TRSM Research Seminar by Dr. Farid Shirazi

Title: The role of social factors in purchase journey in the social commerce era, Technological Forecasting & Social Change

Abstract: This research examines the influence of information sharing amongst consumers on e-commerce platforms. On this basis, we develop a model for predicting consumers' purchase decisions on social commerce platforms. We use PLS-SEM to analyze online and paper surveys from 310 consumers. The findings suggest that social commerce information sharing increases consumer perceptions of familiarity, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness of social commerce platforms. Consumer learning and training in social commerce systems also increased their intention to purchase using the platform. Finally, we theorize the rise of the hyper-informed consumer that conducts pre-purchase product and shopping platform research to improve purchasing outcomes and as a form of socializing. Finally, the authors explain the theoretical contributions and practical implications at the end of the paper.

Bio: Dr. Farid Shirazi is a professor at the School of Information Technology Management. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed research articles, conference proceedings, books, and chapters. His work appeared in premier journals such as Information & Management (I&M), Industrial Marketing Management, International Journal of Information Management (IJIM), Technological Forecasting and Social Change, International Journal of Production Economics,  Telematics and Informatics, British Journal of Management, Information Technology & People (IT&P), and Communications of the Association for Information Systems (CAIS).