Understanding user ad click-through intention in the mobile social platform: A lens of trust transfer

This study aims to investigate how mobile social platforms facilitate three advertisement delivery mechanisms through a trust transfer theoretical perspective. An online survey was conducted and empirical data was collected from users of WeChat, one of the most popular mobile social platforms in China. Structural equation modelling analysis results suggested that social recommendation exhibited a significant influence on customer's trust in the advertiser, while personalization and control mechanisms had positive influences on customer's trust in the platform. Notably, there existed a trust transfer between two forms of trust: trust in the platform and trust in the advertiser, and the two trust forms significantly mediate the influences of three advertisement delivery mechanisms on ad click-through intention. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.