The charcteristics of the seller-consumer in online second hand markets and their effects on seller-consumer loyalty

The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the theory of loyalty which is actively researched in marketing literature and to contribute to the concept of online second-hand consumption by examining the loyalty concept in the online second-hand consumption context. With this intention, a netnographic study and in-depth interviews were conducted to investigate the factors related to the seller-consumer and the relationship of these factors with loyalty, and then a survey study was conducted to test the findings. In addition, the factors related to the seller-consumer in online second-hand shopping were examined under sub-headings. Behavioral variables related to consumers and seller-consumers in online second-hand shopping were discussed. In the thesis, the effect of the variables existing in the online second-hand shopping environment and their relationship with the loyalty of the seller-consumer have been studied. For this purpose, over a period of more than one year, the seller-consumer profiles and the interaction between the consumer and the seller-consumer were examined in five different second-hand shopping platforms, in different periods. After this netnographic observation, semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with nine people to better understand the subject. These participants were selected among individuals who have the role of consumer and seller-consumer in online second-hand shopping. Then, a survey was conducted with 322 participants, most of whom were between the ages of 22-28, to determine the relationship between the variables obtained. Then, the reliability tests of the data were carried out in the AMOS program, and the factors leading to seller-consumer loyalty were tested with the structural equation model. As a result of the analysis, it was understood that the interaction between the consumer and the seller-consumer has a direct positive effect on the loyalty of the seller-consumer. In addition, it has been observed that the characteristic features of the product increase the interaction between the consumer and the seller-consumer. In addition, the results show that characteristic features such as the profile photo of the seller-consumer and the number of followers is effective on loyalty. As a result of these results, recommendations were given for future research, and guidance was given to the seller-consumers and intermediary platforms in order to further develop the second-hand shopping sector. Keywords: Online Second-Hand Shopping, Loyalty, Seller-Consumer, Netnography, In-Depth İnterview, Structural Equation Model, Consumer Behavior