Social E-shopping for apparel using Facebook: testing a meta-theoretical model of motivation and personality

Abstract

"Social e-shopping" merges shopping and social networking activities through social media online. Retailers employ social media to target teens and young adult consumers making social networking sites an essential venue to marketing practices and have begun to use Facebook commerce as it helps businesses facilitate and execute sales transactions. The research objectives were to investigate (1) whether personality traits (i.e., openness to experience, material resource needs, arousal needs) affected psychographic characteristics (i.e., market mavenism, social browsing, value consciousness) and intentions to social e-shop apparel, (2) whether psychographic characteristics affected gratifications (i.e., socializing, information-seeking) and intentions to social e-shop apparel, (3) whether gratifications affected intentions to social e-shop apparel, and (4) whether tie strength and homophily moderated the links between gratifications and intentions to social e-shop apparel within the Meta-Theoretical Model of Motivation and Personality developed by Mowen (2000). Participants (n = 601) were Facebook users from 18 to 44 years of age who had social shopping experience. They were drawn from a consumer panel. Data was collected through an online self-administered survey. Participants who were likely to social e-shop using Facebook for the purpose of information-seeking and socializing gratifications indicated that they intended to social e-shop apparel. Participants who were market mavens intended to social e-shop apparel. They were also likely to social e-shop for the purpose of socializing. Participants who were social browsers also intended to social e-shop apparel. They were also likely to social e-shop for the purposes of information-seeking and socializing. Participants who were value conscious intended to social e-shop apparel. They were also likely to social e-shop for the purpose of information-seeking. Participants who were open to experience were likely to be market mavens. Participants who needed arousal were likely to be social browsers. Participants who needed material resources were likely to be market mavens, social browsers, and to be value conscious. Tie strength and homophily moderated the links between both types of gratifications (socialization, information-seeking) and intentions to social e-shop apparel. Theoretical and managerial implications and suggestions for future research based on the findings were provided.