How Attachment Influences Users' Decisions in Mobile Social Commerce Context From a Socio-Technical Systems Perspective

Abstract

Drivers of social commerce usage have been the focus of scholars, but mobile social commerce is currently a sparsely researched area and therefore worth considering. Drawing on the socio-technical systems perspective and attachment theory, this article aims to examine the effect of social and technical enablers on user attachment and whether attachment influences users' shopping and sharing intentions. Results of an empirical study (N=305 active Pinduoduo users) indicate that emotional attachment directly impacts users' intentions, while functional attachment does so indirectly through emotional attachment. Besides, social and technical factors impact emotional and functional attachment, respectively. The study provides further insights about the impact of social and technical factors on attachment and attachment on MSC intention, and contributes to MSC research and practice by developing and validating the role of MSC platforms attributes in forming users' s-commerce behavioral outcomes.