Trust as a bridge: Exploring the impact of visibility and guidance on purchase intentions in Malaysia's social commerce: PLS-MGA approach

Abstract

The rapid growth of e-commerce in developing countries has contributed to the rise of social commerce, a dynamic platform that integrates economic transactions with social interactions. Considering the ongoing expansion of the digital economy, social commerce has emerged as an essential tool for Malaysian firms to engage with Millennials, who are the predominant consumers of social media. This study investigates the influence of affordance on the purchasing intentions of Millennial consumers in Malaysia. It focuses on the independent variables of visibility and guidance shopping, while also considering trust as a mediating factor in the intention to purchase. The study employed PLS-SEM in analysing the influence of these characteristics on consumer behaviour in the field of social commerce. In addition, this study was extended to examine heterogeneity among sub-samples of respondents by gender, relative to their intention to purchase on social media platforms using multi-group analysis (PLS-MGA). The results provide valuable insights for companies seeking to utilise social media platforms to enhance consumer engagement and increase revenue. The findings emphasise the importance of fully utilising the capabilities of social commerce.