Social commerce (s-commerce), characterized by prominent customer interaction, presents new challenges for businesses in attracting and retaining customers. Unlike traditional e-commerce, s-commerce fosters electronic customer-to-customer interaction (eCCI), transforming customers from passive recipients to active co-creators of value. This shift necessitates a deeper understanding of how eCCI influences customer stickiness, a crucial metric for long-term profitability in online environments. Customer stickiness, reflecting customer loyalty, impacts conversion rates and user experience. Existing research lacks focus on the effects of eCCI on customer stickiness in s-commerce, particularly concerning customer value co-creation. While customer value co-creation has been studied, its application in the s-commerce context remains limited. Further, the role of self-efficacy, representing an individual's belief in their ability to perform tasks, needs exploration in this context. This study aims to bridge these gaps by examining the influence of eCCI on customer stickiness through the lens of customer value co-creation (functional and hedonic values), with self-efficacy as a moderator. The research questions are: What are the key determinants of customer stickiness in s-commerce? How does eCCI affect customer value co-creation and subsequently, stickiness? What is the role of self-efficacy? The study addresses these questions using a comprehensive model grounded in customer-dominant logic, employing PLS-SEM and NCA for a robust analysis. The integrated methodology allows for exploring both sufficient and necessary conditions for customer stickiness. The findings provide valuable insights for s-commerce platforms seeking to enhance their competitiveness.

The literature review examines three core concepts: eCCI, customer value co-creation, and customer stickiness. eCCI, defined as online communication among customers on s-commerce sites, is a critical aspect of the s-commerce experience. The literature highlights the transformation of customers into active co-creators of value through eCCI. Customer value co-creation, drawing on customer-dominant logic, emphasizes the collaborative generation of value between businesses and customers. This study focuses on two dimensions: functional value (problem-solving, needs fulfillment) and hedonic value (enjoyment, emotional benefits). Customer stickiness is defined as the extent to which customers remain engaged with and return to a specific s-commerce platform. It's recognized as a key precursor to loyalty and retention. The review notes a significant research gap in understanding the impact of eCCI on customer stickiness through the lens of customer value co-creation, especially within the s-commerce context. The role of self-efficacy, which influences individuals' confidence in engaging in online activities, is also highlighted as an area needing further investigation. Table 1 summarizes relevant literature that utilizes a customer-dominant logic framework to explore customer-related phenomena in various contexts, showcasing the evolution of the concept and its applicability to understanding consumer behavior.

This study uses a quantitative research design employing a survey methodology. Data was collected from users of two popular Chinese s-commerce sites: Douyin and WeChat. A questionnaire was developed based on existing scales, measuring eCCI, functional value, hedonic value, self-efficacy, and customer stickiness. The questionnaire was translated into Chinese and back-translated to ensure accuracy. The sample consisted of 238 valid responses from individuals aged 18 and above who had experienced eCCI on the selected platforms. Table 2 presents the demographic characteristics of the respondents, showing a balanced gender distribution and a diverse age range. The majority of respondents were employed, primarily in business roles, with varying levels of experience using s-commerce platforms. The data was analyzed using two complementary techniques: Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). PLS-SEM was used to assess the proposed hypotheses, examining the relationships between the latent variables. A two-step approach was followed, first evaluating the measurement model for reliability and validity (convergent and discriminant validity tests, including AVE, CR, Cronbach's alpha, and HTMT ratio). Customer value co-creation was modeled as a higher-order construct comprised of functional and hedonic value. The structural model was then tested, examining the direct and indirect effects of the hypothesized relationships (Table 3, Table 4, Table 5). NCA was used as a supplementary technique to explore the necessary conditions for customer value co-creation and customer stickiness, complementing the sufficiency-based logic of PLS-SEM. The bootstrapping method was utilized to determine the significance of the path coefficients and to assess the mediation and moderated mediation effects. Measures to address common method variance (CMV) and non-response bias were also implemented (Table 6, Table 7). The results from both PLS-SEM and NCA analyses are reported to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the relationships under study (Table 8, Table 9, Figure 2, Figure 3).

The PLS-SEM results supported all five hypotheses. H1 confirmed a significant positive relationship between eCCI and customer value co-creation. H2 indicated that customer value co-creation significantly and positively impacts customer stickiness. H3 demonstrated that customer value co-creation mediates the relationship between eCCI and customer stickiness. H4 established that self-efficacy moderates the mediating effect of customer value co-creation, implying that the mediating effect is stronger for individuals with higher self-efficacy. H5 showed a direct positive relationship between eCCI and customer stickiness. The R² values indicated that the model explained 17.1% of the variance in customer value creation and 62.8% of the variance in customer stickiness. The NCA analysis further reinforced the findings, showing that eCCI is a significant and meaningful necessary condition for both customer value co-creation and customer stickiness. Bottleneck analysis revealed the minimum levels of eCCI and customer value co-creation needed to achieve high levels of customer stickiness. The findings indicate that fostering eCCI and focusing on customer value co-creation are crucial for enhancing customer stickiness on s-commerce platforms.

The findings provide strong empirical support for the proposed model, highlighting the critical role of eCCI in driving customer stickiness in the s-commerce context. The mediating role of customer value co-creation emphasizes the importance of creating both functional and hedonic value for customers through online interactions. The moderating effect of self-efficacy underscores the need for understanding individual differences in how customers respond to eCCI and value-creating opportunities. This study extends existing literature by providing a comprehensive model integrating eCCI, customer value co-creation, self-efficacy, and customer stickiness within the s-commerce domain. The combined use of PLS-SEM and NCA offers a more nuanced understanding of both sufficient and necessary conditions for achieving customer stickiness, enhancing the theoretical contributions of the study. The findings align with existing research highlighting the importance of customer engagement and value co-creation in building customer loyalty and enhancing business performance. The results challenge the notion that mere interactivity on s-commerce sites is sufficient for stickiness; instead, it underscores the importance of facilitating meaningful interactions that lead to value co-creation.

This research makes several significant contributions. Theoretically, it extends customer-dominant logic to the s-commerce context, demonstrating the mechanism through which eCCI influences customer stickiness. Empirically, it validates the proposed model using PLS-SEM and NCA, offering a comprehensive understanding of sufficient and necessary conditions for customer stickiness. Practically, it offers actionable recommendations for s-commerce platforms to enhance customer engagement, focusing on eCCI, customer value co-creation, and the moderating role of self-efficacy. Future research could explore cultural variations in the model's applicability, incorporate additional factors influencing customer stickiness, and use longitudinal data to track changes in stickiness over time.

This study has several limitations. First, the sample is limited to Chinese s-commerce users, limiting the generalizability of the findings to other cultural contexts. Second, the data is cross-sectional, limiting the ability to establish causal relationships and understand the dynamic interplay between the variables over time. Third, the reliance on self-reported data might introduce common method variance. Although measures were taken to mitigate this, future research could employ multiple data sources to address this concern. Fourth, the study focused on two specific s-commerce platforms; expanding the scope to other platforms could enhance the generalizability of the findings.