The influence of eWOM on purchase intention for refurbished smartphones, mediated by trust and moderated by sentiment
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2024-06-24
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en
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The rapid increase in electronic waste (e-waste) poses significant environmental and health risks, primarily due to hazardous materials found in devices like smartphones. Refurbished smartphones offer a promising solution by extending device lifespans and reducing environmental impact. This study investigates how the content and sentiment of online reviews influence consumer trust and purchase intention for refurbished smartphones in the Netherlands. A 3x2 between-subjects experiment was conducted with three content types (product characteristics, environmental motivations, and additional services) and two sentiment types (positive and negative). Contrary to expectations, reviews did not differentially affect trust or purchase intention, only reviews about additional services had a better impact on trust than those about environmental motives, also the moderation effect of sentiment influences trust stronger for additional services than the environmental motive. A positive additional service review has a stronger, positive effect on trust than a positive review about an environmental motive. There is also a moderation mediation effect on purchase intention with this interaction. Positive sentiment generally increased trust for review about product characteristics compared to a review about an additional services and environmental motive, but did not directly influence purchase intention. The study highlights the complexity of consumer behavior in e-commerce for green products and suggests that marketers should focus on building comprehensive trust through multiple touchpoints and clear, detailed information (in reviews). These findings offer valuable insights for enhancing marketing strategies in the refurbished smartphone sector, contributing to sustainable consumption practices.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen