Impact of Online Customer Reviews on Purchase Intension with Special Reference to Sri Lankan Tour Packages

Abstract

In today’s constantly connected world, dominated by mobile device usage, social media, and online review sites, traditional word-of-mouth has been supplanted by digital platforms. Previously, businesses relied heavily on word-of-mouth to generate traffic and business. Nowadays, online reviews, whether positive, negative, or lacking, can significantly influence a business's success. Understanding the impact of these reviews on business reputation is crucial. A positive reputation remains a powerful marketing tool, essential for attracting new customers. Companies can leverage information from various websites, including booking.com, agoda.com, and other rating and review platforms, to address customer concerns and complaints. This study examines how consumers are influenced by their own and others' customer care experiences when selecting brands or companies for purchases. Due to challenges in information gathering, a convenience sampling technique was used to select a sample, which aimed to reduce selection errors and accurately represent the population. The sample comprised 100 respondents who had booked Sri Lankan tour packages. Primary data were collected via a structured questionnaire distributed online to respondents in the Central and Uva Provinces. The study tested four independent variables: source credibility, timeliness, valence of reviews, and length of reviews. All alternative hypotheses were accepted, demonstrating a positive impact of these variables on purchase intention. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted to evaluate these impacts.