Facebook Marketplace: The Mediating Effect of Perceived Quality to Image Quality and Purchase Intention

Abstract

With the limitations posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, marketers and sellers have shifted to using online platforms to market and sell their products. Thus, the objective of this study is to test the influence of the quality of food images used online on the perceived quality of the food product and on customers’ intent to purchase. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test four hypotheses. Results suggest that food image quality significantly influences perceived value, perceived value significantly influences purchase intention, and food image quality significantly influences purchase intention. Further, it was revealed that perceived quality mediates the relationship between food image quality and purchase intention. The results of the study have implications for marketers and online food sellers, which may serve as their basis in assuring that food photos they use in selling food on online platforms will translate into purchase intention. The study also contributes to the available literature because limited studies tested image quality as an extrinsic cue and investigated the mediating role of perceived quality.