When Peers Drive Impulsive Buying: How Social Capital Reshapes Motivational Mechanisms in Chinese Social Commerce

Evidence from practice and academic literature indicates that, compared with traditional e-commerce, consumers in social commerce are more prone to impulsive purchasing. This heightened tendency can be attributed to the robust interaction among users in social commerce. Peer intrinsic and extrinsic motivations represent two distinct mechanisms that stimulate impulsive purchasing under the influence of others. Given the diversity in types and strengths of social capital and their varying impacts on peer motivation, this study endeavors to broaden the understanding of impulsive buying in social commerce. It examines how peer intrinsic and extrinsic motivations influence purchasing behavior and explores how these motivations interact with three dimensions of social capital. Within a specific type of social capital context, the objective of this study is to uncover which type of peer motivation predominantly drives impulsive purchasing. To empirically test the research model, an online survey was conducted targeting social commerce users in China. The findings offer empirical support for retailers in implementing appropriate social media initiatives and managing consumer relationships in social commerce. By integrating peer motivation and group-level social capital into the social commerce framework, this research offers novel insights into retailers’ social media strategies and contributes to existing literature.