Examining the effect of eWOM on the customer purchase intention through value co-creation (VCC) in social networking sites (SNSs)

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) on the value co-creation (VCC) and purchase intentions of consumers in Facebook fan pages of smartphone brands in India. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected using a structured questionnaire from a sample of 762 members from India present in the selected fan pages of smartphone brands in Facebook, and the data were analyzed through structural equation modeling. Findings This empirical study revealed a positive relationship among the three variables and provided new insights after analyzing the collected data. There was clear evidence of VCC being partially mediated by eWOM and purchase intention. Research limitations/implications The perspective of the study was to validate the proposed conceptual model by considering members’ perception of the product, as put forth on Facebook fan pages. The methods used in this study could be adapted to conduct further studies on other social networking sites like Instagram and Twitter. Originality/value The study contributes to the existing literature of eWOM, VCC and consumer behavior in social networking sites, and our findings will help marketers to develop a new method of disseminating product information to and within India through social networking sites.