社会化购物平台设计对消费者产品搜寻和决策行为的影响及其理论机制

Online social shopping platforms are information-technology-based applications at the intersection of e-commerce and social network sites. Given the increased diversity and accessibility of products and product information, as well as the complexity of social relationships in online shopping environments, online consumers' information seeking, processing and purchase behavior have undergone dramatic changes. ..Drawing on the existing theories on consumer search and social network, this research project identifies the unique functional and informational characteristics of social shopping platforms and particularly investigates how product connectivity (which facilitates product browsing via user-generated information such as social tagging or personal collections) and product interactivity (which provides reviews or recommendations contributed by other shoppers in the network) influence online consumers' product search and purchase decision making. In addition, this project examines how such influence is moderated by the evolvement of consumers' goals during the shopping process as well as the presence of marketer-generated product information such as promotional tactics. Lab and field experiments will be conducted to examine the influence of social shopping platform features on consumers' shopping process and outcome. ..The results of this research are expected to expand the current knowledge on consumer information search and processing, and contribute to a better understanding of the underlying motivational, cognitive and behavioral mechanisms occurring when online consumers interact within social shopping networks. Further, by identifying the IT capabilities unique to the social shopping context, this project provides practitioners with insights about the provision of IT tools on social shopping platforms that are conducive to create value for online shoppers, as well as the effective use of social shopping networks for marketing purpose..

传统电子商务与线上社交网络的结合创造了一个全新的线上社会化购物环境。在社会化电商平台上，消费者获取产品和信息的方式更多样化，线上的社会关系也更丰富和复杂，这样的信息环境正从根本上改变着消费者的产品搜寻、发现和决策行为。本课题基于消费者信息搜寻和社会网络理论，针对社会化电商平台的关键功能设计，着重探索社会化产品连接机制和产品互动（推荐）机制对消费者的产品搜寻和决策行为的影响及其机理，并揭示购物过程中消费者的需求变化和商家促销信息对此影响的调节作用。本课题拟结合统计实证、实验室实验和实地实验等研究方法来交叉验证研究模型，并从多视角深入了解消费者在社会化电商平台上的购物行为。研究成果将拓展和完善消费者信息搜寻和信息处理相关理论，揭示不同社会化购物功能和信息对消费者搜寻和决策行为的独立和交互影响。研究成果也将为社会化电商平台的设计和管理、以及商家在社会化消费环境中的营销策略提供科学指导。

传统电子商务与线上社交网络的结合创造了一个全新的线上社会化购物环境。在社会化电商平台上，消费者获取产品和信息的方式更多样化，线上的社会关系也更丰富和复杂，这样的信息环境正从根本上改变着消费者的产品搜寻、发现和决策行为。本课题基于消费者信息搜寻和社会网络理论，针对社会化电商平台的关键功能设计，着重探索社会化产品连接机制和产品互动（推荐）机制对消费者的产品搜寻和决策行为的影响及其机理，并揭示购物过程中消费者的需求变化和商家促销信息对此影响的调节作用。本课题结合实验室实验和实地实验等研究方法来交叉验证研究模型，并从多视角深入了解消费者在社会化电商平台上的购物行为。研究结果表明，消费者搜索过程中惊喜的发现并不都是偶然的，而是可以通过不同类型搜索工具的配合设计而辅助实现的。另外，社会化产品信息和商家促销信息对消费者的喜好和决策有交互影响，这种影响会随着消费者购物目标的逐渐明确而变化。本研究不仅是在信息系统领域对发现惊喜的信息搜索过程的先行研究，也会对计算机科学以及信息检索领域的同类课题有一定启示作用。研究成果也为社会化电商平台的设计和管理、以及商家在社会化消费环境中的营销策略提供科学指导。