The Influence of Brand Social Interaction on Purchase Intention: A Perspective of Social Capital

The development of social media supports and broadens the possibility for consumers to participate in social interaction, not to mention that the online and offline social interaction independently designed by the brand have played an important role in enhancing consumers’ purchase intentions. Based on the perspective of social capital, this article explores the influence of brand social interaction (BSI) on users’ purchase intentions. It discusses the role of BSI factors at the online and offline levels on the formation of social capital, as well as the impact of social capital on continued purchase intentions, and proposes a hypothetical model. Our model is empirically tested through survey data collected from 395 member-level users of Midea, a well-known home appliance brand in China. The empirical results show that online interactive support, immersion, and offline brand activities are important antecedents of social capital, and the last two especially significant. In contrast, the influence of online interactive reaction on shared narratives is supportless. In addition, identification and shared narratives significantly affect purchase intention, while the positive impact of social ties has not been endorsed. Finally, the research discusses the theoretical and practical significance of the results, which is a real and effective guide for companies to carry out BSI, thereby improving consumers’ purchase intentions.