THE MODERATING EFFECTS OF CONTEXTUAL FACTORS ON A BUYER’S TRUST IN E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS AND SELLERS

Drawing on trust transfer theory and signal theory, we investigate how perceived effectiveness of e-commerce institutional mechanisms (PEEIM) and perceived website quality of the seller (PWQS) moderate the relationships between trust in platform, trust in seller and purchase intention in the context of Consumer to Consumer (C2C) platforms. To test our proposed model, we surveyed 224 buyers of TaoBao, a major Chinese C2C portal. The results indicate that PEEIM has no effect on the relationship between trust in platform and trust in seller, yet it positively moderates the relationship between trust in seller and purchase intention. In addition, PWQS positively moderates the relationship between trust in platform and trust in seller, but negatively moderates the relationship between trust in seller and purchase intention. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed

Towards an understanding of consumer´s behavior of buying secondhand products on social media

Due to the research scarcity in consumers’ secondhand shopping behaviors and consumer-to-consumer (C2C) businesses on social media platforms, this thesis decided to concentrate on both secondhand products and social media. The aim of this thesis is to explore the consumers’ behaviors of buying secondhand products on social media – a new channel of doing C2C businesses. To achieve the research aim, I conducted a combined method consisting of 106 questionnaires and ten semi-structured interviews to collect empirical data in this study. After an analysis of empirical data including both qualitative and quantitative data, three main findings were concluded. (1) The thesis firstly explored the social media as an open online marketplace for doing secondhand transactions. Consumers exchange secondhand products on social media in an ‘informal’ way. (2) The finding highlighted that, when consumers buy secondhand products on social media platforms, they are involved either in a ‘passive shopping’ process or an ‘active shopping’ process, and it is highly possible for them to experience hedonic factors (e.g. excitement, fun) due to the occasional and unexpected shopping results. This finding provides two new angels (passive shopping and active shopping) for researchers to analyze consumer behaviors in the future. (3) By extending the study of secondhand shopping motivation from Guiot & Roux (2009, 2010) in an online trading environment, the findings showed that utilitarian aspects of shopping such as price, convenience, product information, and trust mainly drive consumers’ behavior of buying secondhand products on social media. Environmental consideration and recreational motivation are less important than those utilitarian aspects

The role of customer inspiration and relationship quality in engaging the online experience: insights from Kuwait and Portugal

The main research objective of the current thesis is to analyse the relationship between the online experience and customer engagement considering moderators and mediators and compare between Kuwait and Portugal. The thesis provides a systematic literature review on the online experience, customer inspiration, relationship quality, customer engagement, e-commerce, and national culture. Next, we conducted in-depth interviews with seven participants from Kuwait and Portugal, which allowed us to understand similarities and differences in online customer purchasing experience perceived by Kuwait and Portuguese customers and contributed to creating the conceptual model to be analysed in the quantitative approach. We used two Qualtrics panel samples for the qualitative research, one with 210 participants from Kuwait and another with 240 from Portugal. Major findings reveal that (i) customer empowerment strengthens the relationship between customer perceived value and online engagement, (ii) cooperation, e-commerce, and cultural perceptions are three relevant factors contributing to form three clusters of participants from Kuwait and Portugal, (iii) both online relationship quality and customer inspiration act as mediators in the relationship between the online experience and customer engagement, (iv) and finally there are differences between Kuwait and Portugal in engaging online, based on cultural differences. Managers can benefit from our research by offering an immersive online experience to their customers. Through stimulating online experiences, firms can inform customers about their products and services, educate their stakeholders about various subjects and, above all, manage a collaborative and participatory digital environment.O principal objetivo de investigação desta tese é analisar a relação entre a experiência online e o compromisso do cliente, considerando diferentes moderadores e mediadores e comparando entre o Kuwait e Portugal. A tese oferece uma revisão sistemática da literatura sobre a experiência online, inspiração do cliente, qualidade de relacionamento, compromisso do cliente, e-commerce e dimensões culturais. Em seguida, realizamos entrevistas em profundidade com sete participantes do Kuwait e de Portugal, o que nos permitiu compreender semelhanças e diferenças na experiência de compra destes clientes e contribuiu para a criação do modelo conceptual a ser analisado na abordagem quantitativa. Utilizámos duas amostras de painéis da plataforma Qualtrics para as pesquisas qualitativas, uma com 210 participantes do Kuwait e outra com 240 participantes de Portugal. As principais conclusões revelam que (i) o fortalecimento do cliente reforça a relação entre o valor percebido do cliente e o compromisso online, que (ii) a cooperação, o e-commerce e as perceções culturais são três fatores relevantes que contribuem para a formação de três grupos de consumidores, que (iii) tanto a qualidade da relação online como a inspiração do cliente atuam como mediadores na relação entre a experiência online e o compromisso do cliente, e finalmente, que (iv) existem diferenças entre o Kuwait e Portugal no envolvimento online, com base nas diferenças culturais. Os gestores podem beneficiar da nossa pesquisa oferecendo uma experiência online imersiva aos seus clientes. Através do estímulo de experiências online, as empresas podem informar os clientes sobre os seus produtos e serviços, educar os seus "stakeholders" sobre vários assuntos e, acima de tudo, gerir um ambiente digital colaborativo e participativo

