The Effect of Electronic Word of Mouth Communications on Intention to Buy: A Meta-Analysis
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The Effect of Electronic Word of Mouth Communications on Intention to Buy: A Meta-Analysis Elvira Ismagilova 1 & Emma L. Slade 2 & Nripendra P. Rana 3
&
Yogesh K. Dwivedi 3
# The Author(s) 2019
Abstract The aim of this research is to synthesise findings from previous studies by employing weight and meta-analysis to reconcile conflicting evidence and draw a Bbig picture^ of eWOM factors influencing consumers’ intention to buy. By using the findings from 69 studies, this research identified best (e.g. argument quality, valence, eWOM usefulness, trust in message), promising (e.g. eWOM credibility, emotional trust, attitude towards website) and least effective (e.g. volume, existing eWOM, source credibility) predictors of intention to buy in eWOM research. Additionally, the effect size of each predictor was calculated by performing meta-analysis. For academics, understanding what influences consumers’ intention to buy will help set the agenda for future research directions; for practitioners, it will provide benefit in terms of practical guidance based on detailed analysis of specific factors influencing consumers’ intention to buy, which could enhance their marketing activities. Keywords Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) . Intention to buy . Meta-analysis . Weight analysis
1 Introduction Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) is defined as the dynamic and ongoing information exchange process between potential, actual, or former consumers regarding a product, service, brand, or company, which is available to a multitude of individuals and institutions via the Internet (Ismagilova et al. 2017). eWOM is considered as an important source of information influencing human behaviour (Filieri et al. 2018;
* Nripendra P. Rana [email protected] Elvira Ismagilova [email protected] Emma L. Slade [email protected] Yogesh K. Dwivedi [email protected] 1
Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford, UK
2
School of Economics, Finance and Management, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
3
Emerging Markets Research Centre (EMaRC), School of Management, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
Filieri 2015; Floyd et al. 2014; Nam et al. 2018; Wang et al. 2015a; Yan et al. 2015), significantly affecting the way consumers make purchase decisions (Baber et al. 2016; Jeong and Koo 2015; Lee et al. 2017; Lin et al. 2018; Mauri and Minazzi 2013). In recent studies, 93% of consumers indicated that online reviews (a type of eWOM communication) significantly influence their purchase decision (Fullerton 2017; RuizMafe et al. 2018; Tata et al. 2019). Several empirical studies have established the effect of eWOM on consumers’ intention to buy products or services (e.g. Chen et al. 2014; Erkan and Evans 2016; Plotkina and Munzel 2016); for example, on purchase intention of cars (Jalilvand and Samiei 2012a), laptops (Aerts et al. 2017; Uribe et al. 2016) and smartphones (Chen et al. 2016), intention to choose tourist destinations (Jalilvand and Samiei 2012b), and intention to book hotels (Agag and El-Masr
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