A Choice-based conjoint analysis of social media picture posting and souvenir purchasing preference: A case study of social analytics on tourism

Abstract Over the past few years, increasing tourists have generated interest in social media and shared their trip pictures and experience on it. As revealed from existing studies, tourists' preference of posting pictures of their trip on a social media site(s) may be associated with their purchasing behaviors. In the present study, Choice-based Conjoint Analysis (CBCA) was conducted to examine tourists' souvenir preferences based on various frequencies for posting trip pictures (PTP). As indicated by result that tourists exhibiting a higher PTP frequency are more inclined to purchase souvenirs of higher availability. Furthermore, the group of tourists exhibiting the highest PTP frequency reported the highest willingness to pay (WTP) for the souvenir with a high level of "Availability", while tourists with the lower PTP frequency are inclined to purchase souvenirs exhibiting higher uniqueness. The present study is recognized as one of the initial attempts to cross-pollinate the research streams of souvenir purchase behavior and social media usage. The mentioned findings suggest that producers and sellers are required to adjust souvenir promotion and design by complying with the PTP data.