The influence of online customer reviews on customers’ purchase intentions: a cross-cultural study from India and the UK

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of online customer reviews (OCRs) and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on customers’ purchase intention (PUI). This study also investigates the cultural differences between the customers in India and UK as regards the influence of OCR and customers’ PUIs. Design/methodology/approach This study has used socialisation theory, theory of reasoned action, congruity theory and expectation value theory, along with the existing literature to develop the conceptual model. The theoretical model has been validated using the PLS-SEM technique on a survey involving 305 and 280 respondents for India and UK, respectively. Findings The findings highlight that gender has no effect on UK customers’ PUIs, whereas age and gender have considerable impacts on Indian customers’ PUIs. Research limitations/implications The study only examines the cross-cultural difference between a European country (UK) and an Asian country (India). Also, since the sample size is low, the findings did not represent a generic view. Practical implications The proposed model has provided important inputs to the organisations to understand consumer behaviour particularly the study would help marketing departments to formulate their marketing strategies regarding OCR and customers’ PUI. Originality/value This study is unique in understanding the implications of OCR and their influence on customer purchase decisions of UK customers and India’s customers. This study also helps to understand the impact of age and gender on OCR and PUIs.

Identifying value-creating aspects in luxury hotel services via third-party online reviews: a cross-cultural study

“…A quantitative and a qualitative approach (text analysis) has been taken by studying online user-generated ratings and reviews of luxury hotels to accomplish this research aims. Combining quantitative and qualitative approaches in online reviews is a common practice in the literature because it provides a holistic understanding of the phenomena under investigation such as online reviews (Chatterjee et al, 2021;Nakayama and Wan, 2019). This study is one of the few in the literature examining both ratings and reviews of hotels.…”

“…Culture is important when studying online reviews because it determines customers' values. Values differentiate the value customers place on self-expression (Kim and Sherman, 2007), provide an understanding of the external influences (Nakayama and Wan, 2019), and consequently, influence purchase intentions (Chung et al, 2018;Chatterjee et al, 2021). Culture exerts a significant impact on services such as tourism services because it influences customer behavior offline and online (i.e.…”

A new theoretical model for online customer review intention

“…Individuals are also seen to provide feedback on a product or service according to their own perception and experience. They are the believers of individualism (Papathanassis and Knolle, 2011;Yang and Wang, 2015;Banerjee and Chai, 2019;Thrassou et al, 2021c). Customers' purchase decision is principally influenced by the price of the products and then by the OCR (Wang et al, 2020;Shaheen et al, 2019).…”

Impact of organizational dynamic capability on international expansion and the moderating role of environmental dynamism

“…ED exerts pressure on organizational activities, forcing organizations to effectively exploit the existing organizational knowledge to guide their course of action (Droge et al , 2004). Although the concept of DC is being explored by researchers to consolidate theoretical and definitional divergences, the extant literature in this context is found to be dissimilar and fragmented (Baía and Ferreira, 2019; Chaudhuri et al , 2021a). D affects the business landscape, as it may give rise to several negative outcomes.…”

“…Further reading Chatterjee, S.,Chaudhuri, R. and Vrontis, D. (2021a), "Dark side of instant messaging: an empirical investigation from technology and society perspective", Aslib Journal of Information Management, doi: 10.1108/AJIM-04-2021-0101.About the authorsDr Sheshadri Chatterjee is a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India. He has completed PhD from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India.…”