The Influence of Social Commerce Dynamics on Sustainable Hotel Brand Image, Customer Engagement, and Booking Intentions

Abuelkassem A. A. Mohammad, Ibrahim A. Elshaer (), Alaa M. S. Azazz, Chokri Kooli, Mohamed Algezawy and Sameh Fayyad
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Abuelkassem A. A. Mohammad: Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality, King Salman International University, Sharm El Sheikh 8761250, Egypt
Ibrahim A. Elshaer: Department of Management, College of Business Administration, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsaa 380, Saudi Arabia
Alaa M. S. Azazz: Department of Tourism and Hospitality, Arts College, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsaa 380, Saudi Arabia
Chokri Kooli: The Telfer School of Management, The University of Ottawa, 75 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
Mohamed Algezawy: Department of Management, College of Business Administration, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsaa 380, Saudi Arabia
Sameh Fayyad: Hotel Studies Department, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 14, 1-18

Abstract: Social commerce plays a significant role in various aspects of the hotel industry. By using social commerce platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and hotel booking websites, hotels can enhance their brand visibility, engage more effectively with guests, and stimulate hotel bookings. Nonetheless, prior research reported a lack of studies in this area, namely social commerce in the context of domestic tourism. Drawing on Stimuli–Organism–Response (SOR) theory as being a well-established framework in social commerce research, this study seeks to examine the impact of social commerce on hotel booking intentions, both directly and indirectly, by considering the mediating effects of both brand image and customer engagement. This research used an online survey questionnaire as a tool for collecting primary data from domestic tourists in Egypt during the period from January to April 2024. The study sample encompassed 315 participants who were recruited using the convenience sampling technique. Using Smart PLS 4.0 software, Structural Equation Modeling was performed to examine the proposed model and hypotheses. The results highlighted the significant impact of social commerce on both hotel brand image and customer engagement, which in turn encouraged booking intentions among potential domestic guests. The results also supported the significant mediating effect of hotel brand image and customer engagement in the relationship between social commerce and hotel booking intentions. This study provides some theoretical contributions to the literature of hospitality management by addressing notable gaps in knowledge. This study also suggests some practical implications for industry executives that support their social commerce techniques and boost booking intentions and behavior among domestic tourists such as creating visually attractive content, sponsoring virtual mega events, actively interacting with social media followers, and incorporating booking functionalities in social media platforms. In so doing, hotels can boost their sustainable marketing practices to target a promising market segment by exploiting Web 2.0 capabilities.

Keywords: brand image; booking intentions; social commerce; customer engagement; sustainable marketing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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