
Consumer Attitudes and Brand Development in WeChat Group Buying: An Analysis Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)
- 1 Law School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS1 5QD, The United Kingdom
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study investigates the role of consumer attitudes in shaping brand development within WeChat group buying, a unique social commerce model in China. By applying the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), the research explores how factors like perceived value, social influence, trust, convenience, and entertainment influence consumer attitudes through both peripheral and central processing routes. Using a multi-dimensional survey, the study finds that initial consumer engagement often begins with peripheral cues, such as social influence and price advantages, which later transition to central-route engagement centered on product quality and service satisfaction. This transition fosters brand loyalty and encourages repeat purchasing behavior, highlighting the critical role of social influencers (group leaders) in facilitating these shifts. However, the study’s focus on Chinese consumers presents a limitation in generalizability, with future research suggested to include longitudinal data and cross-cultural comparisons. These findings offer valuable insights for businesses looking to strengthen brand loyalty within social commerce platforms like WeChat.
Keywords
Consumer Attitudes, Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), Social Commerce, WeChat Group Buying, Brand Loyalty
[1]. Zhang, H. (2023). A trust model for consumer conversion in community-based group buying: The dual roles of group leaders. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 64, 47-63.
[2]. Kim, J., & Lee, H. (2023). Product assortment and online sales in community group-buying channel: Evidence from a convenience store chain. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 64, 102509.
[3]. McKnight, D. H., & Chervany, N. L. (2001). What Trust Means in E-Commerce Customer Relationships: An Interdisciplinary Conceptual Typology. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 6(2), 35-59.
[4]. Cheung, C. M., Lee, M. K., & Rabjohn, N. (2008). The Impact of Electronic Word-of-Mouth: The Adoption of Online Opinions in Online Customer Communities. Internet Research, 18(3), 229-247.
[5]. Liang, T. P., & Turban, E. (2011). Introduction to the Special Issue Social Commerce: A Research Framework for Social Commerce. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 16(2), 5-14.
[6]. Wang, Y., & Zhang, P. (2012). The Evolution of Social Commerce: The People, Management, Technology, and Information Systems. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 31(1), 1-19.
[7]. Cova, B., & Gansmo, J. R. (2013). The Localized Experience Economy and Community Boundaries. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 29(4), 412-423.
[8]. Schindler, R. M., & Holbrook, M. B. (2013). Nostalgia for Early Experience as a Determinant of Consumer Preferences. Journal of Business Research, 66(10), 2074-2081.
Cite this article
Feng,N. (2024). Consumer Attitudes and Brand Development in WeChat Group Buying: An Analysis Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM). Advances in Economics, Management and Political Sciences,144,9-16.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
Disclaimer/Publisher's Note
The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.
About volume
Volume title: Proceedings of ICFTBA 2024 Workshop: Finance's Role in the Just Transition
© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and
conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who
publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this
series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published
version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial
publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and
during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See
Open access policy for details).