Promoting electronic customer-to-customer interaction: evidence from social commerce sites

Abstract

ABSTRACT Social commerce facilitates communication among customers worldwide and promotes electronic customer-to-customer interaction (eCCI). Considerable research has been undertaken on consumer behaviour, but the understanding of the factors that drive eCCI is limited, particularly in the social commerce context. This limitation arises from a lack of theoretical frameworks to account for such behaviour. By using motivation–opportunity–ability (MOA) theory, this study aims to observe how MOA theory constructs (intrinsic motivation, perceived self-efficacy and tie strength with other customers) integrate and impact eCCI. A survey method is utilised to collect data, and structural equation modelling is used with 359 customers from social commerce sites in China. Results demonstrate that eCCI behaviour is strongly determined by intrinsic motivation, perceived self-efficacy and tie strength with other customers. Among these factors, intrinsic motivation partially mediates the association between perceived self-efficacy and eCCI. Moreover, tie strength with other customers moderates the relationship between intrinsic motivation and eCCI. Overall, this study introduces a new way of assessing eCCI and reports eCCI behaviour as a new and dynamic approach to explore how its outcomes can be enhanced in social commerce marketing. Such outcomes may help social commerce and service providers in delivering their services.