IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ininma/v42y2018icp49-64.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Social tie formation in Chinese online social commerce: The role of IT affordances

Author

Listed:
  • Dong, Xueyan
  • Wang, Tienan

Abstract

Social media technology creates an opportunity to shift the formation of impersonal relationships from offline to online. The theory of IT affordances provides a basis for theorizing how the use of online social commerce (OSC) technology facilitates the formation of social ties in an OSC context. In this paper, integrating theories of IT affordances and social ties, we develop a model to explore how the six sub-dimensions of OSC IT affordances (i.e., visibility, metavoicing, triggered attending, guidance shopping, social connecting, and trading) aid buyers and sellers in building strong and weak OSC ties. A survey of 511 buyers from WeChat shows that five of the six IT affordances enhance the quality of interactivity, and thereby facilitate social ties (both strong and weak), which in turn contribute to buyers’ repurchase intentions. Additionally, the findings confirm the positive moderating effect of perceived effectiveness of e-commerce institutional mechanisms (PEEIM) on the strong tie formation process. This paper advances the affordances and social tie literature by examining the antecedents and outcomes of OSC social ties in more detail. Our findings not only benefit the researchers in interpreting how technology helps form different types of relationships in OSC, but also assists practitioners in developing better OSC management strategy.

Suggested Citation

  • Dong, Xueyan & Wang, Tienan, 2018. "Social tie formation in Chinese online social commerce: The role of IT affordances," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 49-64.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ininma:v:42:y:2018:i:c:p:49-64
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.06.002
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0268401217303092
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2018.06.002?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shen, George Chung-Chi & Chiou, Jyh-Shen & Hsiao, Chih-Hui & Wang, Chun-Hsien & Li, Hsin-Ni, 2016. "Effective marketing communication via social networking site: The moderating role of the social tie," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(6), pages 2265-2270.
    2. Kim, Sanghyun & Park, Hyunsun, 2013. "Effects of various characteristics of social commerce (s-commerce) on consumers’ trust and trust performance," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 318-332.
    3. Wu, Wen-Kuei & Wang Chiu, Singa, 2016. "The impact of guanxi positioning on the quality of manufacturer–retailer channel relationships: Evidence from Taiwanese SMEs," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(9), pages 3398-3405.
    4. Xixi Li & J. J. Po-An Hsieh & Arun Rai, 2013. "Motivational Differences Across Post-Acceptance Information System Usage Behaviors: An Investigation in the Business Intelligence Systems Context," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 24(3), pages 659-682, September.
    5. Sinan Aral & Chrysanthos Dellarocas & David Godes, 2013. "Introduction to the Special Issue ---Social Media and Business Transformation: A Framework for Research," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 24(1), pages 3-13, March.
    6. Anonymous, 2013. "Introduction to the Issue," Journal of Wine Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(2), pages 129-130, November.
    7. Gary C. Moore & Izak Benbasat, 1991. "Development of an Instrument to Measure the Perceptions of Adopting an Information Technology Innovation," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 2(3), pages 192-222, September.
    8. Mittal, Vikas & Huppertz, John W. & Khare, Adwait, 2008. "Customer complaining: The role of tie strength and information control," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 84(2), pages 195-204.
    9. Nicole C. Krämer & Leonie Rösner & Sabrina C. Eimler & Stephan Winter & German Neubaum, 2014. "Let the Weakest Link Go! Empirical Explorations on the Relative Importance of Weak and Strong Ties on Social Networking Sites," Societies, MDPI, vol. 4(4), pages 1-25, December.
    10. Hu, Xi & Huang, Qian & Zhong, Xuepan & Davison, Robert M. & Zhao, Dingtao, 2016. "The influence of peer characteristics and technical features of a social shopping website on a consumer’s purchase intention," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 1218-1230.
    11. Anonymous, 2013. "Introduction to the Issue," Journal of Wine Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 8(3), pages 243-243, December.
    12. Liu, Libo & Cheung, Christy M.K. & Lee, Matthew K.O., 2016. "An empirical investigation of information sharing behavior on social commerce sites," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 686-699.
    13. Wang, Yichuan & Yu, Chiahui, 2017. "Social interaction-based consumer decision-making model in social commerce: The role of word of mouth and observational learning," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 179-189.
    14. Wynne W. Chin & Barbara L. Marcolin & Peter R. Newsted, 2003. "A Partial Least Squares Latent Variable Modeling Approach for Measuring Interaction Effects: Results from a Monte Carlo Simulation Study and an Electronic-Mail Emotion/Adoption Study," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 14(2), pages 189-217, June.
