Mobile social tourism shopping: A dual-stage analysis of a multi-mediation model

This study investigates mobile social tourism (MST) shopping, which refers to the use of MST platforms in shopping for tourism products and services, among Malaysian domestic tourists who have visited George Town, which is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site located in Penang. Drawing upon the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework, a multi-mediation model is proposed to address this relatively new research avenue. Through the use of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling and Artificial Neural Network analyses, it was discovered that the environmental stimuli (i.e., perceived mobility, social presence, and system and service quality) directly and indirectly influence tourists' MST shopping intention through their inner organism changes (i.e., perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment). The results support the application of the SOR framework in MST shopping, as most of the developed hypotheses are supported. Practical and theoretical implications are subsequently discussed in light of the results.