Impact of Social Media Marketing on Decision Confidence: The Mediating Role of Social Commerce Engagement

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of social media marketing (SMM) attributes Informativeness, interactivity, trendiness, personalization, and word- of-mouth on consumers’ decision confidence in online purchase environments. It further examines the mediating role of social commerce engagement (SCE), conceptualized through learning from forums and communities, learning from ratings and reviews, and learning from social advertisements, particularly within the context of urban India. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was adopted, utilizing an online survey administered to 603 respondents from six major metropolitan cities in India. The study employed validated multi-item measurement scales analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesized relationships and the mediating role of SCE in the conceptual model. The results confirmed that all five SMM attributes significantly enhance decision confidence, with Personalization and Interactivity exerting the strongest effects. Furthermore, decision confidence was found to significantly predict all three dimensions of SCE. The mediating analysis revealed that SCE plays a pivotal role in linking SMM attributes with consumers’ decision confidence, highlighting the importance of peer-generated content and personalized advertisements in digital purchase decisions. Findings offer actionable insights for digital marketers and social commerce platforms. Emphasizing personalization, interactivity, and the visibility of user-generated reviews can strengthen consumer decision confidence and foster meaningful engagement. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook should be prioritized for urban consumer targeting in India.