How perceived social distance and trust influence reciprocity expectations and eWOM sharing intention in social commerce
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-04-2018-0139 |
| Date | 13 May 2019 |
| Pages | 867-880 |
| Published date | 13 May 2019 |
| Author | Xue Yang |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information systems,Data management systems,Knowledge management,Knowledge sharing,Management science & operations,Supply chain management,Supply chain information systems,Logistics,Quality management/systems |
How perceived social distance
and trust influence reciprocity
expectations and eWOM sharing
intention in social commerce
Xue Yang
Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China
Abstract
Purpose –Currently, consumers can easily access social media to share information and experiences. How a
relationship between these consumers influences their decisions has not been clearly investigated. When
consumers participate in information sharing activities, they usually communicate with each other and can
perceive their social distance from others. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to explore the direct and indirect
effects of perceived social distance on eWOM sharing intentions.
Design/methodology/approach –Specifically, a moderated mediation model was validated, in which the
indirect effect of perceived social distance on eWOM sharing intentions through reciprocity expectations was
moderated by trust.
Findings –Perceived social distance had a positive indirect effect on eWOM sharing intentions through
reciprocity expectations, which was found to be negatively moderated by trust.
Originality/value –This study integrates the concept of perceived social distance into the eWOM research
area. Moreover, this result adds to the s-commerce literature by specifying the conditions of the indirect effect
of perceived social distance through reciprocity expectations on eWOM sharing intention.
Keywords eWOM, Trust, Social commerce, Perceived social distance, Reciprocity expectations
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Social media is a ubiquitous platform that enables people all over the world to share
information and knowledge (Choi and Lee, 2017; Tang et al., 2016; Yadav and Rahman,
2017). It has thoroughly eliminated the temporal and geographical barriers of social
interactions and communications (Chang and Chuang, 2011). Social commerce
(s-commerce) promotes online purchasing, along with product-related and purchase-
related information exchange (Gonçalves Curty and Zhang, 2013; Lin et al., 2017; Yang
et al., 2016). The boost in s-commerce has generated abundant online consumer-generated
content (CGC) or eWOM (Goh et al., 2013; Wang et al., 2016). Typically, traditional eWOM
is posted by strangers on online shopping websites, while eWOM in s-commerce is usually
generated by friends and acquaintances through social networking sites. It is said that
products with affirmative online reviews can make a good impression on potential
consumers, and these online reviews are very critical for company performance
(Hernández-Ortega, 2018).
Previous research has explored the antecedents and outcomes of eWOM (Chu and
Sung, 2015; Lee et al., 2012; Wu and Lin, 2017; , 2015, 2016). For example, eWOM can
directly or indirectly impact consumers’attitudes and purchase intentions (Wu and
Lin, 2017). Sheu and Chu (2017) also argued that positive eWOM is related to purchase
intentions. Yang et al. (2015) proposed that interacting with s-commerce websites and
other online consumers can improve positive eWOM behaviors. Similarly, Chu and Sung
(2015) found that peer communication was positively related to brand-related eWOM.
However, some consumers, such as lurkers, only consume the eWOM information in social
media without making eWOM contributions. These consumers also communicate with
Industrial Management & Data
Systems
Vol. 119 No. 4, 2019
pp. 867-880
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0263-5577
DOI 10.1108/IMDS-04-2018-0139
Received 3 April 2018
Revised 19 July 2018
22 September 2018
Accepted 11 October 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
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867
Perceived
social distance
and trust
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