Consumer engagement in sharing brand-related information on social commerce: the roles of culture and experience

Social commerce facilitates conversations among buyers across the world and enhances eWOM sharing. This paper investigates the key roles of online shoppers’ culture (collectivism vs. individualism) and past experience as drivers of engagement with brand-related information sharing. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and consumer culture theory (CCT), a conceptual framework was developed and tested empirically. Data collected from a representative sample of online shoppers (N = 559) was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. Findings reveal that shoppers’ experience is indirectly related to brand-related information sharing, and mediated by three TPB beliefs (attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavior control). These relationships were moderated by customer culture. The impact of attitude on information sharing was greater for collectivist shoppers, whereas the influence of subjective norms was stronger for individualist shoppers. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.