Reconceptualizing Determinants of Consumer Attitudes Toward Social Commerce Sites

Abstract

With rising ownership of internet-enabled devices, consumers are increasingly relying on information derived from social media to guide their purchase decisions. Businesses, in response, are more aggressively utilizing social networking sites (SNS) such as Facebook to promote their products and interact with customers. However, uncertainties still exist about the optimal way to design and leverage social commerce sites. This study develops and tests a theoretical model to understand how various antecedents of human-to-human interactivity on social networking sites (content source, content type, and posting frequency), influence perceived social presence and subsequently affects consumer attitudes to the site. This study also examines perceived usefulness of the SNS and perceived product risk as critical mediators of social presence’s effect on attitudes to the social networking site. The proposed conceptual model offers both theoretical insight and practical guidance to marketers by establishing the role of social interaction in effective digital marketing communications.