Determinants of Social Commerce Purchase and Recommendation Intentions Within the Context of Swift Guanxi Among Chinese College Students

Abstract

This study examined the factors determining social commerce purchase and recommendation intentions within the context of swift guanxi. The data analysis was conducted with Smart PLS 3.0 using the structural equation modeling technique. The results have illustrated that perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use were significant in determining both the recommendation and social commerce purchase intentions. In addition, eWOM was also a significant predictor of both social commerce purchase and recommendation intentions. Interestingly the results showed that trust in social network sites was not significant in influencing social commerce purchase and recommendation intentions. Also, mutual understanding and relationship harmony were found to predict the social commerce purchase and recommendation intentions. The implications of these and other results findings of the study are discussed.

Swipe to Sustain: Exploring Consumer Behaviors in Organic Food Purchasing via Instagram Social Commerce

“…One possible explanation for the obtained results is that the impact of the UTAUT-2 components is subject to variation depending on the specific conditions and populations under investigation [125]. For example, effort expectation has had a substantial impact on social commerce customers in the contexts of Sweden [126], France [127], Spain [128], and China [78], whereas its impact has not been significant in some other research populations, such as Tunisia [129], Türkiye [130], Indonesia [131], Vietnam [132], and Qatar [133]. In the scope of the current research, the possible explanation for the insignificant effects performance and effort expectancies might be that Instagram is the most popular social network site in Iran [134] and the preferred platform for social commerce [48,135].…”

“…Venkatesh et al [51] define performance expectancy (PE) as practical utilities that impact an individual's inclination to adopt new technologies. PE has been identified as an important determinant of customers' purchase intentions in various online commerce channels, including omnichannel technology [75], fresh e-commerce platforms [76], online group buying platforms [77], and SC platforms [78]. Hence, it can be assumed that the customers' perceptions of Instagram's SC performance in relation to purchasing organic food products will have a direct impact on their purchase intention (PI), as well as an indirect impact on their purchasing behavior (PB) through the mediating role of PIs.…”

“…The concept of effort expectancy (EE) describes a user's perception that a given technology is relatively simple to learn and use [51]. EE is recognized as a key factor affecting customers' purchase intentions across e-commerce technologies, such as online open market platforms [79], m-commerce applications [80], and SC platforms [78]. Therefore, this study postulated that consumers' perceptions regarding Instagram's ease of usage with regard to purchasing organic food products will significantly impact their purchase intentions, as well as their actual purchasing behaviors through the mediating role of PI.…”