Electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM) and consumers’ purchase decisions:

Evidences from Bangladesh

ABSTRACT
The ascent and spread of the Internet have prompted the rise of another type of word of mouth
(WOM) namely the electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) which is considered one of the most
persuasive casual media among purchasers, business organizations, and the people at large. The
purpose of this paper is to measure the impact of electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) on brand
image and online purchase intention of shopping products among Bangladeshi consumers.
Recently, Bangladesh is experiencing rapid growth in terms of e-business and e-commerce.
However, investigation regarding the impact of e-WOM and brand image on online purchase
intention has remained mostly unexplored. This study follows a quantitative research
methodology and collects data of the consumers by using a non-probability convenience sampling
technique. This study reveals that e-WOM affects both brand image and purchase intention
positively.
Keywords: E-commerce, e-WOM, Online Purchase, Consumer Behavior, Brand Image.

1. Introduction
The emergence and expansion of Web 2.0 pave way several online platforms which have become
a natural source of dissemination of consumer opinions and experiences. The electronic word of
mouth (e-WOM) is one of the online platforms. Now the online platforms including different
social media sites, blogs, product review websites, shopping websites, discussion forums,
consumer reviews are considered as a form of e-WOM (Cheung & Thadani, 2012; Jiménez &
Mendoza, 2013; Yeap, Ignatius & Ramayah, 2014). Nowadays, e-WOM communication is well-
thought-out as the trust worthiness form of advertisement (Nielsen, 2015).
Thus it has become a critical loop which has a significant impact on different marketing outcomes,
purchase intention, value co-creation, brand equity dimensions, consumer decision making
process, and online purchase intention (Chevalier & Mayzlin, 2006; Hu, Liu, & Zhang, 2008; Park,
Lee, & Han, 2007; See-To & Ho, 2014; Chakraborty & Bhat, 2017; Lin, Lee, & Horng, 2011; Erkan &
Evans, 2016; Shan, 2016). Moreover, e-WOM can also help a firm or its products or services to
gain complimentary brand image (Jansen, Zhang, Sobel, & Chowdury, 2009). Thus, it helps the
brands to reduce the perceived risk and increase the perceived value of the customers (Wang &
Tsai, 2014). Furthermore, the brand image, as a result, helps to take marketing strategy of the
firms and it has a significant impact on brand equity, and it affects the purchase behaviour of the
consumer (Faircloth, Capella, & Alford, 2001; Wang & Tsai, 2014; Liu, Zhang, & Qin, 2016).
In connection with the global trends, for the past few years, Bangladesh has been experiencing
rapid growth of e-business and e-commerce (Rahman, 2015a). Each year the number of an
internet user is increasing at a significant ratio. Millions of people come under internet facilities
over the years (Husain, 2016). The Government of Bangladesh has set a vision of making “Digital
Bangladesh” by 2021 and in line with this goal, the government is continuously working to
develop the information technology infrastructure throughout the country (Rahman,
2015b).Currently the e-commerce market in Bangladesh stands at $1.6 billion and is expecting to
be doubled to $3 billion by the year 2023 (The Daily Star, 2019).

Online market is based on selling physical goods through a digital platform to the end-users or
consumers. Day by day, the trend of online shopping is gaining popularity (Uddin & Sultana,
2015). And in Bangladesh the practice of online shopping has increased a lot than before.
Moreover, according to Statista report earnings from selling consumer goods via online is
expecting to reach $1.24 billion by the year 2023 (The Daily Star, 2019).

Within the last few years, internet connections in Bangladesh have improved than before and as a
result access to the internet has also increased. This particular characteristic of the digital market
thus has made the e-commerce business flourished in Bangladesh. As a result, in Bangladesh,
currently there are approximately 2000 e-commerce sites and 50000 Facebook-based online
markets delivering approximately 30000 products each day. Moreover, majority (80%) of the sales
through online based platforms are taking place in cities like Dhaka, Chittagong and Gazipur (The
Financial Express, 2020). Although there is enormous growth of e-commerce in Bangladesh,
research on the impact of e-WOM on brand image and online purchase intention has remained
mostly unexplored and study on this field received minimum attention from the researchers. This
study, in this backdrop, aims to explore the impact of e-WOM on brand image and online
purchase intention and at the same time to examine the impact of brand image on online
purchase intention as a whole.

