Analyzing Tool to Assess Ewom and Halal Product Image On Consumer Purchase Intention And Mediating Role Of Brand Equity: A Study Of Innisfree Brand

The rise of digital interactions and e-commerce has turned consumer behavior, especially for the highly in-demand halal-certified products in Indonesia.The predominantly Muslim population is about 277.53 million, 86.7% of whom adhered to Islam.Social media has heightened this demand by facilitating eWOM, which, in turn, affects purchase intention.The status of halal, gained from Malaysia, has been capitalized on by this Korean skincare brand known as Innisfree to extend its reach into this demographic market through e-commerce and EWOM as an approach toward increasing brand equity and behavioral outcomes of consumers.This study investigates the impact of EWOM and images of halal products on purchase intention among customers, with brand equity serving as a mediating variable for Innisfree.These variables were measured in a survey of 402 Indonesian respondents who were familiar with Innisfree products.The data were analyzed by means of SmartPLS 4. It can be observed that EWOM and the image of halal products positively influence purchase intention; however, EWOM is the strongest.EWOM improves brand equity, which in turn influences purchase intentions.This study provides several insights that could be useful for brands like Innisfree when it comes to the usage of EWOM and halal certification within a marketing strategy.Recommendations are to increase social media engagement, feature reviews, leverage influencer partnerships, and highlight halal certification to increase consumers' trust in its product.