BEYOND CREDIBILITY: UNDERSTANDING THE MEDIATORS BETWEEN ELECTRONIC WORD-OF-MOUTH AND PURCHASE INTENTION

The objective of this study is to examine the mediating role of five variables in the relationship between eWOM credibility and purchase intention. This goal is justified by new trends in e-commerce and social media, where consumer impressions and influences have specific means of transmission and reception. The raw data were collected via an online survey of 359 Romanian participants and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling and specific mediation analysis techniques. The results show that perceived product quality, emotional response to eWOM and perceived buying risk fully mediate this relationship, while brand trust an brand engagement do not. These findings suggest that effective eWOM communication should enhance quality perceptions, evoke positive emotions, and boost customer confidence by reducing perceived purchasing risks. The primary contribution of this study lies in demonstrating that the influence of credibility on buying intent is not direct, but rather mediated by other key factors: perceived product quality, perceived buying risk and emotional reaction of the eWOM recipient. Consequently, a well-crafted eWOM message should address issues of both product quality and buying risks. By directly tackling these critical factors, such a message can reduce customer doubt, build trust and improve the likelihood of influencing purchasing behavior. Since this research assessed purchase intention rather than actual behavior, future investigations could use field studies to explore whether the proposed mediating variables similarly mediate real-world purchasing decisions.