The Influence of social commerce on Chinese consumer purchase behaviour: case study from Guangdong Province

Abstract

Objectives: There are two basic components to social commerce: commercial and social. Although a relatively new phenomenon in marketing research, social component is rarely discussed. Therefore, the purpose of the paper is to discuss the social factors that influence the consumers’ purchase intentions and behaviors in the context of social commerce. Methods: This study is conducted in two parts. For the 300 valid sample questionnaires obtained under the WeChat social networking platform, we first conduct a theoretical study. We used social learning theory and social support theory to analyze social e-commerce intentions and consumer behavior by constructing structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the proposed research hypotheses. We believe that experiments can be understood in specific cases and experimental results can guide practice, so we use Pinduoduo, a leading social e-commerce platform in China, as a case study. We applied Philip Kotler's 5A Customer Behavior Path theory to study the social e-commerce behavior of the sample through SPSS statistical methods. Results: The theoretical model results show that social learning has a positive effect on social support, social e-commerce intention and consumer purchase behavior, but the effect of social learning on purchase behavior is indirect rather than direct. Also social support has a positive effect on social e-commerce intention, and social support and social e-commerce intention have a positive effect on purchase behavior. The case study statistical analysis results show that consumers are relatively satisfied with all the measures in the structural model, proving that social learning and social support do facilitate consumers' social interactions, social e-commerce intentions and actual purchase behaviors. Recommendations: This research has led to a shift in research on social e-commerce to the social aspect rather than the e-commerce aspect. The theoretical model we propose will drive further development of research on consumer purchase behavior. In addition, we output a consumer profile, which we believe can help guide the improvement of business models, product marketing, and business strategies for social e-commerce platforms. More important, it promotes the development of social commerce industry.