Digital Marketing in the Era of Social Commerce: Influencer Strategies, Information Dynamics, and Consumer Engagement

Dear Colleagues,

The convergence of social networking, e-commerce, and user-generated content has given rise to social commerce, fundamentally reshaping how consumers discover products, form attitudes, make purchasing decisions, and engage with brands (Hsu et al., 2026; Xu et al., 2020). As platforms continue to integrate shopping features, livestreaming, artificial intelligence, and personalized recommendation systems, understanding the mechanisms that drive consumer engagement and purchasing behavior has become increasingly important for both researchers and practitioners (Chong et al., 2023; Hsu et al., 2026). Influencers have emerged as central actors within this ecosystem, serving as information intermediaries who shape consumer perceptions, communicate social norms, and foster online communities (Lee et al., 2026). At the same time, algorithmic content distribution, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), online reviews, misinformation, AI-generated content, and social recommendation systems have created increasingly complex information environments that influence consumer trust, decision making, and long-term brand relationships (Duong, 2026; Hartmann et al., 2025).

This Special Issue invites research that examines social commerce not merely as a technological innovation or retail channel, but as a theoretically generative marketplace phenomenon that advances our understanding of core consumer and marketing processes. We encourage research that explores how social commerce shapes identity construction, brand relationships, trust and credibility, information sharing, consumer decision making, engagement, co-creation, community participation, and technology-mediated consumption (Chong et al., 2023; Duong, 2026; Lee et al., 2026; Xu et al., 2020).

This Special Issue seeks to advance theoretical and empirical understanding of digital marketing within the evolving landscape of social commerce. We invite interdisciplinary research that examines how influencer strategies, information dynamics, technological innovations, and consumer interactions shape marketplace outcomes across diverse digital platforms (Hartmann et al., 2025; Hsu et al., 2026). We encourage submissions employing various theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches while offering practical implications for organizations navigating the rapidly changing digital marketplace.

Below, we highlight some key areas for potential inquiry.

Influencer Marketing and Creator Economy

• Influencer credibility, authenticity, and trust;
• Micro-, macro-, nano-, and virtual influencer effectiveness;
• AI-generated influencers and virtual brand ambassadors;
• Long-term influencer partnerships versus campaign-based collaborations;
• Influencer fatigue and consumer skepticism;
• Creator monetization and platform governance.

Social Commerce and Consumer Engagement

• Drivers of purchase intention in social commerce;
• Live commerce and livestream shopping;
• Parasocial relationships and consumer loyalty;
• Gamification and interactive shopping experiences;
• Social presence and immersive digital experiences;
• Customer engagement behaviors beyond purchasing;
• Omnichannel integration between social commerce and retail.

Information Dynamics, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies

• Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM);
• User-generated content creation and diffusion;
• Algorithmic recommendations and personalization;
• Information credibility and source trustworthiness;
• AI-generated content and its influence on consumer evaluations;

• Generative AI in digital marketing;
• AI-assisted content creation;
• Predictive analytics and personalization;
• Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) shopping;
• Digital twins and immersive consumer experiences.

Consumer Behavior in Digital Environments

• Digital consumer journeys;
• Emotional engagement and digital experiences;
• Social identity and online communities;
• Consumer empowerment and co-creation;
• Cross-cultural differences in social commerce adoption;
• Digital well-being and technology fatigue;
• Longitudinal analyses of digital engagement.

Platforms, Networks, and Digital Ecosystems

• Platform governance and content moderation;
• Platform algorithms and visibility;
• Multi-platform marketing strategies;
• Network effects and digital ecosystems;
• Community resilience and online collective action;
• Cross-platform information diffusion;

• Network analysis of digital communities.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 300-500 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to Dr. Olivia Johnson (ojohnson@cougarnet.uh.edu) or to Administrative Sciences editorial office (admsci@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the guest editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer-review.

References

Chong, H. X., Hashim, A. H., Osman, S., Lau, J. L., & Aw, E. C. X. (2023). The future of e-commerce? Understanding livestreaming commerce continuance usage. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 51(1), 1-20.

Duong, N. T. (2026). Does sustainability knowledge deepen emotional bonds? A study of creative branding in social commerce. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 89, 104578.

Hartmann, J., Exner, Y., & Domdey, S. (2025). The power of generative marketing: Can generative AI create superhuman visual marketing content?. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 42(1), 13-31.

Hsu, C. L., Lin, J. C. C., & Miao, Y. F. (2026). Product recommendation source, persuasive messages and media richness in social commerce. Journal of Business Research, 204, 115874.

Lee, A., Chung, T. L. D., & Johnson, O. (2026). Influencing for the greater good: Data mining of social media influencers’ social cause communication. New Media & Society, 28(6), 2592-2614.

Xu, X., Wu, J. H., & Li, Q. (2020). What drives consumer shopping behavior in live streaming commerce?. Journal of electronic commerce research, 21(3), 144-167.

Dr. Olivia Johnson
Dr. Adrienne Hall-Phillips
Prof. Dr. Te Lin Doreen Chung
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the Special Issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Administrative Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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