35 / 2024-04-16 12:25:12

The Unintended Consequences of Social Commerce: Channel of Search and Consumer Purchase Behavior

Marketing channel strategies; social commerce; perceived behavioral control

Social commerce is on the rise and businesses are keen on seeking opportunities on social commerce platforms. However, research on how consumer purchase behavior may differ across social commerce channels and traditional channels is scarce. The primary objective of the study is to understand the relationship between channel of search and consumer purchase behavior. Our work further discusses the interaction effects of consumer characteristics and product characteristics. Using the dataset provided by JD.com, the largest retailer in China, this research finds that as compared with traditional channels, searching via social commerce channels tends to decrease purchase quantity. This study fills the gap in the literature on marketing channel strategies by demonstrating how social commerce channels and other channels may differ in contributing to consumer purchase outcomes. Our findings provide key managerial implications for practitioners.