Consumer adoption of social commerce

Abstract

The paper considers the emergent, so called, ‘social commerce’ imperative which enables consumers to generate active WEB content and engage commercially with providers through social networking systems. It is apparent that little research currently addresses the need for an understanding of consumer adoption in this respect and therefore further critical issues involved in contemporary consumer research. Our contribution relates to a consideration of adoption behaviour through the formulation of the technology acceptance model (TAM), social commerce constructs and trust. We consequently present specific insights into consumers ‘intention to buy’ through social commerce engagement. The results of our research also inform providers with an initial important awareness of the impact of social media within a commercial context.