A Comprehensive Study on Social Commerce in Social Networking Sites

Md Alamgir Hossain,Minho Kim

doi:10.1177/2158244020936225

Md Alamgir Hossain, Minho Kim

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020936225

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Abstract

The study aims to examine user’s perceptions of the service quality of social networking sites (SNSs), contributing to customer satisfaction and usage intention leading to social commerce (s-commerce) intention. An online survey with a structured questionnaire was conducted to obtain contextual data, comprising 549 valid samples. The results indicate that outcome and environment quality have a significant influence on satisfaction, whereas interaction and outcome quality have a positive impact on usage intention of SNSs. Satisfaction is a noble indicator of usage intention; social capital and perceived trusts have a significant effect on s-commerce intention; and usage intention has the greatest influence on s-commerce intention. Perceived trust proves to be an important partial mediator between usage intention and s-commerce intention. Our results highlight the important role of service quality in behavioral perceptions of SNS users, shed much light on the social capital and s-commerce intention, and provide valuable contributions for understanding s-commerce behavior in SNSs context. The results of this study bridge gaps in SNS literature by demonstrating how s-commerce vendors or SNS practitioners can increase service quality, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and usage intention and thereby affecting the acceptance of s-commerce.

Highlights

In the first decades of the 21st century, there are more than hundreds of social networking sites (SNSs) with plentiful high-tech possibilities, supporting a wide range of interests and practices
The literature shows that compared with the editorial recommendation, referral communication is more powerful in influencing because of its power of persuasion and credibility (Trusov et al, 2010), and service quality dimensions are the prerequisite of referral communication and have a decisive influence in building sustainable usage intention of SNSs (Hossain & Kim, 2018)
This study explores some key factors of s-commerce, which have impact on trust in s-commerce

Summary

Introduction

In the first decades of the 21st century, there are more than hundreds of social networking sites (SNSs) with plentiful high-tech possibilities, supporting a wide range of interests and practices. Most of these SNSs allow users to present themselves and connect to existing and new users on social networks. Due to the incredible improvement of the internet and information technologies, SNSs have become the global station of s-commerce (Al-Tit et al, 2020; Hajli, 2014a; Um, 2018); share brand allied information through their ubiquity, flexibility, and interactivity; and have an impact on intention to use, attitude toward services, and making purchase decisions (Ma, 2013). The literature shows that compared with the editorial recommendation, referral communication is more powerful in influencing because of its power of persuasion and credibility (Trusov et al, 2010), and service quality dimensions are the prerequisite of referral communication and have a decisive influence in building sustainable usage intention of SNSs (Hossain & Kim, 2018)

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