FACTORS AFFECTING SOCIAL COMMERCE INTENTION: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

Recently, there has been a significant increase in the use of social media, especially among the new generation of users. In parallel with this increase, social media platforms have highlighted the concept of social commerce - an extension of e-commerce - and put it on the current agenda. In social commerce, social media platforms are used to share, create, and request product information, perceptions, and views, with customers also making purchases. The social commerce intention of the new generation via social media platforms is the focus of this study. This study investigates the social commerce intention of students at a public university in Yalova, Turkey, to purchase products via Instagram and the factors that affect this intention. 296 students participated in the study. Findings suggest that the price and reputation of social commerce vendors positively affect user trust. Also, habit, perceived ease of use, and hedonic motivation also positively affect social commerce intention. Trust in the social vendor positively affects social commerce intention. Other hypotheses are rejected. This study contributes to the literature by analysing the role of different factors in social commerce intention