The mediating effect of trust on the relationship between eWOM and customer purchase intention on Shopee in Thailand

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of eWOM on the purchase intention of Shopee customers in Thailand. This study was inspired by theS-O-R (Stimulus-Organism-Response) model, and constructed the research model of "eWOM (quantity, quality, credibility and usefulness)-Trust-Purchase Intention". Four eWOM characteristics, quantity, quality, credibility and usefulness were selected as independent variables, while trust was the mediating variable and purchase intention was the dependent variable. In this study, the questionnaire method was used to conduct an online questionnaire survey of customers who have Shopee experience in Thailand. A total of 250 data were collected. This study is a quantitative method based on Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and the hypotheses were tested using Smart PLS. The results of the study showed that eWOM quality, eWOM credibility and eWOM usefulness have a significant positive affect on trust, eWOM quantity no have a significant positive affect on trust significantly affects purchase intention. Moreover, trust mediates between eWOM quality, eWOM credibility, eWOM usefulness and purchase intention.