The Influence of electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) and online trust on KWASU students' purchase intention of mobile phones

Abstract

This study therefore assesses the influence of electronic word of mouth communication (e-WOM), online trust and appeals on KWASU student’s purchase intention of mobile phone.

 The advent of digital technology and social media platforms has revolutionized the way consumers seek and share information about mobile phones. The rapid growth of electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) communication and its impact on consumer behavior has attracted significant attention among researchers. However, not so much attention has been paid to this in the context of electronic word of mouth and online trust especially among consumers in Nigeria. This study made use of the Elaboration Likelihood Model as the theoretical framework. Findings of the study showed that, e-WOM positively influence respondents’ intention towards purchasing mobile phone. Majority of the respondents trust the comments and recommendations from influencers, they have confidence in credibility of the online information shared by influencers and they do not trust the e-WOM by influencers because they do not mention that they are promoting a certain brand in their messages. Hence, this study recommends that Online media influencers should try as much as possible to include clarity when sharing online information on purchasing a mobile. phone. This, will greatly increase students’ trust and confidence in e-WOM when considering the purchase of mobile phone