    15. Bai, Yan & Yao, Zhong & Dou, Yi-Fan, 2015. "Effect of social commerce factors on user purchase behavior: An empirical investigation from renren.com," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 538-550.
    16. Ahmad, Shimi Naurin & Laroche, Michel, 2017. "Analyzing electronic word of mouth: A social commerce construct," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 202-213.
    17. Paul A. Pavlou & David Gefen, 2004. "Building Effective Online Marketplaces with Institution-Based Trust," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 15(1), pages 37-59, March.
    18. Standifird, Stephen S. & Marshall, R. Scott, 2000. "The transaction cost advantage of guanxi-based business practices," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 21-42, April.
    19. Hajli, Nick, 2015. "Social commerce constructs and consumer's intention to buy," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 183-191.
    20. Xiang, Li & Zheng, Xiabing & Lee, Matthew K.O. & Zhao, Dingtao, 2016. "Exploring consumers’ impulse buying behavior on social commerce platform: The role of parasocial interaction," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 333-347.
    21. Sinan Aral & Dylan Walker, 2014. "Tie Strength, Embeddedness, and Social Influence: A Large-Scale Networked Experiment," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(6), pages 1352-1370, June.
    22. Ananda Das Gupta, 2014. "Social Impact Management," India Studies in Business and Economics, in: Business Ethics, edition 127, chapter 0, pages 189-195, Springer.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zhai, Mengfan & Chen, Yuan, 2023. "How do relational bonds affect user engagement in e-commerce livestreaming? The mediating role of trust," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    2. Li, Chia-Ying & Fang, Yu-Hui & Chiang, Yu-Hung, 2023. "Can AI chatbots help retain customers? An integrative perspective using affordance theory and service-domain logic," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    3. Gan, QingQiu & Lau, Raymond Yiu Keung, 2024. "Trust in a ‘trust-free’ system: Blockchain acceptance in the banking and finance sector," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    4. Sonia Camacho & Andrés Barrios, 2022. "Social commerce affordances for female entrepreneurship: the case of Facebook," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 32(3), pages 1145-1167, September.
    5. Yin, Xicheng & Li, Jing & Si, Hongyun & Wu, Peng, 2024. "Attention marketing in fragmented entertainment: How advertising embedding influences purchase decision in short-form video apps," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    6. Juliana Norizan & Syukrina Alini Mat Ali & Mohd Fikri Ishak, 2023. "The Factors Affecting Consumer Purchase Intention through Social Commerce – A Concept Paper," Information Management and Business Review, AMH International, vol. 15(4), pages 381-386.
    7. Yogesh K Dwivedi & Elvira Ismagilova & Prianka Sarker & Anand Jeyaraj & Yassine Jadil & Laurie Hughes, 2023. "A Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Model for Understanding Social Commerce Adoption," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 1421-1437, August.
    8. Lingbo Fu & Chengyu Xiong & Min Xu, 2023. "Influential Factors Affecting Tea Tourists’ Behavior Intention in Cultural Ecosystem Services: An Affordance Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-18, October.
    9. Qu, Yi & Khan, Jashim & Su, Yuyang & Tong, Jiao & Zhao, Shuo, 2023. "Impulse buying tendency in live-stream commerce: The role of viewing frequency and anticipated emotions influencing scarcity-induced purchase decision," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    10. Yan, Ying & Chen, Hongquan & Shao, Bingjia & Lei, Yuanyang, 2023. "How IT affordances influence customer engagement in live streaming commerce? A dual-stage analysis of PLS-SEM and fsQCA," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    11. Li, Mingwei & Jia, Suling & Du, Wenyu (Derek), 2019. "Fans as a source of extended innovation capabilities: A case study of Xiaomi Technology," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 204-208.
    12. Lee, Kuo-Wei & Li, Chia-Ying, 2023. "It is not merely a chat: Transforming chatbot affordances into dual identification and loyalty," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    13. Zhou, Ying & Huang, Wenmin, 2023. "The influence of network anchor traits on shopping intentions in a live streaming marketing context: The mediating role of value perception and the moderating role of consumer involvement," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 332-342.
    14. Yun, Jeewoo & Lee, Don & Cottingham, Michael & Hyun, Hyowon, 2023. "New generation commerce: The rise of live commerce (L-commerce)," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    15. Jamali, Mehdi & Nejat, Ali & Ghosh, Souparno & Jin, Fang & Cao, Guofeng, 2019. "Social media data and post-disaster recovery," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 25-37.
    16. Li, Chia-Ying & Zhang, Jin-Ting, 2023. "Chatbots or me? Consumers’ switching between human agents and conversational agents," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    17. Wang, Dongyi & Luo, Xin (Robert) & Hua, Ying & Benitez, Jose, 2023. "Customers’ help-seeking propensity and decisions in brands’ self-built live streaming E-Commerce: A mixed-methods and fsQCA investigation from a dual-process perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    18. D'Ambra, John & Akter, Shahriar & Mariani, Marcello, 2022. "Digital transformation of higher education in Australia: Understanding affordance dynamics in E-Textbook engagement and use," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 283-295.
