The Impact of online reviews on Sri Lankan consumers’ purchase intention

Abstract

The surge in e-commerce and advancements in IT infrastructure have revolutionized the way consumers shop, with online reviews playing a crucial role in shaping purchase decisions. Despite their significance, limited research exists on online reviews in the Sri Lankan context. This study investigates the impact of online review credibility on the purchasing intentions of Sri Lankan consumers, with a focus on the moderating effect of product types. Three key aspects of online reviews are explored: reviewer expertise, review consistency, and review sidedness. The quantitative analysis reveals that reviewer expertise significantly enhances purchase intentions, especially when reviews are consistent, thereby boosting perceived credibility. Moreover, reviews that balanced both positive and negative sentiments (review-sidedness) were found to be more influential on consumer behavior. This research contributes to academic discussions on the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) by demonstrating how the central and peripheral routes are influenced by the credibility of online reviews, further affected by product type as a moderating variable. Businesses can leverage the importance of reviewer expertise and balanced review sentiments in their marketing strategies to enhance consumer trust and engagement, particularly in online platforms.