Impact of e-WOM on Purchasing Intention Towards the Fashion Retail Industry Moderating Effect of Product Involvement with Special Reference to Western Province Sri Lanka

Abstract

Since the rapid development of technology in the fashion industry, the competition is immense, and therefore it is needed to identify the market trend and adopt it. With that, marketers need to facilitate the decision-making process of the customer. As previous researchers state, 90% of people rely on online reviews for buying decisions, yet marketers are struggling to maximize the business value of e-wom. Hence, this study fills the vacuole of the practical and empirical gap in the present industry. As this study was quantitative in nature, data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire to gather primary data from the sample, which was identified via a non-probabilistic, convenience sampling technique. In terms of measuring hypothesis developed based on the conceptual framework, it has used SPSS 22. The results did not confirm that e-wom quality, e-wom quantity, and sender’s expertise positively impact purchase intention with the moderating effect of product involvement, but, except e-wom quantity e-wom quality and sender’s expertise have a positive impact on purchasing intention. As a conclusion note of the study, the researcher recommends fashion and clothing companies focus more on the e-wom on their online platforms, enhancing the consumers’ purchasing intention in the short and long run.