The study of social networking site characteristics on consumer trust towards positive WOM and purchase intention

Social commerce is the process of selling products and services directly through social media such as social networking sites (SNSs). In recent years, social commerce has experienced a significant expansion, especially in cross-border e-commerce and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Important characteristics of SNSs include intimacy, familiarity, expertise and interactivity. This study examined the influence of these four characteristics on consumer trust as well as the influence of trust in turn on purchase intention and positive word-of-mouth (WOM). This investigation was based on the stimulus-organism-response framework in which shopping experience was included as a moderator. We confirmed positive correlations between familiarity, expertise, and interactivity with consumer trust as well as positive correlations between trust with purchase intention and positive WOM. There was no significant relationship between intimacy and consumer trust. We also found that shopping experience played a crucial moderating role in the relationships between familiarity, expertise, and interactivity with trust.