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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the effect of two types of reciprocity (restricted reciprocity and generalized reciprocity) on customers’ trust in social commerce (s-commerce) and trust performance (purchase intention and word-of-mouth intention). Furthermore, this study examines how individual and contextual moderators (personal shopping experience and community shared language) could impact the trust development process. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a survey method and obtained data from 287 users in a customer-to-customer (C2C) s-commerce platform. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the research hypotheses. Findings The results demonstrate that two types of reciprocity positively affect trust in s-commerce. Customers’ trust performance is significantly affected by trust in s-commerce. Additionally, shopping experience in s-commerce is found to positively moderate the relationship between restricted reciprocity and trust in s-commerce. Research limitations/implications The findings help to understand the nature and role of reciprocity in influencing trust and trust-related behaviors in the context of C2C s-commerce. The research also helps to explore the individual and contextual moderators that impact the effect of reciprocity on trust development. Practical implications The results offer a comprehensive view of trust building strategies for s-commerce practitioners, including shoppers, vendors and managers of s-commerce platforms. Originality/value This study is among the first few research studies that offers a theory-based conceptualization of reciprocity in C2C s-commerce and provides empirical support for the impact of reciprocity on customers’ trust in C2C s-commerce. In addition, this study devises a broader view of reciprocity based on restricted and generalized exchange principle to represent the interaction of vendor–shopper and shopper–shopper, respectively.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of social commerce trust, and how it impacts company trust and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) intention based on trust transfer theory. The authors also examine how customers’ prior transaction experience could impact their social commerce trust development and the trust transfer process. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed research model is empirically examined using a survey method consisting of 375 users of a social commerce web site (SCW). The statistical analysis applies a method based on variance using partial least squares. Findings – The results confirm positive impacts of social commerce trust on company trust, and their subsequent influences on consumers’ eWOM intention. Also, consumers’ prior experience is found to moderate the trust transfer process from information-based social commerce trust to company trust. Originality/value – The present study is one of the first few studies that attempts to explain trust development and transfer with SCWs with a theoretical foundation as well as examine the role of consumers’ prior experience during trust transfer. It provides practical guidance for the improvement of trust and eWOM in social commerce.