What drives social shopping in social commerce platform? The effects of affordance, self-congruity and functional-congruity

Bibliographic Data

ID7155752
AuthorsXiang Gong (0000-0003-4715-5205, Northwestern Polytechnical University), Yi Yang (0000-0002-9729-8522, Xi'an Jiaotong University), Wei Wu (0000-0003-1901-9134, Nanjing University of Finance and Economics)
Year2026
Volume39
Issue1
Pages178-204
Publication date2026-01-14
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInformation Technology and People (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0959-3845 • E-ISSN: 1758-5813
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/itp-03-2023-0249
OpenAlexW4403597955
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited87

Purpose Social group system and social tagging system, which leverage the psychological mechanisms underlying group influence and social tags to drive consumer behaviors, have been prevalent in the social commerce platform. However, limited studies have examined how the affordances of social group system and social tagging system influence consumers’ social shopping behavior. The purpose of this study is to examine the formation of social shopping behavior in the social commerce platform. Design/methodology/approach Combining affordance theory with dual-congruity theory, we develop a model to examine how the affordances of social group system and social tagging system influence consumers’ social shopping behavior through the underlying self-congruity and functional-congruity processes. We empirically validate the research model using a multimethod approach, including an instrument development study and a field survey study. Findings Our empirical findings show that social support positively influences relational identity, while it has a nonsignificant effect on social identity. Social interactivity positively influences relational identity and social identity. Furthermore, social tagging quality and social endorser credibility positively affect perceived diagnosticity and perceived serendipity. Finally, relational identity, social identity, perceived diagnosticity and perceived serendipity collectively determine consumers’ social shopping intention. Originality/value This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of social shopping in social commerce and offers practical implications for designing an effective social group system and social tagging system to boost product sales

Affordance · Cognitive psychology · Human–computer interaction · Social commerce · Social media · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Psychology · Sharing Economy and Platforms · Technology Adoption and User Behaviour

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