Mechanism and boundary condition of consumer-to-consumer support on purchase intention in clean food social commerce
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21295682 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Johakim Katekele John (0000-0002-5411-0147, Beijing Jiaotong University), Xiaodong Qiu (0000-0002-8743-5052, Beijing Jiaotong University), Jerum William Kilumile (0000-0002-9692-2813, Beijing Jiaotong University), Husna Sizza (0009-0000-6042-8605, Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology School of Business Studies and Humanities) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 128 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 2296-2313 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-28 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | British Food Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-070X • E-ISSN: 1758-4108 |
| Publisher | Emerald (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1108/bfj-08-2025-1124 |
| OpenAlex | W7117292282 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 47 |
Purpose This study aimed to explore the purchase intention process in the clean food social commerce (SC) domain. It specifically focused on when consumer-to-consumer (C2C) information and emotional social support elicit a stronger influence on purchase intention. It also considered the mediation role of trust in the seller. Design/methodology/approach This study draws its conclusion based on data from a cross-sectional survey of 368 Tanzanian youth. Partial Least Squares Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was adopted to test the research model, which was grounded in social support theory, source credibility theory, persuasion knowledge model and trust transfer theory. Findings It was revealed that a stronger positive influence of emotional and informational support on purchase intention is subject to the source of support. Also, trust in the seller revealed mediation effects on relationships. Originality/value This study uniquely clarifies the boundary condition behind the effectiveness of types of C2C social support in clean food SC. Also, it unveils the critical role of trust in the seller. Therefore, it offers strategic guidance for augmenting consumer trust and promoting clean food purchases, thereby advancing progress towards the UN-SDGs, particularly Goal 12
Credibility · Mediation · Moderated mediation · Persuasion · Social commerce · Social influence · Source credibility · Structural equation modeling · Customer Service Quality and Loyalty · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Food Waste Reduction and Sustainability
Social Support Theory and Measurement
Prediction
Construction and Validation of a Scale to Measure Celebrity Endorsers' Perceived Expertise, Trustworthiness, and Attractiveness
Making sense of the “clean label” trends
Trust Transfer on the World Wide Web
Progress in partial least squares structural equation modeling use in marketing research in the last decade
When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM
Consumer perception of clean food labels
Do food influencers shape consumers’ decisions to co-create and purchase organic food brands? The role of homophily
Exploring consumers' attitude and intent to purchase organic food in an emerging market context
“From farm to fork, naturally”
How Influencer Content Credibility Drives Brand Co-creation
Clean eating and Instagram
Impacts of user interactions on trust development in C2C social commerce
Understanding Chinese consumer engagement in social commerce
C2C interaction in the online review system
Do perceived norms of social media users’ eating habits and preferences predict our own food consumption and BMI
Trust and Consumers' Purchase Intention in a Social Commerce Platform
The Persuasion Knowledge Model
Consumers' Use of Persuasion Knowledge
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |