Mediating Role of Advertising on the Relationship between Social Media and Online Risk on Online Shopping Habits

The invention of web 2.0 and the advancement of information and communication technology have provided consumers and businesses with the opportunity to utilise online transactions. The internet is an essential tool for doing online shopping. Despite the importance and popularity of online shopping, most Nigerian consumers largely depend on conventional shopping rather than online shopping due to their resistance to online shopping habits. In Nigeria, few studies have examined advertising, social media and online risk on online shopping habit. Thus, the study aims to investigate the mediating role of advertising on the relationship between social media and online risk on online shopping habits in Nigeria. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 375 respondents using a purposive sampling technique. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse and evaluate the hypotheses. The results show that online risk had an insignificant direct effect on online shopping habits. Again, the study result shows that social media has a statistically significant direct effect on online shopping. While advertising mediates the relationship between online risk and online shopping habits, it mediates the relationship between social media and online shopping habits.