Consumers’ social media engagement and online behavior: A structural equation modelling analysis

Abstract

In this work we expand on previous results, which were obtained by applying an exploratory factor analysis process. The analysis was carried out on a dataset constructed by means of a quantitative questionnaire regarding consumers’ degree of engagement with social media and their respective online decisions and actions. Thus, the model under study here integrates these three derived constructs; “engagement”, “decision”, and “action” as its building blocks. The aim of this work is twofold: to validate model’s fit leveraging a confirmatory factor analysis process and to investigate the relations between the three factors with structural equation modelling. With respect to the first objective, the measurement part of the model is verified, and its fit is tested and accepted under several heterogeneous indices. Secondly, the structural part of the model is validated against theoretical hypotheses regarding the relations between the three latent variables. Results show that both “engagement” and “decision” predict “action”, with the former however being more important. To the best of our knowledge, the specific model built around these three constructs is not found elsewhere in literature and can prove to be a valuable source of information for e.g., marketers in their effort to apply an efficient marketing strategy.