This paper explores the influence of crisis-related information on customers’ recommendations and purchase intentions. Various studies have investigated the role of risk-related information in terms of its certainty and immediacy. This research introduces a model that differentiates and investigates different types of information provided by organizations through social network sites (SNSs) that are related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, including situational information and precautionary measures information specifically. The proposed model targeted users of SNSs in Saudi Arabia, where around 72.38% of its population is considered active SNSs users with 3 h of average daily time spent on SNSs. Based on the survey data collected from 356 online shoppers in Saudi Arabia, structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to test the proposed model. The reliability of instrument was tested using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), where the results showed acceptable model fit indices ($X^2/df$ = 2.6, GFI = 0.93, CFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.93, and RMSEA = 0.067). Based on that, the structural model was built and tested, which also showed acceptable fit indices ($X^2/df$ = 2.9, GFI = 0.92, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.91, and RMSEA = 0.073). The findings highlight that situational and adopted precautionary measures information had a significant impact on recommendations ($\gamma =0.73$) and purchase intentions ($\gamma =0.39$). Further, organizations that hold themselves accountable for broadcasting updated information related to the crisis and disseminating the necessary preventive measures develop a high level of recommendations and purchase intentions among customers. A personal recommendation construct was confirmed as a partial mediator, where an indirect significant influence was found of broadcasting information on purchase intention through personal recommendation ($\gamma =0.309$). Therefore, this paper suggests that organizations should consider offering customers all the necessary types of information related to the COVID-19 crisis.

中文翻译：

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在COVID-19流行危机期间，通过社交网站进行的信息共享对客户态度的影响

本文探讨了与危机相关的信息对客户的建议和购买意图的影响。各种研究已经从风险的确定性和即时性方面研究了风险相关信息的作用。这项研究引入了一种模型，该模型可以区分和调查组织通过与冠状病毒（COVID-19）危机相关的社交网站（SNS）提供的不同类型的信息，包括特定的情况信息和预防措施信息。提议的模型针对的是沙特阿拉伯的SNS用户，那里约有72.38％的人口被视为活跃的SNS用户，平均每天有3小时的时间花在SNS上。根据从沙特阿拉伯的356位在线购物者那里收集的调查数据，应用结构方程模型（SEM）来测试所提出的模型。使用验证性因子分析（CFA）测试了仪器的可靠性，结果显示可接受的模型拟合指数（$X^{\mathrm{2个}}/dF$= 2.6，GFI = 0.93，CFI = 0.94，TLI = 0.93，RMSEA = 0.067）。在此基础上，构建并测试了结构模型，该模型也显示出可接受的拟合指数（$X^{\mathrm{2个}}/dF$= 2.9，GFI = 0.92，CFI = 0.93，TLI = 0.91，RMSEA = 0.073）。调查结果强调，情势和采取的预防措施信息对建议有重大影响（$\gamma =0.73$）和购买意向（$\gamma =0.39$）。此外，使自己负责广播与危机有关的最新信息并传播必要的预防措施的组织会在客户中形成高水平的建议和购买意图。确认了个人推荐结构作为部分调解人，发现通过个人推荐广播有关购买意向的信息具有间接的重大影响（$\gamma =0.309$）。因此，本文建议组织应考虑向客户提供与COVID-19危机有关的所有必要类型的信息。