Decoding online brand-related activities: unveiling motivations, experiences, and personality factors in social commerce

Abstract This study explores factors shaping consumer online brand-related activities (COBRAs) in social commerce, comprising consumption, contribution, and creation behaviours. Study 1, using netnography, analysed 578,235 comments on 10 social media brand pages, aiming to establish a theoretical framework for understanding consumer motivations and resulting COBRA behaviours. Study 2, a survey involving 574 consumers, identified that extrinsic and intrinsic motives directly influence COBRA behaviours, independently or through web-based experiences, specifically absorption and overall satisfaction. Consumers' personality traits, particularly their perception of social risk, act as boundary constraints. The findings contribute to marketing communications and segmentation and provide insights for social commerce content marketing and brand management.