Title: E-WOM and outcomes on perceived values and consumer purchase intention

Authors: Yuan-shuh Lii; May-Ching Ding; Erin Sy

Addresses: Marketing Department, College of Business, Feng Chia University, 100, Wenhwa Road, Seatwen, Taichung City 407, Taiwan ' Marketing Department, College of Business, Feng Chia University, 100, Wenhwa Road, Seatwen, Taichung City 407, Taiwan ' Marketing Department, College of Business, Feng Chia University, 100, Wenhwa Road, Seatwen, Taichung City 407, Taiwan

Abstract: This research examines the utilitarian, hedonic, social, and epistemic values consumers derive from e-WOM exchanges (both quality and volume) in online communities and the subsequent impact of these values on consumers' purchase intentions. A survey of 201 members of the online community from community forums in Southeast Asia was collected and structural equation modelling was applied to test the hypothesised relationship. The results show that only the quality of the e-WOM exchange affects four different types of value; moreover, only the perceived hedonic and epistemic values significantly affect the intention of consumers to buy. This paper contributes to the literature by studying e-WOM from a framework of consumption value theory. From a management point of view, practical applications of this research include obtaining real-time information from consumers, which can be applied in different stages of product launch, development, and finally sales and marketing stages.

Keywords: E-WOM; consumption values; perceived utilitarian value; perceived hedonic value; perceived social value; perceived epistemic value; consumer purchase intention.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMC.2026.154629

International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2026 Vol.28 No.1, pp.23 - 42

Accepted: 25 Mar 2025
Published online: 08 Jul 2026 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article