F-commerce and Impulsive Buying: A Mediated-Moderated Study from a Social Commerce Perspective

Abstract

Purpose: Utilizing Social Impact Theory, this study explores browsing via F-commerce as a source of social interactions and enjoyment while stimulating consumer impulse buying behavior. Moreover, a mediating role of perceived trust and perceived usefulness to enrich the relationship between browsing and impulse buying is studied in two cross national cultures. Finally, a moderating role of serendipitous information and deal proneness is aimed to study the relationships. Method: Using a cross-lagged temporal approach, survey based data is collected from F-commerce users in developing context i.e. Pakistan (N=684). The data is analyzed by means of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Findings: The results demonstrate that browsing has positive impact on F-impulse buying as well as on perceived trust and perceived usefulness which in turn influences F-impulse purchase. Moreover, findings confirm the moderating role of deal proneness and serendipitous information in the hypothesized relationships. Implications: Managers in such markets should focus on e-tracking where consumers share and gather information related to their products and services. Placing serendipitous information on Facebook brand pages via brand evangelist might offer additional advantages to F-commerce marketers. By providing different online deals and discounts on products managers may motivate consumers to buy impulsively. Originality: Present study is of equal importance to academia and practitioners within emerging context as this study enriches the F-commerce literature by uncovering new areas, scrutinizes factors that influence F-impulsive purchase and the variations in the impact of these processes across serendipity and deal proneness.