The Impact of Social Presence and Trust on Customer Loyalty to Social Commerce Websites

Social commerce (s-commerce) is a new type of electronic commerce (eCommerce) linking shopping and social networking through social media. It is an extension of eCommerce in which a social component serves to allow users to discuss their purchasing decisions. In todays’ competitive business environment, customer loyalty is a significant asset. In the s-commerce context, in recognizing the increasing importance of customer loyalty, many companies have started to implement new functionalities on their websites and develop new social shopping features. However, the societal feature of s-commerce has not been totally understood, nor s-commerce environment influences by trust and social presence (SP). Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the impact of SP and trust on customer loyalty to s-commerce. In order to achieve this objective, a quantitative approach will be employed. Data will be collected from s-commerce website users in Australia via web-based survey. Analysis will be performed using Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM) structural equation modeling technique. This study will contribute to the s-commerce literature through a theoretical framework that shows how the loyalty of customers can be generated in s-commerce websites.