    19. Yang, Hongjun & Zhang, Shengtai, 2022. "Social media affordances and fatigue: The role of privacy concerns, impression management concerns, and self-esteem," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jian Wang & Fakhar Shahzad & Zeeshan Ahmad & Muhammad Abdullah & Nadir Munir Hassan, 2022. "Trust and Consumers’ Purchase Intention in a Social Commerce Platform: A Meta-Analytic Approach," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, April.
    2. Busalim, Abdelsalam H. & Hussin, Ab Razak Che, 2016. "Understanding social commerce: A systematic literature review and directions for further research," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 1075-1088.
    3. Maurice Kügler & Sven Dittes & Stefan Smolnik & Alexander Richter, 2015. "Connect Me! Antecedents and Impact of Social Connectedness in Enterprise Social Software," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 57(3), pages 181-196, June.
    4. Tajvidi, Mina & Richard, Marie-Odile & Wang, YiChuan & Hajli, Nick, 2020. "Brand co-creation through social commerce information sharing: The role of social media," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 476-486.
    5. Jinjie Li & Jiayin Qi & Lianren Wu & Nan Shi & Xu Li & Yuxin Zhang & Yinyin Zheng, 2021. "The Continued Use of Social Commerce Platforms and Psychological Anxiety—The Roles of Influencers, Informational Incentives and FoMO," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-19, November.
    6. Cao, Xiongfei & Yu, Lingling, 2019. "Exploring the influence of excessive social media use at work: A three-dimension usage perspective," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 83-92.
    7. Yogesh K Dwivedi & Elvira Ismagilova & Prianka Sarker & Anand Jeyaraj & Yassine Jadil & Laurie Hughes, 2023. "A Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Model for Understanding Social Commerce Adoption," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 1421-1437, August.
    8. Isaac Kofi Mensah & Guohua Zeng & Chuanyong Luo, 2023. "Determinants of Social Commerce Purchase and Recommendation Intentions Within the Context of Swift Guanxi Among Chinese College Students," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(2), pages 21582440231, June.
    9. Zhang, Hong & Zhao, Ling & Gupta, Sumeet, 2018. "The role of online product recommendations on customer decision making and loyalty in social shopping communities," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 150-166.
    10. Shirazi, Farid & Hajli, Nick & Sims, Julian & Lemke, Fred, 2022. "The role of social factors in purchase journey in the social commerce era," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    11. Sokolova, Karina & Kefi, Hajer, 2020. "Instagram and YouTube bloggers promote it, why should I buy? How credibility and parasocial interaction influence purchase intentions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    12. Fengjiao Zhang & Hong Zhang & Sumeet Gupta, 2023. "Investor participation in reward-based crowdfunding: impacts of entrepreneur efforts, platform characteristics, and perceived value," Information Technology and Management, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 19-36, March.
    13. Lu (Lucy) Yan, 2020. "The Kindness of Commenters: An Empirical Study of the Effectiveness of Perceived and Received Support for Weight‐Loss Outcomes," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 29(6), pages 1448-1466, June.
    14. Kim, Namil & Kim, Wonjoon, 2018. "Do your social media lead you to make social deal purchases? Consumer-generated social referrals for sales via social commerce," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 38-48.
    15. Sven Dittes & Stefan Smolnik, 2019. "Towards a digital work environment: the influence of collaboration and networking on employee performance within an enterprise social media platform," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 89(8), pages 1215-1243, December.
    16. Han, Min Chung, 2023. "Checkout button and online consumer impulse-buying behavior in social commerce: A trust transfer perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    17. Bertschek, Irene & Kesler, Reinhold, 2022. "Let the user speak: Is feedback on Facebook a source of firms’ innovation?," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    18. Natalia Levina & Manuel Arriaga, 2014. "Distinction and Status Production on User-Generated Content Platforms: Using Bourdieu’s Theory of Cultural Production to Understand Social Dynamics in Online Fields," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 25(3), pages 468-488, September.
    19. Attié, Elodie & Meyer-Waarden, Lars, 2022. "The acceptance and usage of smart connected objects according to adoption stages: an enhanced technology acceptance model integrating the diffusion of innovation, uses and gratification and privacy ca," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    20. Chung, Alexander Q.H. & Andreev, Pavel & Benyoucef, Morad & Duane, Aidan & O’Reilly, Philip, 2017. "Managing an organisation’s social media presence: An empirical stages of growth model," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 1405-1417.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ininma:v:42:y:2018:i:c:p:49-64. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-information-management .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.