虚拟社区对消费者购买行为的影响——一个参照群体视角

The Influence of Virtual Community on Consumer Buying Behavior:From a Reference Group Perspective

本文以参照群体理论为基础,针对信息性动机、群体规范、社区认同感、虚拟社区意识对消费者行为的影响提出了若干假设,构建了消费者参与虚拟社区的购买行为变化理论模型,运用结构方程模型方法进行了实证检验。结果表明,虚拟社区是对消费者具有明显影响力的参照群体,虚拟社区对消费者的购买行为产生信息性影响和规范性影响,使消费者的购买行为发生变化。消费者对信息的需求越强烈,对虚拟社区的认同感越强,受虚拟社区的信息性影响越大。社区意识在社区认同感、群体规范与虚拟社区的规范性影响之间起着完全中介作用。消费者的社区意识越强烈,受虚拟社区的规范性影响越大。

Based on referral group theory, this paper proposes some theoretical hypotheses that virtual community affects consumer＇s buying behavior. It builds up buying behavior variation model of consumer＇s participation in virtual community. By validating this study model with the method of Structural Equation Model, result shows that virtual community is a kind of referral group that has distinct influence on its members. The influence lies in two aspects： informative influence and normative influence. Informative influence and normative influence produced by virtual community will change consumers＇ buying intention and behavior. Hereinto, the more consumers＇ needs for information, the stronger their sense of community identity. Sense of virtual community serves as a full mediator between group norm or sense of community identity and normative influence of virtual community. The stronger their sense of virtual community, the stronger the normative influence of virtual community on them.