Integrating theories to predict clothing purchase on SNS
| Pages | 1015-1030 |
| Published date | 10 June 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-10-2018-0430 |
| Date | 10 June 2019 |
| Author | Jordi Pujadas-Hostench,Ramon Palau-Saumell,Santiago Forgas-Coll,Jorge Matute |
| 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 |
Integrating theories to predict
clothing purchase on SNS
Jordi Pujadas-Hostench and Ramon Palau-Saumell
Business Management Department, IQS School of Management,
Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain
Santiago Forgas-Coll
Business Department, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, and
Jorge Matute
Business Management Department, IQS School of Management,
Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona, Spain
Abstract
Purpose –Thepurpose of this paperis to design and testa conceptual modelintegrating usesand gratifications
(UGT),self-image congruity(SIC), and theory of plannedbehavior (TPB) theoriesto identify the driversthat lead
users to developintentions to purchase clothing products through social networking sites (SNS).
Design/methodology/approach –Using an online questionnaire, data were collected from customers of
clothing products who visit the SNS of their preferred clothing brands (n¼1,003). Empirical results, using
partial least squares regressions, were used to test the conceptual model.
Findings –The results supported the model and showed, as the main result, that purchase intention through
the use of SNS is positively affected by intentions to use SNS and SNS use. SNS use is influenced by intentions
to use SNS and by UGT. Intentions to use SNS are positively affected by UGT, attitude and perceived
behavioral control (PBC). Attitude is positively influenced by UGT, SIC, PBC and subjective norm.
Social implications –These findings reveal that the critical elements in achieving purchase intentions in
users through SNS include obtaining their participation by managing the SNS according to users’self-image
and offering useful gratifications.
Originality/value –This paper integrates theories of SIC, UGT and the TPB in a context of technology
post-adoption to understand users’purchase intentions through SNS. By establishing this novel theoretical
integration approach, this paper furthers insight into purchase intentions through SNS.
Keywords Purchase intentions, Theory of planned behaviour, Uses and gratifications,
Self-image congruity, Social network site
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Social networking sites (SNS) pages are also becoming pivotal in influencing users’willingness
to buy products or services (Pöyry et al., 2013). Some of the most famous SNS, such as
Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, have 2.2bn monthly active users, 813m million monthly
active accounts, and 330m monthly active users, respectively (Statista, 2018a). All of this large
number of users could be influenced by the brands’communicationstrategiesinSNS.Infact,
42.17 percent of consumers in the USA felt that SNS significantly influenced their decisions to
purchase goods and services (Statista, 2018b), and in Spain, for example, 14 percent of SNS
users admit that they use them to buy products and services (IAB, 2016). However, contrary to
what happens, little research has specifically analyzed the antecedents of purchase intentions
through the brands’SNS. Research on SNS has been mostly based on the adoption and use of
SNS as communication technologies (Al-Debei et al., 2013; Baker and White, 2010; Wu, 2015).
In the context of SNS, uses and gratifications (UGT) and the theory of planned behavior
(TPB) have been previously used to explain participation and intentions to use these
networks. Earlier research has verified the influence of UGT and TPB in explaining
intentions to use SNS (Al-Debei et al., 2013; Baker and White, 2010; Chiang, 2013; Han et al.,
2015). Additionally research on UGT has identified the substantial relations between the use
Industrial Management & Data
Systems
Vol. 119 No. 5, 2019
pp. 1015-1030
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0263-5577
DOI 10.1108/IMDS-10-2018-0430
Received 4 October 2018
Revised 15 December 2018
18 January 2019
Accepted 26 February 2019
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0263-5577.htm
1015
Clothing
purchase
on SNS
intensity of substantial domains of SNS, such as contents, friend management, group
coordination and gaming, and the perception of gratifications (Leiner et al., 2018), the
relationship between motives and behavioral outcomes of use on Instagram (Sheldon et al.,
2017), the differences in the gratifications dimensions perceived by users depending on the
type of social media use (Phua et al., 2017a, b), or users’gratifications in sharing photos on
Facebook (Malik et al., 2016). These studies, despite the importance of SNS as commercial
platforms, only analyze entertainment, such as participation, and intensity and intentions of
use, rather than the purchase intentions via these platforms. In particular, research on
purchase intentions through SNS has not increased proportionally with the growth and
usage of SNS. In fact, the research being performed on SNS purchase intentions, using the
TPB and UGT approaches, is as yet quite limited (Hajli et al., 2017; Osatuyi and Qin, 2018).
According to self-image theories, people purchase products and services that are
consistent with their own self-image (Sirgy et al., 2008). Thus, self-image congruity (SIC)
facilitates consumers’development of a positive attitude toward products and brands
(Ekinci and Riley, 2003). Since SIC may act as a psychological driver of the users’attitude
toward the continuance intention to use SNS as an entertainment tool (Kang et al., 2013), it is
expected that this variable may explain consumers’attitudes and intentions toward these
commercial platforms. Nonetheless, to our knowledge, the literature that examines the role
of SIC in relation to SNS clothing brand pages is scarce, and, even more, in theoretical
models that integrate TPB and UGT theories.
Given these gaps in previous research, the SIC theory, the UGT and the TPB are
integrated in this study to propose a conceptual model which aims to identify the drivers
that influence users’intentions to purchase through clothing brands’SNS.
The purpose of this study is, therefore, to propose a conceptual framework and test it to
identify the drivers that lead users toward purchase intentions through the SNS of clothing
brands. More specifically, this research examines the simultaneous relationships between
UGT, SIC, attitudes toward SNS, PBC, intentions to use SNS and purchase intentions in SNS.
2. Literature review and research model
2.1 Self-image congruity
Research in marketing has investigated SIC grounded in the self-theory. This theory asserts
that an individual’s behavior is directly related to the improvement of their self-concept,
which must be congruent with oneself (Kwak and Kang, 2009). Sirgy (1982) posits that
brands satisfy consumers’needs according to their degree of congruence with the
customer’s actual or ideal self-concept. Additionally, previous literature on consumer
behavior suggests that a consumer’s self-image can be confirmed, expressed and improved
through the purchase of products (Sirgy, 1982).
The concept of self-image has been extended to self-image congruence, which is based on
the idea that consumers’purchasing decisions are related to the image of the product. This
means that there are coincidences between the image of the product and consumers’own
image of themselves (Kressmann et al., 2006), which implies that customers who think their
self-image is congruent with the brand feel more social pressure through their reference
groups (Shin et al., 2016). Likewise, SIC is a predictor of an individual behavior (Haj-Salem
et al., 2016) and the forming of favorable attitudes toward a product (Ibrahim and Najjar,
2008). Previous literature identified the positive on attitude, among e-reader users (Anton
et al., 2013) and one attitudinal variable, namely, engagement (Islam et al., 2018).
Consequently, it is assumed that consumers who perceive a clothing brand page on SNS to
be compatible with their image will tend to develop favorable attitudes toward the clothing
brand’s SNS page. So, the following hypothesis is proposed:
H1. SIC has a positive effect on a user’s attitude toward the SNS.
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