Electronic Word of Mouth and Influence on Consumer Purchase Intention

Word of mouth has been influential in developing consumer perception towards a product or service for years. This happens when consumer meets another online consumer who has previously experienced the service or product that could happen in a shopping mall or store. In late 1990s, the word of mouth was converted into electronic word of mouth (eWOM) with an extensive usage of messengers, other chatting clients such as Yahaven and Email. In late 2000s, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Pinterest and others became an interminable source of advertising, interaction, information gathering, sharing opinions and discussions on product features and services. Further brand communities, brand facebook pages, micro blogging sites and brand websites have also become a focus of several studies. A rigorous search was conducted through databases such as Google Scholar, Emerald insight and others. This article reviews previous researches taken from these databases with a focal point on eWOM and its influence on consumer purchase intentions. Further, data were collected from university students through self-administered survey and linear regression was employed using RStudio. Results of the study indicate a positive impact of eWOM as a predictor on purchase intention as outcome in Indian context.