Modern fashion consumption : profiling female fashion consumers in Finland

The purpose of the thesis was to profile young Finnish female consumers based on their consumption motives and habits. The concept of consumption was approached from a holistic perspective, entailing the process of consumption from purchasing to using and disposing of clothing. This study addressed the following research questions relating to fashion consumption: • What motives drive the fashion consumption of young women in Finland? • What is the role of C2C channels in fashion consumption? • What is the role of ethical consumerism in fashion consumption? • What are the types of consumers that exist in the Finnish fashion market? The complete process of consumption has not been researched thoroughly as a continuum before, especially in relation to attitudes and motives. Another important theme of the study were niche phenomena of the industry, such as C2C consumption and ethical fashion, which offer opportunities for alternative consumption methods. The empirical section of the study utilized quantitative methods to investigate current consumption habits. A survey was distributed to university students generating more than 500 responses. The data was processed using a factor analysis to recognize structures within the data. These attributes were utilized further in an exploratory cluster analysis, which yielded three different consumer types that showcased interesting behavior patterns in relation to pre-existing literature. The consumer types were named the ethically oriented consumer, the second hand shopper and the impulsive trend-follower. The results show that the consumer field of fashion is fragmented as consumers are driven by differing attitudes and motives. Overall, the study contributes to a body of ethical literature and showcases that consumption habits could be influenced by educating consumers about more ethical consumption practices

Personalised Content in Mobile Applications and Purchase Intentions: An Exploratory Study

This study aims to examine how personalised content affects consumers’ purchase intentions in the mobile beauty shopping applications within the UK. Based on previous studies personalised content on mobile beauty applications influences consumer behaviour in terms of mobile application convenience, m-loyalty and emotions. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 females between the ages of 18-35 who live in the UK. According to the results, personalised content has a positive influence on both mobile convenience and m-loyalty while for emotions the influence is both positive and negative. Moreover, findings also suggested that the personalisation-privacy paradox can prevent consumers from making a purchase. The study provides suggestions towards m-retailers and managers in relation to m-commerce and beauty mobile applications. Findings also offer an insight with regards to how m-retailers can successfully incorporate personalised content to increase consumers’ retention and eventually their profitability

Conceptualizing the Electronic Word-of-Mouth Process: What We Know and Need to Know About eWOM Creation, Exposure, and Evaluation

Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) is a prevalent consumer practice that has undeniable effects on the company bottom line, yet it remains an over-labeled and under-theorized concept. Thus, marketers could benefit from a practical, science-based roadmap to maximize its business value. Building on the consumer motivation–opportunity–ability framework, this study conceptualizes three distinct stages in the eWOM process: eWOM creation, eWOM exposure, and eWOM evaluation. For each stage, we adopt a dual lens—from the perspective of the consumer (who sends and receives eWOM) and that of the marketer (who amplifies and manages eWOM for business results)—to synthesize key research insights and propose a research agenda based on a multidisciplinary systematic review of 1050 academic publications on eWOM published between 1996 and 2019. We conclude with a discussion of the future of eWOM research and practice

Exploring Central Platform Types and Related Concepts in Service Research – A Systematic Literature Review

Service exchange is considered as an integral component of digital platforms. Academic research differentiates between technical, economic, and social platforms, yet scholars face a multitude of diverse platform sub-types being inconsistently utilized. To address that issue and to provide a lexical platform definition overview, this study conducts a systematic scoping literature review on platform types and related concepts in the service domain. The systematic analysis of 49 high-quality service journal articles reveals that numerous digital platform sub-types exist in service research with overlapping definitions. Moreover, several relationship marketing constructs are investigated as central related concepts. This article is the first to explore divergent platform term definitions in the service domain and thus contributes a complementary service science lens on digital platforms alongside IS research