The Effect of Electronic Word-of-Mouth on Customers’ Purchase Intention Among TikTok Users

The scenario of the popularity of TikTok and the growing number of discussions about products or services has brought many new opportunities and challenges for the marketers. This study aims to identify antecedents of electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) information on purchase intention among TikTok users with the target population of university students in Ho Chi Minh city. Adapting the Information Acceptance Model based on the integration of Information Adoption Model and Theory of Reasoned Action, this paper investigated the characteristics of information and customer’s behavior in reference to purchase decision making of a certain product, including seven constructs: information quality, information credibility, needs of information, attitude towards information, information usefulness, information adoption, and purchase intention. Non-probability sampling was applied to collect 222 valid cases from respondents (TikTok users and university students) via self-administered questionnaires, and PLS-SEM was used to estimate the conceptual framework with six hypotheses. It revealed that information quality, information credibility and attitude towards information were critical drivers of information usefulness. In addition, customer perspective of useful message was confirmed to strengthen the likelihood of the e-WOM adoption, reflecting through a causal positive relationship proven between information adoption and purchase intention of prospective buyers. This study may bring theoretical implications on drivers of e-WOM information; and practical implications on e-WOM communications on TikTok platform.