Why People Check In to Social Network Sites

Although check-in behavior has developed rapidly in recent years, the reasons why people share location-related information and the activities they are engaged in have not been adequately investigated. The primary objective of this study is to develop and refine a conceptual framework from social word-of-mouth motivations and the mobile perspective to provide a theoretical understanding of the motivations that induce consumers to engage in check-in behavior. The results show that the social condition (e.g., tie strength, subjective norms, expressiveness, social support, and information sharing) play the most critical role in motivating people to engage in check-in behavior. In addition, the perceptual (e.g., perceived social benefit, perceived enjoyment, and perceived value) and consumption-based conditions (such as customer satisfaction and communicator involvement) also motivate people to engage in check-in behavior and to disseminate their consumption experiences by using mobile devices. The results provide certain theoretical and practical implications for marketing practitioners in their planning of new marketing strategies to attract consumer attention, and will contribute to a better understanding of check-in behavior.