Consumers' Perceived Contagion and Purchase Intention in Online Second-Hand Marketplaces
Öz
The primary aim of this research is to examine the effect of perceived contamination on purchase intention in digital second-hand marketplaces, through the mediating role of attitude toward buying second-hand products and economic motivation. The research was conducted with 551 participants in the United Kingdom. Another objective of this study is to determine whether the effect of the human element on purchase intention for second-hand products varies depending on the degree of contamination. Accordingly, the effects of visual content were tested using a scenario-based experimental method featuring product scenarios with low and high degrees of contact. In the developed research model, the moderating effect of perceived contamination and the mediating effect of attitude were analysed via regression analysis based on the Bootstrap method using the PROCESS Macro (Model 7). The results indicate that economic motivation has a strong effect on attitude, but this effect becomes even more pronounced under high contamination conditions. Furthermore, the study reveals that the use of human figures in products carrying high contact risk does not reduce purchase intention; on the contrary, it creates an element of trust through the “Positive Contagion” effect. This research recommends the use of trust-enhancing visual strategies in digital marketing communications, particularly in the presentation of high-risk second-hand products.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Online Second-Hand Shopping, Contagion Theory, Positive Contagion, Economic Motivation, Purchase Intention, Sustainability
Etik Beyan
Çevrimiçi İkinci El Pazar Yerlerinde Tüketicilerin Bulaşıcılık Algısı ve Satın Alma Niyeti (Consumers’ Perceived Contagion and Purchase Intention in Online Second-Hand Marketplace) adlı çalışmanın etik kurallara uygunluğu, Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal ve Beşerî Bilimler Araştırma ve Yayın Etik Kurulu tarafından 30.10.2025 tarihli ve 68282350/2025/15 sayısı kararıyla onaylanmıştır.
Kaynakça
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