Social Commerce Adoption Model Based on Usability, Perceived Risks, and Institutional Trust

Insta-shopping [type of social commerce (s-commerce)] has emerged as a new shopping model whereby people engage in purchasing activities via social media platforms. In this study, we evaluate the factors influencing consumer shopping intentions by building a novel hierarchical adoption model that combines users' perceived risks with institution-based trust, usability factors, social influence, and other relevant factors. After surveying 267 s-commerce users, we used structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis with Amos 25 to verify the model statistically. All the paths were found to be statistically significant, and perceived risks were found to be influenced by institution-based trust and usability. Social influence, perceived page quality, and hedonic motivation influenced institution-based trust, while habits and price value impacted behavioral intentions. This study contributes a genuine model and causal relationships to the theoretical basis of the Insta-shopping literature and the Middle Eastern and Gulf context. It indicates how practitioners, including shoppers and merchants, could have a better shopping experience and outcomes. We also discuss the limitations of this study and future research directions.