Impact of eWOM and risk-taking in gender on purchase intentions: evidence from Chinese social media

Abstract

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) has become as one of the most influential marketing tools in social media. The purposefulness of this study is to investigate the relationship between eWOM and purchase intention in Chinese social media context. The article also differentiates the risk-taking attitude between genders. Numerous studies have strived to elaborate eWOM phenomenon but little effort has done to explore its determinants. The results confirmed that argument quality, source credibility, and involvement are key determinants of eWOM in social media that positively influence customers purchase intentions. Furthermore, risk-taking propensity sounds more strongly in males than females, and it significantly and positively moderates the relationship of eWOM with purchase intentions. Findings of this study have important practical implications for marketing practitioners in Chinese social media environment. Marketers should devise the comprehensive distinct marketing plan for customers to get them involved in spreading eWOM that would enhance their purchase intentions.