Abstract
As time moves on, technology has been advancing. Driven by development of high technology, an increasing number of new media have been playing a growingly critical role in marketing. Emerging as a new social medium, WeChat has found wide applications in the field of marketing. WeChat community marketing is an output of WeChat groups when the number of WeChat users increases to certain number. Maintaining a high engagement of community members is a linchpin to WeChat community marketing. On that basis, this study explores which factors can attract continuous attention and engagement of community users in WeChat community marketing activities. Examination of this research topic requires a careful investigation of the following research questions. Which factors can influence the engagement of WeChat community members’ community marketing activities? How will these factors affect community members’ consumer behaviors? What are the motives behind this consumer behavior? The author observes that studying these research questions is important, because previous literature has not yet probed into them. So, research efforts are made at an attempt to resolve the aforesaid research questions.
Given this, this paper will explore the factors influencing community member participation, using the S-O-R (Stimulus-Organism-Response) model to help investigate the impact of community environmental stimuli on participation behavior. The paper will also reveal the decision-making process of community members and the underlying motivation for participation behind the influence of community stimuli on participation behavior. Through the S-O-R model, employing a questionnaire survey research method, and integrating various statistical methods such as correlation analysis, reliability and validity analysis, and structural equation modeling, empirical research findings will be conducted. Community participants are stimulated by factors such as content provision, visual appeal, community incentives, and fit, combined with consumer and social characteristics, as well as entertainment motives and perceived value generation, leading to impulsive and repeat purchasing behaviors.
Building on previous research findings and the characteristics of WeChat communities, this paper defines content provision, visual appeal, community incentives, and fit as sources of stimuli in the S-O-R model, while entertainment motives and perceived value are categorized as participation motives. Under the influence of community stimuli and participation motives, community members exhibit impulsive and repeat purchasing behavior. Using a questionnaire survey method for empirical research, the paper utilizes structural equation modeling to reveal how content provision, visual appeal, community incentives, and fit stimulate impulsive and repeat purchasing behaviors among community members, with emotional experience during shopping primarily driven by entertainment motives and perceived value motives.
In theoretical terms, this paper makes several contributions. Firstly, it enriches the study of social media marketing, specifically focusing on WeChat marketing. While there is considerable research on social media marketing, there is limited academic exploration of customer engagement in WeChat marketing, especially in niche areas like "WeChat marketing communities." This study provides potential insights and references for future research on the participation of WeChat group members, aiding in the development and improvement of research in this area. Secondly, this paper categorizes community stimuli into four dimensions. Current research on community stimuli often revolves around website quality, which may not entirely suit the context of local WeChat community marketing. This paper’s approach enhances the understanding of how stimuli are provided in community settings, offering avenues for further research and expansion. Thirdly, the paper develops a four-dimensional measurement model and validates its effectiveness, enriching the understanding of how community stimuli are delivered. This contributes to future research directions and provides a framework for improving the quality of community services from psychological and marketing perspectives, aiming to better meet user needs and stimulate participation motives. Lastly, the paper enriches the research on participation levels. While the term "participation" is prevalent in marketing literature, it lacks a unified definition. This study delves into this issue, offering insights for future research. From a practical application standpoint, this research integrates academia and industry, offering guidance for business practices. However, the study also acknowledges its limitations, which can serve as a basis for future research directions and improvements.