The effect of repeat purchase information in electronic word‐of‐mouth (eWOM) on purchase intention

Abstract

AbstractConsumers commonly rely on electronic word‐of‐mouth (eWOM) to inform their purchase decisions. The purpose of this study is to investigate when and why repeat purchase information in eWOM influenced customers' purchase behavior, using the social learning theory as a framework. Three experiments were conducted to test the hypotheses. The results showed that repeat purchase information in eWOM positively affected consumers' purchase intention through perceived diagnosticity of eWOM and perceived value. Additionally, the effect varied from product type. For utilitarian products, the repeat purchase information in eWOM had a significant impact on consumers' perceived diagnosticity and purchase intention, while for hedonic products, the impact was not significant. The current study deepens the understanding of social learning theory in eWOM content by providing a novel look at repeat purchase information in eWOM. These findings offer important implications for both research and practical applications of eWOM, particularly in term of effectively utilizing repeat purchase information of eWOM.