The influence of social media eWOM information on purchase intention

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between information characteristics and consumers’ behaviours in regards to electronic word of mouth, such as information quality, information credibility, information task-fit, needs of information, attitude towards information and purchase intention of new flavoured bubble tea in an extended Information Acceptance Model. A self-administrated questionnaire was used to collect data from 222 respondents. Data analysis has been conducted using partial least squares-structural equation modelling. The results reveal that information quality, information credibility, information task-fit and attitudes towards information explain the information usefulness. Purchase intention is determined by information adoption, in which information usefulness is the predictor for information adoption. This study extends the literature of purchase intention by incorporating the role of electronic word of mouth information in an extended Information Acceptance Model. Practitioners are encouraged to enrich their marketing effort to boost the online reviews of their products by taking into consideration the quality, credibility and relevancy of the online reviews’ perspectives of electronic word of mouth information. This study contributes to the empirical research of purchase intention by introducing the role of information task-fit in an Information Acceptance Model that combines the characteristics of information and consumer behaviour in the investigation.