Work

Investigating the Impact of Action-Based Information Cues on User Purchase Intention: A Social Learning Perspective

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Social interaction plays an increasingly important role in facilitating consumption, and many e-commerce platforms have incorporated peer information into product interface design. Given the limited attention paid to action-based information cues, this study proposes repeat purchase action as an information cue and examines its impact on user purchase intention. Drawing on social learning theory, we developed a research model and conducted two online experiments on Credamo, a professional online survey platform in China. The research model was empirically tested using bootstrapping-based mediation analysis. The results showed that both purchase action and repeat purchase action significantly increased user purchase intention. In addition, the impact of repeat purchase action on purchase intention was mediated by trust expectation, whereas purchase action did not elicit users’ trust expectation. These findings add to the literature on information cues in e-commerce and extend the theoretical explanatory power of social learning theory. This study also provides managerial implications for e-commerce platforms and sellers in implementing effective product interface information design and selection strategies.

Source: Journal of theoretical and applied electronic commerce research

DOI: 10.3390/jtaer21070203

Authors: Mengqi Sun, Haitao Chen, Hao Chen

Institutions: Jilin University, Central China Normal University

Language: English

Topic: Digital Marketing and Social Media

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,207

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities