The Impact of Positive Electronic Word-of-Mouth on Consumer Online Purchasing Decision

Despite the extensive use of online reputational mechanism such as products reviews forum to promote trust and purchase decisions, there has been little empirical evidence to support the notion that positive word-of-mouth (eWOM) plays a role in impacting trust and purchase intentions. Using the belief-attitude-intention framework as a foundation, we suggest that positive eWOM reinforces consumers' original belief and attitude towards vendors in the aspect of trust. Through a laboratory experiment, we investigate the moderating effect of positive eWOM on the relationships among consumers' belief (i.e. cognitive trust - competence & integrity), attitude (i.e. emotional trust), and behavioral intention to shop online. Results show that positive eWOM strengthens the relationship between consumers' emotional trust and their intention to shop online, as well as the relationship between consumers' perceived integrity and attitude. Implications for the current investigation and future research directions are provided.