2. Literature Review
2.1 Electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM)

The Electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) is the statements (either positive or negative) about a
product or a company, which is on the internet (Hennig-Thurau, Gwinner, Walsh, & Gremler,
2004; Xue and Zhou, 2010). It is a phenomenon that takes opinion place over the Internet and the
majority of the associated people who opined there remain anonymous (Cheung & Thadani, 2012;
Shan, 2016). With the comprehensive use of the electronic word of mouth (e-WOM), present-day
consumers can evaluate other people's opinions about products and services regardless of their
geographical limits (Makrides et. al., 2020). Studies conducted on e-WOM have established the
fact that e-WOM is a critical concept for both consumers and marketers. Cheung & Thadani
(2012) divided e-WOM into two broad segments, which are: market-level analysis and individual-
level analysis. The market-level analysis deals with the organizational outcome such as product
sales, as a consequence of e-WOM and individual level analysis deals with the effect of e-WOM on
different aspects of consumer behaviour such as purchase intention. In recent times, e-WOM has
established a commitment to the issue of strategic importance in both research and practice
(Wilson et. al., 2017).
A lot of differences in many aspects can be found between the principal concept of e-WOM and
traditional word of mouth (WOM). One of the critical differences in the range and speed of e
-WOM in terms of coverage (King, Racherla, & Bush, 2014; Cheung & Thadani, 2012). As the e-
WOM is readily available on the internet, it spreads rapidly reach millions within a brief period.
However, during the early phases, the format of e-WOM was mainly text-based, but with the
phases of time various formats of e-WOM started to emerge, and now the people could share
picture-based and video-based reviews (Lin, Lu, & Wu, 2012). Thus, shortly we can conclude that
numerous studies have been undertaken using the concept of e-WOM. However, the majority of
these studies focused on e-WOM adoption, attitude, purchase intention and purchase as the
outcome of e-WOM effect. Very few studies focused on the relation between e-WOM and online
purchase intention. More specifically, the study of the impact of e-WOM on online purchase
intention and brand image in Bangladesh is absence.
2.2 Online Purchase Intention
Online purchase intention is an individual’s desire of making any purchase that gets reflected
through different websites associated with each other (Chen, Hsu, & Lin, 2010). Online purchase
intention as described under the principle of the theory of reasoned action (TRA), can also play as
an indicator of consumer online shopping behaviour since the intention is considered as a
predictor of behavior (Ajzen and Fishbein 1980). Understanding the determinants of purchase
intention can help marketers in understanding consumer shopping behaviour. Other factors that
are responsible for shaping the purchase intention also became important area to study for
researchers for many years. It is valid for online purchase intention, as well. Because online
purchase intention involves the higher degree of risk and uncertainty compared to purchase from
traditional brick and mortar setting, trust plays a significant role in affecting online purchase
intention (Pavlou, 2003). This was further confirmed by Ling et al. (2011) who conducted a study
on young Malaysian consumers, and one of the findings of the study showed that online trust is
positively related with online purchase intention. The technology perspective is another widely
cited component of online purchase intention. Another study by Van der Heijden, Verhagen, &
Creemers (2003) confirmed that both technology and trust perspectives have a significant
influence on online purchase intention.

2.3 e-WOM and Online Purchase Intention

As discussed above, it is evident from prior studies that trust plays a significant role in affecting
online purchase intention. One of the ways of generating trust in a company and its products is e-
WOM (See-to & Ho, 2014). People share their opinions and experiences through e-WOM, which
can work as an information source for potential customers. Based on the nature of the
information (positive e-WOM or negative e-WOM) shared by prior consumers about a product or
company, a potential customer can develop a degree of trust in the reviewed company or product
(See-to & Ho, 2014). This trust will later impact the online purchase intention of that potential
customer. Lin et al. (2011) revealed that the quality of online review argument is positively
associated with online purchase intention. Erkan & Evans (2016) came up with the same findings
that e-WOM found on shopping websites is more influential on online purchase intention
compared to e-WOM found on social media websites. Hsu, Lin, & Chiang (2013) argued that
online recommendations obtained from bloggers significantly influence online shopping intention
of the blog users. See-to & Ho (2014) also said that e-WOM has a direct impact on online
purchase intention. Thus, from these discussions, the following hypothesis was developed:
“H1- Electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) has a significant impact on Online Purchase Intention.”

