The role of electronic word-of-mouth in influencing consumer repurchase intention in social commerce

¹ Faculty of Socio-Human Sciences, Spiru Haret University, Ion Ghica Street 13, Bucharest 030045, Romania
² Faculty of Banking and Finance, Dimitrie Cantemir Christian University, Splaiul Unirii 176, Bucharest 030134, Romania
³ Faculty of Administration and Public Management, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Piaţa Romană 6, Bucharest 010374, Romania

^* Corresponding author: phd_lazaroiu@yahoo.com, popescu_ucdc@yahoo.com, popescu_elvira@yahoo.com

Abstract

This research investigates the way consumer repurchase intention in social commerce is shaped by electronic word-of-mouth at global scale. Building our argument by drawing on data collected from Deloitte, eMarketer, MarketingCharts, Marketing Insider Group, McKinsey, Mediakix, Nielsen, Smart Insights, and Statista, we performed analyses and made estimates regarding trusted information sources according to consumers, products/services that Internet users have personally recommended to others, channels through which Internet users would like to receive recommendations from others, leading social media marketing tactics among marketers/media agency professionals, sources that have influenced a recent purchase decision, what are retail digital buyers most concerned about when choosing a social e-commerce platform, important information in online reviews that influence purchase decisions according to Internet users, % of respondents who made a purchase influenced by electronic word-of-mouth channels, leading social media trends that will have the biggest effect on their advertising and marketing strategies, Internet users who agree that online reviews have an important influence on purchase decisions (by age), effective content formats for influencer marketing, and factors that influence whether a product is considered at each stage of the consumer decision journey. The data for this research were collected through an online survey questionnaire and were analyzed via structural equation modeling on a sample of 4,200 respondents.