The impact of consumers' sustainable electric-word-of-mouth in purchasing sustainable mobility: An analysis from online review comments of e-commerce

Abstract

The traditional transport sector is under pressure to change its structure to be more sustainable and eco-friendly in light of the rising global issues regarding environmental pollution and climate change. However, the widespread adoption of sustainable mobility practices, fundamental to improving the sustainability of the transport sector, is still in its early stages. This highlights a substantial gap between the potential benefits of sustainable mobility and current application. Consumer choices in sustainable mobility options, influenced by factors including perceptions and preferences, are significant for shaping the future direction of environmental sustainability within the sector. Understanding these behaviors is essential for the broader acceptance of sustainable mobility. This study investigates consumers' purchasing decisions through gross sentiment and sustainable electronic word-of-mouth, which emphasizes consumer behavior in conveying messages related to sustainability on online platforms, and further evaluates the impact of the main components with an ablation study. The analysis of the 27,025 review comments revealed two important factors of the peripheral route that influence consumers' purchases: rating scores and the number of review comments, with indirect effects on overall sentiment and sustainability-related opinions. Based on the findings of this study, several academic implications, as well as practical cornerstones, are examined.