The Influencing Factors on Consumers’ Intention to Use Social Commerce: Moderating Effects of Collectivism
Authors:   Asia-Europe Perspective Association, Yi Hui-Uk , Kwon Soon-Yong 
Published: June 2018

Social commerce is growing as rapidly as SNS spreads. The social commerce market is expected to increase from $500 million in 2011 to $3 billion in 2015 in the US, while it is currently estimated to be 1,000 billion Won in Korea. Moreover, as large-scale retailers begin to aggressively participate in the social commerce market, the market size is expected to grow even bigger. Despite the world-wide growth of the social commerce market as such, not much academic research on it has been conducted. There have been recent studies on consumer behavior in social commerce, which lacked, however, following studies and failed to generate substantial results. These previous studies focused on consumer behavior by applying various models and theories explaining consumer behavior to social commerce, rather than on variables reflecting the characteristics of social commerce.
The present study, focusing on two important variables of social commerce in comparison with other commerce, attempts to explain the relationship among the variables, consumers’ attitudes, and their intention to use social commerce. The study goals are as follows. First, it tests effects of social influence as a variable related with SNS, distinguished from existing e-commerce. For this, this study analyzes the influence of social norm, a variable of social influence, on consumers’ attitudes toward social commerce and their intention to use it. Second, one of the important driving forces behind the rapid growth of social commerce is the large price-discount. The price-consciousness of consumers that they can purchase a product at a reduced price by 50% through social commerce, unlike existing commerce, can be a significant factor in consumers’ attitudes toward and intention to use social commerce. In this respect the current study examines the relationship among these. Third, in social commerce, in which purchase is possible, regardless of the intensity of individual buying intention, when a certain number of buyers participate, collective rather than personal power plays an important role. Thus, this study analyzes the moderating role of collectivism in the relationship among social norm, consumers’ price-consciousness, their attitudes toward social commerce, and their intention to use social commerce.
Six hypotheses are tested in this study specifically.
Hypothesis 1: The more favorable attitude-toward-social commerce will result in the higher using intention of social commerce.
Hypothesis 2: The stronger social norm will result in the higher using intention of social commerce.
Hypothesis 3: The higher price consciousness will result in the more favorable attitude-toward-social commerce.
Hypothesis 4: The higher price consciousness will result in the higher using intention of social commerce.
Hypothesis 5: The moderating effect of collectivism will be found in the relationship between the attitude-toward-social commerce and the intention to use social commerce.
Hypothesis 6: The moderating effect of collectivism will be found in the relationship between the price consciousness and the using intention of social commerce.
The data for the current study were collected from college students, who in general more quickly accept the latest information technology and social changes than other demographic categories. College students in their twenties, as the most active users of SNS and social commerce, can be deemed the most suitable sample for this study. A total number of 318 students were surveyed, and 281 responses were analyzed except those of the surveyed with little experience in social commerce.
The results of the analysis are as follows. Consumers’ attitudes toward social commerce have a positive influence, while social norm has no significant influence, on their intention to use social commerce. The price-consciousness of consumers has a positive influence on both their attitudes toward and intention to use social commerce.