A Study on the Impact of User Review Platforms on Chinese Sports Product Consumers’ Perceived Trust and Purchase Intention = 사용자 리뷰 플랫폼이 중국 스포츠 용품 소비 자의 지각된 신뢰 및 구매 의도에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

China’s online sporting goods market has grown substantially, with user-generated reviews serving as a primary channel for consumers to assess product quality and reduce purchase risk. However, the mechanisms by which social attributes of review platforms shape consumer trust and purchasing behavior remain insufficiently theorized. Considerable differences exist between e-commerce and social media platforms, yet the differential effects of identical review characteristics across these two types have rarely been examined.
Drawing on the Information Adoption Model and Empathy Theory, this study treats social connection and self-disclosure as core platform-level characteristics and examines their effects on perceived trust and purchase intention. Platform type is introduced as a moderating variable. Data from 586 valid respondents in mainland China were analyzed using PROCESS macro with bias-corrected bootstrapping.
The results revealed that social connection exerted significant positive effects on perceived trust and purchase intention. Self-disclosure produced stronger effects on perceived trust and purchase intention. Perceived trust positively predicted purchase intention and partially mediated both relationships. The interaction between social connection and platform type did not significantly predict perceived trust. The interaction between self-disclosure and platform type significantly predicted perceived trust, with the effect substantially stronger on social media. The interaction between perceived trust and platform type significantly predicted purchase intention, with e-commerce platforms demonstrating more efficient conversion. The indirect effect of self-disclosure through perceived trust was significant on e-commerce platforms but non-significant on social media.
Social connection and self-disclosure are meaningful drivers of purchase decisions, with perceived trust as a critical mechanism. Social media platforms are more effective at building trust through self-disclosure, whereas e-commerce platforms are more efficient at converting trust into purchase intention. By integrating Empathy Theory with the Information Adoption Model, this study advances understanding of how self-disclosure builds trust through affective resonance and provides empirical grounding for a differentiated dual-platform strategy.

국문 초록 (Abstract)

