{"id":174211,"date":"2026-08-24T17:36:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T23:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/?post_type=sciencecommunication&p=174211"},"modified":"2026-08-26T17:37:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T23:37:30","slug":"ewom","status":"publish","type":"sciencecommunication","link":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/science-communication\/ewom\/","title":{"rendered":"Electronic Word of Mouth: How a Review Can Influence Your Purchase Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Lorena de la Paz Carrete Lucero<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have ever bought<\/strong> something because a friend, an influencer<\/strong>, or even a stranger recommended it on Instagram<\/strong> or Facebook<\/strong>, you have participated in the phenomenon known as electronic word of mouth, or e-WOM<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

e-WOM is defined as any positive or negative opinion about a product or service expressed by potential consumers<\/strong> and shared on the internet<\/strong>. This includes online reviews, social media posts, forum discussions, videos, and images that reflect evaluations<\/strong> and experiences with a range of products and services [1].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This phenomenon is transforming the way we consume<\/strong>, which is why researchers are studying how it works and how powerful it can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Study e-WOM<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The study \u201cUncovering the receiver\u2019s traits that moderate the effect of e-WOM valence on the purchase intentions of healthy food products<\/em>\u201d examines how individual characteristics influence the way consumers process e-WOM when purchasing healthy products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research, based on online interviews with 200 Mexican consumers, describes how participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups and presented with a fictional cereal brand<\/strong>. In one group, the cereal\u2019s organic and health-related attributes<\/strong> were emphasized, while the other group was given information only about the origin of the brand name<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers then measured participants\u2019 brand expectations regarding the cereal\u2019s nutritional value, health benefits, and product quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, participants were randomly assigned to another group, where they were shown comments from either a health influencer<\/strong> or an ordinary consumer<\/strong> expressing positive or negative opinions about the cereal. Researchers then measured their intentions to purchase the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The researchers also analyzed consumers\u2019 psychographic<\/strong> and behavioral characteristics that could influence their decisions: how frequently they consumed cereal, how often they used social media, their level of health consciousness, and their susceptibility to social influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Power of e-WOM<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After validating the scales used to measure the study variables, the researchers applied the general linear model available in Minitab 21<\/strong> statistical software to empirically analyze the effects of e-WOM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the effects examined was social media use as a factor directly related to purchasing decisions. In other words, people who spend more time on platforms<\/strong> such as Facebook may be more susceptible to e-WOM<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The frequency with which consumers purchased healthy products<\/strong> was also associated with greater receptiveness to online comments. Likewise, health consciousness<\/strong> was associated with greater attention to online comments about healthy products: people who are more concerned about their well-being tend to pay closer attention to what others say about these products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study shows that a strong, positive brand image can significantly increase purchase intentions even before consumers see reviews or comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These findings illustrate how the nonconscious or semi-conscious processing<\/strong> of e-WOM, combined with individual consumer characteristics<\/strong>, can shape purchasing decisions. A consumer may think they chose a product simply because it is healthy, for example, when a recommendation they encountered on social media may actually have had a greater influence than they realized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Negative e-WOM<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The analysis also shows that frequent cereal consumers<\/strong> who evaluate a new healthy product based on their subjective and objective knowledge are less susceptible to negative e-WOM than infrequent cereal consumers, who may have less knowledge about healthy options within this product category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Negative e-WOM also has a stronger detrimental effect<\/strong> on moderate social media users than on occasional or expert users. In other words, moderate social media use may increase the likelihood that consumers will pay attention to negative reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The e-WOM phenomenon is redefining how we make purchasing decisions in the digital age. Consumers should be aware of how their individual characteristics may make them more susceptible to these influences<\/strong>. For companies, meanwhile, these findings offer insight into the mechanisms of persuasion and credibility<\/strong> that operate in today\u2019s digital ecosystem<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Liu, H., Jayawardhena, C., Shukla, P., Osburg, V.-S., & Yoganathan, V. (2024). Electronic word-of-mouth 2.0: The evolution of eWOM research in the new age<\/a>.\u00a0Journal of Business Research, 176,<\/em>\u00a0114587<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Carrete, L., Arroyo, P., & Castillo, G. (2025). Uncovering the receiver\u2019s traits that moderate the effect of e-WOM valence on the purchase intentions of healthy food products<\/a>. Management Letters \/ Cuadernos de Gesti\u00f3n, 25<\/em>(1), 103-119.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    Author<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

    Lorena de la Paz Carrete Lucero<\/strong>. Professor and researcher at the Tecnol\u00f3gico de Monterrey School of Business<\/a>. She holds a Ph.D. in Management Sciences from Universit\u00e9 Lyon 3 in France. She is a member of Mexico\u2019s National System of Researchers and the Consumer Science and Marketing Strategy<\/em> research group. Her research focuses on sustainable purchasing and consumption behaviors, healthy and eco-friendly brands, and social media. She is also a science writer for TecScience<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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