Electronic customer-to-customer interaction and customer stickiness in social commerce in China: A motivation-opportunity-ability theory perspective / Zhou Ying

Zhou , Ying (2023) Electronic customer-to-customer interaction and customer stickiness in social commerce in China: A motivation-opportunity-ability theory perspective / Zhou Ying. PhD thesis, Universiti Malaya.

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Abstract

Social media and Web 2.0 technologies have converted e-commerce into a new business paradigm known as social commerce. This advancement has shifted the role of customers and empowered them by putting them in a unique position to influence other buyers and offer purchase advice. While considerable research has been undertaken on consumer behaviour, understanding the factors that drive electronic customer-tocustomer interaction (eCCI) is limited, particularly in the social commerce context. Additionally, as most empirical studies into the eCCI phenomena have been undertaken at the firm level, a significant opportunity remains to understand eCCI at the individual level. This limitation arises from a dearth of theoretical frameworks for such behaviour. In this study, the key factors that encourage eCCI on social commerce sites are collected from the literature. Drawing from motivation-opportunity-ability (MOA) theory, this study aims to observe how MOA theory constructs (intrinsic motivation, perceived selfefficacy and tie strength with other customers) integrate impact eCCI, which in turn affects customer stickiness. A purposive sampling method was used to select 445 customers from social commerce sites in China. A multi-method approach was adopted, combining partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), the PROCESS macro and necessary condition analysis (NCA). The PLS-SEM results demonstrated that eCCI behaviour is strongly determined by intrinsic motivation, perceived self-efficacy and tie strength with other customers. Among these factors, intrinsic motivation partially mediates the association between perceived self-efficacy and eCCI. The findings also demonstrated that eCCI impacts customer stickiness. Moreover, the moderated mediation results showed that tie strength with other customers moderates the relationship between intrinsic motivation and eCCI. Furthermore, the NCA results suggested that intrinsic motivation, perceived self-efficacy and tie strength with other customers are necessary conditions for eCCI, and eCCI is necessary for customer stickiness. The combined results indicated how researchers and practitioners could identify the critical factors for eCCI and customer stickiness, resulting in the best possible outcomes. This study enriches previous research on existing theories of eCCI and gives practical guidance for companies to encourage eCCI and enhance customer stickiness of company social commerce sites. Overall, this study introduces a new way of assessing eCCI and reports eCCI behaviour as a new and dynamic approach to explore how its outcomes can be enhanced in social commerce marketing. Such outcomes may help social commerce and service providers in delivering their services.

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