중국의 온라인 스포츠 용품 시장은 크게 성장하였으며, 사용자 생성 리뷰는 소비자가 제품 품질을 평가하고 구매 위험을 줄이는 주요 경로로 기능하고 있다. 그러나 리뷰 플랫폼의 사회적 속성이 소비자의 신뢰와 구매 행동에 영향을 미치는 메커니즘은 여전히 이론적으로 충분히 규명되지 않은 상태이다. 전자상거래 플랫폼과 소셜 미디어 플랫폼 간에는 상당한 차이가 존재하지만, 동일한 리뷰 특성이 이 두 유형에 걸쳐 차별적으로 나타내는 효과는 거의 검토된 바 없다.
정보 채택 모델（Information Adoption Model）과 공감 이론（Empathy Theory）에 기반하여, 본 연구는 사회적 연결성과 자기개시를 핵심적인 플랫폼 수준 특성으로 설정하고, 이들이 인지된 신뢰 및 구매 의도에 미치는 영향을 검토하였다. 플랫폼 유형은 조절 변수로 도입되었다. 중국 본토의 유효 응답자 586명으로부터 수집된 데이터는 편향 보정 부트스트래핑을 적용한 PROCESS 매크로를 사용하여 분석되었다.
분석 결과, 사회적 연결성은 인지된 신뢰와 구매 의도에 유의한 정적 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 자기개시는 인지된 신뢰와 구매 의도에 더 강한 영향을 보였다. 인지된 신뢰는 구매 의도를 정적으로 예측하였으며, 두 관계 모두에서 부분 매개 역할을 수행하였다. 사회적 연결성과 플랫폼 유형 간의 상호작용은 인지된 신뢰를 유의하게 예측하지 못하였다. 이와 대조적으로, 자기개시와 플랫폼 유형 간의 상호작용은 인지된 신뢰를 유의하게 예측하였으며, 그 효과는 소셜 미디어에서 훨씬 더 강하게 나타났다. 인지된 신뢰와 플랫폼 유형 간의 상호작용은 구매 의도를 유의하게 예측하였으며, 전자상거래 플랫폼이 더 효율적인 전환을 보여주었다. 자기개시가 인지된 신뢰를 매개로 구매 의도에 미치는 간접 효과는 전자상거래 플랫폼에서는 유의하였으나, 소셜 미디어 플랫폼에서는 유의하지 않았다.
사회적 연결성과 자기개시는 구매 결정의 의미 있는 동인이며, 인지된 신뢰는 중요한 메커니즘으로 작용한다. 소셜 미디어 플랫폼은 자기개시를 통한 신뢰 형성에 더 효과적인 반면, 전자상거래 플랫폼은 신뢰를 구매 의도로 전환하는 데 더 효율적이다. 본 연구는 공감 이론을 정보 채택 모델에 통합함으로써 자기개시가 정서적 공명을 통해 신뢰를 형성하는 방식에 대한 이해를 증진시키고, 차별화된 이중 플랫폼 전략을 위한 실증적 기초를 제공한다.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• I. INTRODUCTION 1
• 1. The necessity of the study 1
• 2. The purpose of the study 4
• 3. Statement of problem 5
• 4. Research design 7
• 5. Definition of terminologies 8
• 5.1 Types of platform. 8
• 5.2 Social connection 9
• 5.3 Self-disclosure 9
• 5.4 Perceived trust 10
• 5.5 Purchase intention 10
• 6. Research hypotheses 11
• II. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 13
• 1. Current state and industry structure of China’s sports industry 13
• 2. Current state of sports goods preview platforms in China 15
• 3. Theoretical foundations 16
• 3.1 Information adoption theory 16
• 3.2 Empathy theory 18
• 4. Social connection 21
• 4.1 Definition of social connection 21
• 4.2 Dimension of social connection 22
• 4.3 Previous studies of social connection 24
• 5. Self-disclosure 26
• 5.1 Definition of self-disclosure 26
• 5.2 Dimension of self-disclosure 27
• 5.3 Previous studies of self-disclosure 30
• 6. Perceived trust 31
• 6.1 Definition of perceived trust 31
• 6.2 Dimension of perceived trust 32
• 6.3 Previous studies of perceived trust 34
• 7. Purchase intention 36
• 7.1 Definition of purchase intention 36
• 7.2 Dimension of purchase intention 37
• 7.3 Previous studies of purchase intention 40
• 8. Types of platforms 41
• 8.1 Social media and e-commerce platforms 41
• 8.2 Differences between platforms 43
• 8.3 Previous research of platforms 45
• 9. User reviews 46
• 9.1 Definition of user reviews 46
• 9.2 User reviews and purchase intention 48
• 9.3 User reviews and perceived trust 50
• 10. Sports consumers 51
• 10.1 Definition of sports consumers 51
• 10.2 Sports consumers and purchase intention 53
• 11. Relationships between variables 56
• 11.1 Social connection, perceived trust, and purchase intention 57
• 11.2 Self-disclosure, perceived trust, and purchase intention 59
• 11.3 Perceived trust and purchase intention 60
• 11.4 The moderating role of the user review platform 62
• 11.5 The mediating role of perceived trust 64
• III. METHODOLOGY 66
• 1. Participants 66
• 2. Survey instrument 69
• 2.1 Questionnaire design and development 69
• 2.2 Variable measurement 71
• 3. Model goodness-of-fit test 76
• 4. Reliability and validity testing 77
• 4.1 Reliability testing 77
• 4.2 Validity testing 80
• 5. Data analysis 81
• 6. Research Model Diagram 82
• Ⅳ. RESULTS 83
• 1. Descriptive statistics of variable information 83
• 2. Descriptive statistical analysis of variables across different platforms 85
• 3. Hypothesis Testing 86
• 3.1 Direct effect testing 86
• 3.2 Mediation effect testing 88
• 3.3 Moderation effect testing 90
• 3.4 Moderated mediation effect testing 95
• Ⅴ. DISCUSSION 100
• 1. Direct effects among core variables 100
• 2. The mediating role of perceived trust 103
• 3. Testing of moderation effects 104
• 4. Theoretical and practical contributions 107
• 4.1 Theoretical contributions 107
• 4.2 Practical contributions 109
• 5. Limitations and future directions 111
• VI. CONCLUSION & SUGGESTION 113
• 1. Conclusion 113
• 2. Suggestions 114
• REFERENCES 117
• APPENDIX Ⅰ 140
• 국문초록 147