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The influences of expressive and instrumental social ties in social commerce: integrating dyadic views from buyers and sellers

Xixi Li (School of Economics and Management, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China)
Zhijie Li (School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China)
Qian Wang (School of Economics and Management, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China)
Xunhua Guo (School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China)

Information Technology & People

ISSN: 0959-3845

Article publication date: 12 January 2023

Issue publication date: 9 January 2024

655

Abstract

Purpose

Entrepreneurs and individual sellers heavily leverage their social ties embedded in social media, expressive or instrumental, to penetrate the market and achieve business success. However, the extant social commerce literature offers limited understanding on how different forms of buyer−seller social ties embedded in social media affect buyers' purchase behaviors. The study draws on the theoretical lens of social ties and proposes an integrative theoretical framework to understand the direct and indirect influences of expressive and instrumental ties (ExTSM and InTSM) between buyers and sellers on buyers' purchase intention (PI) in social commerce.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors first validated the measures of ExTSM and InTSM with survey data from 166 Weibo commerce buyers. They then tested their theoretical framework and hypotheses with survey data from 246 buyer−seller dyads in WeChat commerce.

Findings

With a buyer-centric view, (1) ExTSM and InTSM, respectively, had a direct negative and a positive influence on PI; (2) both trust and perceived product value displayed inconsistent mediation effects on the negative relationship between ExTSM and PI; and (3) only perceived product value mediated the positive influence of InTSM on PI. From sellers' viewpoint, (1) their ExTSM and InTSM with buyers were mixed up, and (2) the mingled social ties negatively impacted buyers' purchase intention.

Originality/value

The findings of the study advance the theoretical understanding of social commerce and offer practical guidance for small and medium-sized enterprises to effectively utilize social media for business purposes.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Funding: The authors appreciate the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants 72293561 and 71701110), Tsinghua University Initiative Scientific Research Program (Grant 2019THZWYX08), and Research Center for Interactive Technology Industry of Tsinghua University (Grant RCITI2022T002).

Citation

Li, X., Li, Z., Wang, Q. and Guo, X. (2024), "The influences of expressive and instrumental social ties in social commerce: integrating dyadic views from buyers and sellers", Information Technology & People, Vol. 37 No. 1, pp. 251-284. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-11-2021-0875

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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