This research proposes and validates the Online Social Presence (OSP) scale and framework as an effective means of addressing the struggle e-tailers have encountered in attempting to create persuasive and effective online retailing experiences, which persuade customers to purchase their products and services. Online Social Presence (OSP) reexamines and extends the original social presence theory to the complex and dynamic e-tailing environment to address research that indicates that the typical online shopping experience lacks warmth and sociability.
A robust mixture of qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed to validate the Online Social Presence (OSP) as containing three reflectively measured first-order constructs (intimacy, immediacy, and authenticity) which formatively create the second-order construct of OSP. The research process included qualitative item generation and qualitative and quantitative item purification procedures. PLS-SEM was employed to validate a twenty-one item validated OSP scale and establish nomological validity of the OSP scale and framework in the context of e-Satisfaction as an established outcome variable
