Impact of eWOM on Purchase Intention Through Brand Image and Brand Awareness: An SEM Analysis.

Due to new methods and cutting-edge technology, word-of-mouth (WOM) communication has undergone drastic changes over the decades, leading to electronic WOM (eWOM), which is now more widespread. WOM interaction significantly affects buyer habits and purchase intention (PI). eWOM is viewed as an updated variant of WOM advertising, with consumers using a variety of online resources to get firsthand, user-generated content about the products and services they plan to purchase. This paper investigates the impact of eWOM on consumers' PI, in addition to examining how brand awareness and brand image mediate the association between eWOM and PI. AMOS 24.0 was used to evaluate this model using structural equation modeling (SEM). In order to look for model relationships, a self-administered structured questionnaire was distributed to 300 respondents. The results showed that eWOM and brand image have a positive significant impact on consumers' PI, but brand awareness has no significant impact on PI; and brand image acts as a mediator in the relationship, but brand awareness has no mediation effect. The study provides an insight on the effects of eWOM on PI through brand image and brand awareness in the Indian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]