Entrepreneurial decisions to become affiliate marketing partners: Role of rewards and motivation

Abstract

Given the evolution of social media and digital platforms, the phrase “digital entrepreneurship” has emerged, alongside several digital business models. However, there is still a lack of investigations into a specific business model originating from the intention to participate. The study adopted the affiliate marketing business model. It examined the relationship between perceptions of rewards and motivation toward the entrepreneurial decision to become affiliate partners, with the research subjects drawn from beyond students. A quantitative method was employed using a questionnaire survey with convenience and snowball sampling, and the collected data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software, with an SEM applied for hypothesis testing. Results from 565 participants showed that perceptions of rewards are a key factor in increasing of attitude, perceived desirability, and perceived feasibility, thereby enhancing intention and actual behavior. Moreover, motivation also has distinct roles in the decision-making process. Interestingly, there are differences between student and non-student groups. The findings are expected to offer both theoretical contributions and practical implications for a greater understanding of digital entrepreneurship and intention towards a particular business model.