Enhancing the Customer’s Purchase Intention Through Strategic e-WOM Credibility

Abstract Due to its speed, volume, and validity, online word-of-mouth, or e-WOM, has garnered increasing attention recently and greatly impacted customers’ decision-making. This study investigates how particular antecedents influence e-WOM’s perceived credibility and how that credibility influences consumers’ intentions to make a purchase. Through an exhaustive assessment of the literature, the study focuses on customers who use online platforms to make purchasing decisions and identifies six important antecedents. Using a structured online questionnaire, primary data were gathered from 522 online buyers to investigate these connections. The structural equation modelling (SEM) method was used to test the suggested model. Five of the six antecedents had a substantial effect on e-WOM credibility, according to the research. The most significant influences among them are argument quality, review sidedness, and source reliability. Review quantity and consistency also exhibit modest but significant impacts. Nevertheless, homophily had no discernible effect on the perceived trustworthiness of e-WOM, indicating that consumers place more weight on reviewer popularity and experience than on resemblance. These observations provide marketers and e-commerce platform builders with useful advice. By strengthening the elements that contribute to trustworthiness, companies can increase the efficacy of their marketing communications and fortify their online presence.