Beyond the Snapshot: Examining the Causal Impact of Perceived Brand Interactivity on Purchase Intentions

Perceived social media interactivity has drawn significant academic attention due to its wide-ranging impact on consumers, organizational communication, and public governance. However, current literature faces a major methodological bottleneck: the vast majority of interactivity research relies heavily on cross-sectional data, preventing definitive causal claims. To establish true causality, this study utilizes a robust experimental approach to examine how perceived brand interactivity drives customer purchase intentions through the mediating role of brand trust. Following a baseline pretest, we deploy two scenario-based experiments. Experiment 1 utilizes a between-subjects design to manipulate perceived social media interactivity, randomly assigning participants to conditions (high/low) to test hypotheses via PROCESS Model 4. To ensure the findings hold up under alternative methodologies, Experiment 2 replicates these manipulations using a counterbalanced, within-subjects design analyzed via MEMORE Model 1. Ultimately, this study anticipates that participants exposed to high interactivity (versus low) will view the brand’s actions as highly fair and respond with direct purchases, thereby contributing to overall brand value. This dual-method experimental design bridges a critical methodological gap and offers concrete insights into strategic brand management.