The Role of Interactivity in Social Commerce Websites: A Content Analysis Study

Abstract

AbstractThis paper contributes to bridging an important gap in the interactivity literature. The gap is manifested in the incongruities in reporting the relationship between the interactivity levels on web platforms and relevant outcome variables. Indeed, researchers are contested on whether more interactivity leads to positive or negative customer experiences online. To bridge this gap, the researchers investigate the interactivity of social commerce websites, as they are deemed an appropriate context for this study. Indeed, social commerce platforms are noted for being built on novel and highly engaging interactive features, and hence are more likely to result on positive customer experiences. To achieve the study’s aim, the researchers conduct a content analysis of 73 social commerce websites, noting the existence or lack of interactivity features in each of them. They, then, link the results from the content analysis to web analytics acquired through desk research. The findings show that both dimensions of interactivity (i.e., human-to-website and human-to-human interactivity) result on more social commerce effectiveness. Still, the effect of the less widespread human-to-human interactivity features is stronger and more significant than that of the more ubiquitous human-to-website interactivity features. The study’s results highlight the importance of continuing to investigate interactivity in more novel and engaging contexts to provide up-to-date recommendations for marketers and practitioners.KeywordsContent analysisDigital marketingE-commerceInteractivitySocial commerceSocial media