Published Online:May 2025
Product Name:The IUP Journal of Marketing Management
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJMM010525
DOI:10.71329/IUPJMM/2025.24.2.5-22
Author Name:Sruthy Krishna V G and Aravind J
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Management
Download Format:PDF
Pages:5-22
In recent years, social commerce—the fusion of e-commerce with social media platforms— has grown significantly in prominence. Given the rise of social media platforms and their influence on consumer behavior, the present study examines the influence of social commerce constructs and social support on the purchase intentions of customers. It also explores the mediating role of trust in the relationship between social commerce constructs (SCCs) and social support (SS) and purchasing intention. Data was collected using an online questionnaire distributed through popular social networking platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. The data collection was done between March 15 and April 15, 2024. The findings of the study, using structural equation modeling (SEM) technique, reveal that ratings and reviews, forums and communities, and recommendations and referrals do not exert a significant influence on trust among Indian consumers on social commerce platforms. However, the findings indicate that both informational support and emotional support significantly influence trust, suggesting that SS mechanisms play a crucial role in enhancing consumer trust on social commerce platforms. Trust emerges as a key determinant of purchase intention on social commerce platforms. Additionally, the results suggest that trust mediates the relationship between SS and purchase intention, but the mediating role of trust in the relationship between SCCs and purchase intention is found to be insignificant.
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about several changes in people’s behavior and their daily lives. Especially in marketing, social media and the Internet allow marketers a new pathway to engage with their consumers due to their faster connectivity (Sheikh et al., 2019).