A recent study by Meixia Jiang, Jing Yu, and Jing Zhao from SEGi University explores how economic policies shape consumer behaviour on cross-border e-commerce platforms. Published by Sciendo in Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 1, 2024), the research provides key insights into the interplay between trade policies and consumer actions in international markets.
The research highlights the growing interconnection between global trade policies and consumer actions, providing insights into how free trade and import substitution policies influence purchasing and recommendation behaviours.
The researchers developed a model based on a convolutional neural network (Text-CNN) with sentence vector improvements to extract features of consumer behavioural willingness. This innovative approach optimised cluster analysis and provided a deeper understanding of consumer trends.
Key findings include:
- Consumers’ willingness to purchase and recommend products on cross-border e-commerce platforms was 47.65% and 52.05%, respectively.
- Free trade policies positively influenced both purchase and recommendation behaviours, with impact coefficients of 0.095 and 0.154, respectively.
- Mixed trade policies also showed a positive correlation with an impact coefficient of 0.096.
- Conversely, import substitution policies negatively impacted consumers’ willingness to recommend, with an impact coefficient of -0.078.
These results reveal that policies promoting free and mixed trade significantly enhance consumer engagement with cross-border platforms, while restrictive policies dampen consumer enthusiasm.
This study provides valuable insights for policymakers and e-commerce platforms aiming to boost consumer engagement. By fostering environments that encourage free trade, platforms can enhance consumer satisfaction and advocacy. The findings also highlight the need for balanced policy-making to ensure sustained growth in cross-border e-commerce markets.
This initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically:
- SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production