Examining Consumers’ Behavioral Intention in O2O Commerce from a Relational Perspective: an Exploratory Study

Abstract

Online-to-offline (O2O) commerce is a new e-business model that is popular among consumers and profitable for e-vendors. However, limited studies have been conducted to understand consumer behavior in this context. Based on commitment–trust theory and trust transfer theory, we conducted an exploratory study to explore consumers’ repurchase intention and sharing intention in the O2O commerce context from the relational viewpoint. Two studies were conducted using a web-based survey and Partial Least Squares were used to analyze the data. In Study 1, the results indicated that various targets of trust and commitment have significant effects on repurchase intention and sharing intention. Trust can be transferred both inter-channel and intra-channel in O2O commerce. Moreover, the effect of trust in O2O platforms on commitment is mediated by trust in user community and trust in merchants. To demonstrate the generalizability and external robustness of the results, we replicated the research model in Study 2 using data from a more representative sample. The replicated study produced similar results. This research provides an initial understanding of consumer behavior in the O2O commerce context and contributes to trust transfer theory and commitment–trust theory. Further, this research benefits companies undertaking O2O business by enabling them to better understand how to improve consumer repurchasing intention and sharing intention to succeed in the e-business industry.