Antecedent Factors in Driving eWOM: Insights from Social Media Users

This study aims to determine the effect of perceived quality, perceived value of cost, brand identification, trust, and lifestyle congruence on customer satisfaction, along with how customer satisfaction affects eWOM. In this study, non-probability and purposive sampling techniques were used. There were 308 valid data collected through an online survey using google form, which was distributed from April to May 2024. Partial Least Square - Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. The findings show that perceived quality, perceived value of cost, trust, and lifestyle congruence have a positive and significant influence on customer satisfaction. In contrast, brand identification significantly and negatively affects customer satisfaction. Furthermore, it was discovered that customer satisfaction positively and significantly impacted eWOM. This study contributes to the marketing literature by using the five dimensions of customer-based brand equity to determine its effect on customer satisfaction, as well as the effect of customer satisfaction on eWOM in the context of the food and beverage industry.