Title: Social commerce promotes sharing economy: a case study of Mercari, Japan

Authors: Mitsunori Hirogaki

Addresses: Department of Business and Technology Management, Graduate School of Economics, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan

Abstract: In Japan, the peer-to-peer sales platforms on smartphones have been overwhelming the traditional internet auction sites. However, only a few quantitative analyses have explored why these social commerce sites are attracting Japanese consumers. This study investigated what factors motivated Japanese consumers to participate in peer-to-peer sales platforms. Questionnaires were distributed to 1,000 respondents randomly selected from all districts. The logistic regression analysis was used to identify consumer motives while observing different factors that affect the said motives independent of controlled variables. The results showed that demographic factors and the motivation to participate in a sharing economy significantly affect the motives when engaging in peer-to-peer sales platforms. Interestingly, the study found that income had no significant effect when engaging in peer-to-peer sales platforms. These results will be useful for the effective entry of social commerce businesses and marketing strategies.

Keywords: C to C; social commerce; electronic commerce; Japanese online market; social media; peer-to peer sales platforms.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTTC.2023.129720

International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, 2023 Vol.20 No.1, pp.87 - 98

Received: 01 May 2021
Accepted: 08 Apr 2022
Published online: 21 Mar 2023 *