How do online sales channels affect global product purchases? The role of CSR and cross-country differences

Abstract

This study aims to extend the link between online purchasability and consumers’ actual purchase behavior in the global product context by considering global companies’ social contributions and cross-country differences. Using 1033 datasets from South Korea (n = 545) and Japan (n = 488), we employed the PROCESS macro to test the moderated moderated mediation hypothesis. Our findings highlight that global companies’ social contributions strengthen the positive indirect effect of online purchasability on purchase frequency by increasing the number of items purchased. Furthermore, contrary to our prediction, Japanese consumers with a high evaluation of social contribution have a stronger positive indirect link between online purchasability and purchase frequency than South Korean consumers. We provide significant insights into the implications of online sales channel management and its strategy, highlighting the role of corporate social responsibility in better understanding the dynamics of global consumer product purchases in the context of a cross-country analysis.