This Thing of Social Media!

Abstract

Studies on online purchases abound, but are rarely on social media or social networking service (SNS) to highlight its influence on participants with regards to online purchases. This paper dares to do this. The SNS, although it was envisaged to be a platform for socialisation, has transmuted into a business model that is actually impacting on sales volume of organisations. Predictably, it could be said that the sustainability of this new business phenomenon depends on the continuance patronage of the SNS participants. This study investigated the dynamics impacting on SNS participant to find out whether what makes them purchase through it depends on habit or sheer influence. The study embarked on an online data collection process and performed a structural equation modelling (SEM) with the aid of a partial least square (PLS) program known as PLS-SEM.