Shopping on social networks : is this the storefront of the future?

Abstract

Consumers are moving towards social networking technologies as an alternative channel for shopping. This research extended the technology acceptance model (TAM) to investigate the factors that predict Facebook users' behavioural intentions towards the adoption of Facebook shopping, as well as the moderating role of trust. A convenience sample of 384 South African Facebook users completed the online survey. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used to test the hypotheses. The results revealed that perceived enjoyment and perceived usefulness were the most important predictors of shopping on Facebook, while privacy risk and social norms did not significantly influence intent to shop. Although the moderating role of trust could not be confirmed it seems as if consumers are more positive about shopping on Facebook than general online shopping. The implications offered will assist in the formulation of effective marketing strategies to drive the up-take of shopping on Facebook.