Shopping on social media: : A qualitative study to explore Chinese consumers’ purchasing experience on WeChat

Abstract: WeChat is a widely used multi-functional social media platform in China. The increasing number of WeChat users provides new possibilities and challenges for company marketing strategy. We draw literature from word-of-mouth (WOM) and e-service quality (e-SQ). Qualitive study approach was conducted, and ten interviews done with Chinese consumers with shopping experience on WeChat. This thesis aims to explore the purchasing experience of Chinese consumers on WeChat, and specifically we want to understand how do WOM/ eWOM influences Chinese consumers on their shopping experience on WeChat, and what aspect of the e-SQ may affect Chinese consumers’ shopping experience on WeChat. The results reveal that in the brand awareness period, people are more likely to be influenced by WOM to notice products or services. Furthermore, offline WOM has more influential persuading power than online WOM. In terms of e-service quality, the professionalism and convenience of website design is the foundation of consumer purchase. Fulfillment and security perform quite well on WeChat according to our research findings. At the same time, consumers on WeChat are inclined to buy products with less need of customer service.