Influence of Customer Identification on Online Usage and Purchasing Behaviors in Social Commerce

The emergence and increasing popularity of social networking sites (SNSs) have dramatically changed how people interact with one another and have paved the way for social commerce. Extant literature that examines Internet consumer behavior relies largely on cognitive-based models and thus examines the phenomenon only partially. This study offers an affective perspective to examine usage and purchasing behaviors and their relationships in a social commerce context. Extending customer identification literature, the study proposes that SNS members develop identification with the SNS. This identification further influences their usage and purchasing behaviors through customer loyalty and intention, respectively. The empirical test confirms that customer identification is an effective predictor to both behaviors and usage behavior affects purchasing behavior. Hence, it provides supportive evidence to the validity of affective perspective model and the popular “free and fee” business model in both electronic and social commerce. Theoretical and managerial implications, limitations, and future studies are also discussed.