THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL COMMERCE ON BOOKING INTENTION, MEDIATED BY PERCEIVED BRAND IMAGE AND CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT:

Abstract

This study explores the influence of social commerce on hotel booking intention, with particular emphasis on the mediating roles of perceived brand image and customer engagement in the context of Passikudah, Sri Lanka. Social commerce platforms such as Facebook. Instagram. TikTok and Hotel booking websites are increasingly utilized b),hotels to engage with custorners. enhance branc1r''isibilit1,. and infltrence purchasing decisions. Flolvever. empirical evidence on hor,i,' these piatfbrms aiTect customer behavior remains limited, especially within the Sri Lankan hotel sector. The researcher identified the level of these variables, their impact, and the relationship between them. While there has been a lack of research conducted in this area Data were collected through a structured questionnaire distributed to 384 domestic hotel guests who had hotel experiences in Passikudah. The collected questionnaires were analyzed r-rsing (SPSS 27.0 Version). The findings of the study indicate that all the variables studied are significant factors that influence hdpl.bookingintention, including social commerce, customer engagement and perceived brand i*1ry. The findings indicate that social commerce significantly influences both perceived brand image and customer engagement, which in tum posQively affect hotel booking intentions. Furthermore, both mediators were found to partially mediate the relationship between social commerce and booking intention. These insights offer valuable implications for hotel marketers aiming to enhance their digital strategies and strengthen customer relationships through social coillmerce. Keywords: Social Commerce, Booking Intention, Perceived Brand Image, Customer Engagement, Mediation, Passikudah.