Effects of eWOM information adoption on purchase intention: the moderating role of sponsorship disclosure

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) has received attention in the rapidly changing social commerce landscape for its ability to influence consumer behavior. Increasing concerns about sponsored eWOM content being disguised as genuine reviews make it hard for consumers to identify authentic content. This study examines the interaction of eWOM sponsorship disclosure, information quality, and source credibility on purchase intentions in social commerce, specifically on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese platform. Extending the Information Adoption Model (IAM), this research incorporates eWOM sponsorship disclosure as a moderating factor. At first, the research used multiple linear regression to explore the impact of source credibility and information quality on purchase intention and then employed two-way ANOVA to analyze the moderating effects of eWOM sponsorship disclosure across varying levels of information quality and source credibility. The findings reveal that high information quality enhances purchase intentions, and source credibility also positively impacts purchase intentions. eWOM sponsorship disclosure moderates these relationships. Specifically, implicit disclosure leads to higher purchase intention when information quality is high and when source credibility is low. The study deepens theoretical understanding of eWOM and social commerce by revealing how sponsorship disclosure alters consumers’ trust and information processing, highlighting important ethical considerations and offering insights into when firm-driven marketing practices may support, or undermine, consumer welfare.