statistically significant relationships between the protection need and the firm's strategy. The results indicate that there is variance in the use of mechanisms when there is a specific motivation for seeking protection, and when the firm faces difficulties related to protection issues. Research limitations/implications – The data were gathered in a single country. The results may be different if practices in a culture based more on informal relations, with less efficient patent system, were investigated. Practical implications – The study provides managers with useful information on the informal protection of knowledge and innovations when resources are limited. In particular, it helps them to identify situations in which informal mechanisms are potentially more useful. Originality/value – This study adds to the literature by studying quantitatively the relationship between the recognised need for protection and the choice of formal and/or informal protection as a strategy. It combines both formal and informal mechanisms. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is one of the few studies examining HRM-related protection mechanisms.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 408-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Martin ◽  
Dorothea Greiling ◽  
Daniela Wetzelhütter

PurposeA growing amount of German and Austrian utilities create own Facebook accounts to communicate with their stakeholders. Whereas existing studies describe how utility companies are currently using Facebook, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there exists no study which focuses on the actual expectations of Facebook users. Nevertheless, as the occurrence of social media redefined stakeholders’ expectations, research on the expectations of Facebook users become crucial. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to contribute to the existing social media literature by investigating the expectations of Facebook users towards a virtual stakeholder dialogue with their public utility companies on Facebook.Design/methodology/approachEight German and six Austrian public utilities supported the empirical study by posting a link to an online survey on their Facebook account. In total, 258 Facebook users followed that link and completed the survey.FindingsThe broad majority of participants expect public utility companies to use Facebook as a communication channel. They request to regularly receive a variety of information on different topics. In addition, participants want to have the opportunity to post general queries, complaints or criticism, suggestions for improvement, positive feedback or queries in a crisis situation. Moreover, the empirical data reveal that user-specific characteristics such as gender, age, country of residence, length of Facebook membership or number of Facebook friends impact the expectations towards a Facebook conversation.Originality/valueThe findings enable scholars and practitioners to gain in-depth insights into Facebook conversations from the actual user perspective.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 513-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bekir Bora Dedeoglu

Purpose This paper aims to first examine tourists’ perceptions of the source credibility and information quality of social media content to see whether they would have an impact on their perceptions of the importance of shared content on social media. The moderating role of gender in this relationship was then examined. Design/methodology/approach The research sample was composed of domestic and foreign tourists in Alanya, an important tourist destination in Turkey. The data in the current study were collected by the questionnaire method. The structural relationships in the research were examined using the partial least squares structural equation modeling, and the moderating effect of gender was examined via the partial least squares multiple group analysis. Findings According to the research findings, tourists’ perceptions of source credibility regarding social media content had a positive impact on the importance attached to non-participant shared content, whereas their perceptions of information quality had a positive impact on the importance attached to participant shared content. Furthermore, it was also observed that gender had a moderating effect on the relationship between information quality and source credibility perceptions and the importance of shared content on social media. Originality/value Two important predictive variables have been examined in the current research in term of customer-generated contents. It has been demonstrated that the effects of these predictive variables on different customer-generated types could be different. Furthermore, it has been determined that the effects of these influences differ according to the gender of the individuals following the content. Thus, the current study provides significant findings to understand the impacts of these variables on the basis of gender.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 202-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anum Tariq ◽  
Changfeng Wang ◽  
Yasir Tanveer ◽  
Umair Akram ◽  
Zubair Akram

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of consumers’ attitudes towards organic food on online impulse buying behaviour as well as the moderating effect of three website features (visual, information and navigation design) on this relationship.Design/methodology/approachSurvey data were collected via an online survey using social media platforms. A total of 653 online questionnaires were collected (response rate = 72.5 per cent) and analysed by applying exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The proposed hypotheses were tested through structural equation modelling.FindingsSocial media forums, ratings and reviews shape Chinese consumers’ attitudes towards organic food and positively influence their online impulse buying in this market. Website features are critical for disseminating information on organic food. Informative webpages featuring product quality and certification have a greater moderating effect on purchase. Information cues such as nutritional content; production and processing methods, and environmentally friendliness also influence consumers’ attitudes and thus impulse buying decisions.Practical implicationsMarketers should reconsider their tactics for dealing with modern consumers, as webpages should be user-friendly and visually appealing with a social learning mechanism to drive organic food consumption.Originality/valueThis study bridges a gap in the literature on social commerce initiatives for developing consumers’ attitudes towards organic food and online impulse buying. Further, it proposes measures that can enhance organic consumption and contributes to the literature on the importance of social factors, resulting in enhanced knowledge on the online impulse buying of organic food.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Lamberti ◽  
Josep Rialp ◽  
Alexandra Simon

PurposeExtending existing research in a football context, this study explores how image and service quality influence spectator tribe satisfaction and loyalty and variations in behaviors depending on age, gender and emotional involvement.Design/methodology/approachSpectators aged 18 years and older who attended Barcelona Football Club home La Liga matches were sampled. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the model, and hybrid multigroup PLS-SEM was used to explore observed heterogeneity.FindingsImage and service quality both influence spectator satisfaction and loyalty. Satisfaction and loyalty are associated differently with three tribes: a nonpassionate tribe characterized by low emotional involvement and younger and older passionate tribes composed of emotionally involved spectators aged <30 and >30 years old, respectively.Research limitations/implicationsThis study’s results contribute to strengthening the suitability of PLS-SEM and multigroup in sport management, in particular for analyzing the behavior of specific groups of football spectators.Originality/valueThe findings of this study underline image and service quality as crucial to football spectator satisfaction and loyalty, with emotional involvement and age defining different consumer tribes as potential targets for marketing purposes.


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