Behavioral Intention to Searching Retail Franchise Information Using Social Networking Sites

The paper examines the determinants of consumer behavioral intentions to use social networking sites to search and share retail franchise information. The success of retail franchise information providers or retail franchise facilitators via social networking sites depends not only on consumer expectations but also their behavioral intentions of using it. Unlike recent research under this topic, this paper integrates some components of the service quality dimensions and consumer behavior theories coupled with the recently developed construct of consumer expectations to determine behavioral intentions to use social networking sites. They are the following three components: consumer expectations, perceived value of tangible assets and perceived value of intangible assets of social networking sites providing and sharing retail franchise information. Four hundred and ninety-five samples collected from South Korean consumers are analyzed using factor analysis, structural equation model techniques and one-way analysis of variance. The results show that consumer expectations and the perceived value of intangible assets should be viewed as important antecedents explaining behavioral intentions to use social networking sites. Moreover, higher levels of education of consumers correspond to more favorable perceptions of tangible assets and behavioral intentions to use social networking sites.