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Volume 16
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Article

The Influence of Opinion Leaders’ eWOM on Online Consumer Decisions: A Study on Social Influence

by
Sandra Tobon
* and
Jesús García-Madariaga
Faculty of Economics and Business, Complutense University of Madrid, 28223 Madrid, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2021, 16(4), 748-767; https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16040043
Submission received: 30 November 2020 / Revised: 7 January 2021 / Accepted: 12 January 2021 / Published: 19 January 2021
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Abstract

Opinion leaders and eWOM are becoming two of the most effective ways to launch a brand on social media by creating viral marketing. However, how much influence does an opinion leader’s eWOM (OL eWOM) have on consumer purchasing decisions? This research looks at the role of OL eWOM as well as the effect of its valence and product type on the decision to buy or not buy from a realistic experimental online store design. In total, 300 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of five scenarios in a 22 experimental arrangement. Results show that OL eWOM influences consumer online decisions when purchasing experience-type goods and the valence of eWOM is positive. However, if we compare the OL eWOM with a control group, then OL eWOM does not have a significant influence. This research provides novel empirical evidence for the limited influence of OL in modeling shopping behaviors in e-commerce contexts.
Keywords: opinion leader’ eWOM; online consumer decisions; product type; eWOM’ valence; personal influence opinion leader’ eWOM; online consumer decisions; product type; eWOM’ valence; personal influence

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MDPI and ACS Style

Tobon, S.; García-Madariaga, J. The Influence of Opinion Leaders’ eWOM on Online Consumer Decisions: A Study on Social Influence. J. Theor. Appl. Electron. Commer. Res. 2021, 16, 748-767. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16040043

AMA Style

Tobon S, García-Madariaga J. The Influence of Opinion Leaders’ eWOM on Online Consumer Decisions: A Study on Social Influence. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research. 2021; 16(4):748-767. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16040043

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tobon, Sandra, and Jesús García-Madariaga. 2021. "The Influence of Opinion Leaders’ eWOM on Online Consumer Decisions: A Study on Social Influence" Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research 16, no. 4: 748-767. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16040043

APA Style

Tobon, S., & García-Madariaga, J. (2021). The Influence of Opinion Leaders’ eWOM on Online Consumer Decisions: A Study on Social Influence. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 16(4), 748-767. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer16040043

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