The Impact of Electronic Word of Mouth on Consumers' Purchasing Decisions

Abstract

The substantial growth in online social networks has vastly expanded the potential impact of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) on consumer purchasing decisions. A critical literature review exposed that there is limited research on the impact of online consumer reviews on online purchasing decisions of Saudi Arabian consumers. This research reports on results of a study on the effects of online reviews on Saudi citizens' online purchasing decisions. The results show that Saudi Internet shoppers are very much influenced by eWOM, and that a larger percentage of them are dependent on such online forums when making decisions to purchase products through the Internet.