Marketing

Context (archaeology)

World Wide Web

Biology

Public relations

China

Computer science

E-commerce

Business

Paleontology

Interactivity

Guanxi

Advertising

Instant messaging

Social media

Political science

Programming language

Swift

Information & Management

This study extends literature on e-commerce trust and repurchase intentions by exploring the role of swift guanxi and the perceived effectiveness of institutional mechanisms (PEEIM) in the context of a Chinese e-marketplace – Taobao. We explore how Taobao’s social media technologies (online reviews and instant messenger) can improve swift guanxi and PEEIM by increasing online interactivity and presence. We find that buyers’ PEEIM negatively moderates trust in online sellers and repurchase intentions. We show that swift guanxi, created by social media’s interactivity and presence, enhances trust, which further increases repurchase intentions. Theoretical and managerial implications and future research directions are discussed.

The role of social media in enhancing guanxi and perceived effectiveness of E-commerce institutional mechanisms in online marketplace