ABSTRACT : Online social shopping emerges as the latest innovation in digital marketing, combining social networking with online shopping. The distinctive feature of social shopping is its power to enhance the online shopping experience by providing social interaction. It provides a platform that a customer can utilize to interact with other customers through a collaborative online network. Although its importance has been emphasized, the exploration of motivational factors underlying online social shopping is yet to be studied. This study is an initial attempt to explore components of online social shopping motivation. Based on the preliminary research conducted using qualitative and quantitative methods, findings reveal that online social shopping motivation is a construct composed of three main dimensions, namely opinion comparison, entertainment/socializing, and trend following.
KEYWORDS :Entertainment,Online Social Shopping, Opinion Comparison, Socializing, Trend Following