Does Traditional <em>Guanxi</em> Still Matter in Social Commerce: An Empirical Study in Taiwan

• Main Author: Wen-Kuei Wu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-11-01
• Series: Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research
• Subjects: <i>guanxi</i>; <i>ganqing</i>; <i>renqing</i>; <i>mianzi</i>; social commerce
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/0718-1876/16/3/24

This study aims to explore if traditional <i>guanxi</i> facets (i.e., <i>ganqing</i>, <i>renqing</i> and <i>mianzi</i>) between buyer and seller affect buyer’s trust in seller, recommendation and purchase intention in social commerce. It also investigates the mediating effects of recommendation intention and trust in seller on the relationship between <i>guanxi</i> facets and purchase intention. This study used an online survey in Taiwan and the partial least squares (PLS) model to test the hypotheses. Drawing on a sample of 323 respondents in Taiwan, the results show that (a) <i>ganqing</i>, <i>renqing</i> and trust in seller have positive effects on recommendation intention, (b) all <i>guanxi</i> facets exert positive effects on trust in seller, (c) <i>ganqing</i> and <i>mianzi</i> contribute to recommendation intention via trust in seller, (d) <i>renqing</i> benefits directly purchase intention but also via recommendation intention, and (e) trust in seller facilitates purchase intention via recommendation intention. This study might be the first to investigate the vital roles of traditional <i>guanxi</i> facets, rather than swift <i>guanxi</i>, in social commerce. This study also clarifies the mediating effects of buyer’s recommendation intention and trust in seller on transferring traditional <i>guanxi</i> facets into purchase intention.