The influence of online reviews and electronic word-of-mouth on purchase intention: A literature review and research agenda

The rise of the internet has allowed consumers to exchange and share consumption-related experiences through online reviews. This form of word of mouth, referred to as electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), can exert a strong impact on consumers’ buying behavior. Accordingly, academic interest in investigating the impact of eWOM has increased significantly over the last two decades. Although many studies on the impact of eWOM have been published, the literature is still fragmented, and scant attempts have been made to incorporate the findings of the existing research. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature review to synthesize the findings of prior research and to explain the impact of eWOM on consumers’ purchase intention. We found that age, involvement, and product and consumer characteristics are identified as moderators, while brand equity dimensions and trust act as mediator variables for the aforementioned relationship. Finally, drawing on the TCCM framework, this study provides tentative directions for future research.