Understanding How Product Reviews on YouTube Affect Consumers’ Purchase Behaviors in Indonesia: An Exploration Using the Stimulus-Organism-Response Paradigm

Abstract

Product reviews on YouTube have become highly beneficial to consumers’ decision-making, as they can help consumers judge and experience products before making purchases. Consequently, scholars and managers must understand consumer behaviors regarding product reviews and identify factors influencing consumers’ purchasing decisions. A novel contribution of the study is the introduction of a model based on the stimulus-organism-response paradigm that explains how sensory marketing and information adoption affect parasocial interaction, trust (cognitive and affective), and information usefulness that are correlated with consumers’ responses to stickiness, adoption, and purchase intentions. To empirically evaluate the proposed research model, we conducted an online survey of 611 participants who had purchased products based on YouTube product reviews. We performed data analysis using structural equation modelling and Smart-PLS software, and the results indicated that all hypotheses were supported except for parasocial interaction and information usefulness, which were rejected. This study could provide insights into the antecedents and consequences of purchase intentions in light of YouTube product reviews, thus contributing knowledge of online consumer behaviors to help managers understand consumer behaviors regarding social media and formulate marketing strategies.