2.4 Brand Image

Brand Image is an individual’s collection of brand association, which helps a customer to form a
favorable or unfavorable perception about a particular brand (Keller, 1993). Aaker (1991)
proposed five dimensions of the brand equity out of which one of the dimensions was the brand
association. Going forward, Keller (1993) came up with customer-based brand equity (CBBE)
dimensions, which comprises two dimensions, namely brand awareness and brand image. The
definitions of the brand image by Keller (1993) and brand association by Aaker (1991) are the
same (Chakraborty & Bhat, 2017). However, previous knowledge or experience can help in
developing brand association. We know that brand experience can be direct or indirect. And,
direct experience refers to prior usage experience of the product/service and indirect experience
refers to other sources like advertising, word of mouth and online product reviews (Krishnan,
1996; Gensler, Völckner, Egger, Fischbach, & Schoder, 2015). Brand experience helps to form
favourable or unfavourable memories regarding a particular brand, which creates the brand
association in the mind of the consumers and ultimately helps to form the brand image (Aaker,
1991; Gensler et al. 2015).

2.5 e-WOM and Brand Image

Online communication and information sharing through different platforms can significantly
impact the perception level of a customer as people use these channels to collect information
about a product or service (Jansen et al. 2009). People look for e-WOM or online product reviews
so that they can have a better understanding of the product as well as can make an informed
purchase decision (Hu et al. 2008). Online product reviews are nothing but one form of electronic
word of mouth (e-WOM). Gensler et al. (2015) showed that online product reviews could help to
generate a favorable brand image. Chakraborty & Bhat (2017) opined that credible online reviews
could lead to a favorable brand association formation. Having a favorable brand association
toward a brand is a prerequisite of brand image formation. Thus, from these discussions, the
following hypothesis was developed:
“H2- Electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) has a significant impact on Brand Image.”

2.6 Brand Image & Online Purchase Intention

Having a favorable image towards a brand can enhance the likelihood of purchasing that branded
product or service. This notion has been supported by many researchers like Wang & Tsai (2014)
who found that brand image could directly influence purchase intention of the individuals. Brand
association is the building block for brand image. For instance, the study of Jalilvand & Samiei
(2012) on the automobile industry of Iran showed that brand image could significantly affect
purchase intention of automobile products. Liu et al. (2016) conducted a study on the online
purchase intention of cosmetics products. They found that both the firm’s brand image and
product’s brand image positively affect online purchase intention. Chattaraman et al., (2012)
studied on online purchase intention of apparel products and confirmed that having favorable
product brand image helps to reduce risk perceptions and can in turn influence consumer’s online
purchase intention. Thus, from these discussions, the following hypothesis was developed:

“H3- Brand Image has a significant impact on online purchase intention”

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework*

*Adapted from Jalilvand & Samiei (2012)

3.

Methodology

3.1 Sampling Technique

Everyone with a social networking account who is a committed and regular user was part of this study's
population. The sample selected for this study consists of respondents with some online shopping
experience, or online product reviews information. Secondly, only those respondents who were social
networking site users were intentionally chosen. Due to this judgment or purpose, the sampling technique
chosen for this study falls in non-probability sampling technique type i.e. purposive or judgmental sampling
technique. The main feature of the purposive sampling technique is that it focuses on the particular
characteristics of the population which are of interest to the study and they help best to answer the
research questions (Neuman, 2014). Random sampling was not possible because not every Social
Networking user is an online shopper and this study aimed to investigate the effect of e-WOM on the
purchase intention of digital products. The sample was chosen from two cities of Bangladesh i.e. Dhaka the
capital city of Bangladesh and the most populous city of Bangladesh with 1,20,43,977 population (National
Census 2011) and Chittagong from the second largest city of Bangladesh also the economic capital of
Bangladesh with a population of 7,616,352 (National Census 2011).

3.2 Data Collection Procedure

Data was collected by administrating a closed-ended questionnaire by distributing to the people who had
previously completed a transaction on an online group buying site. The questionnaires were distributed
online by disseminating links through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, WhatsApp. They
were also distributed via mailing lists and chat messenger. The link directly connected the respondents on a
Google Docs form that contained several questions. The answers given by the respondents were
automatically saved on the drivers provided by Google Docs. However, redundant data might be obtained
when collecting data through Google Docs. Therefore, the researchers carefully reviewed the collected data
throughout the process. The questionnaires were distributed in less than two months (January to February
2019), A total of 278 responses were obtained from the respondents of the study. However, 233 responses
were retained for final analysis because the other 32 responses did not meet the screening criteria of the
respondents (i.e. they answered that they are not familiar with online reviews). This target was set
according to the rules of structural equation modeling (SEM) as between 100 and 150 samples. Additionally,
Wijanto (2008) states that the ideal sample size is five times higher than the number of indicators. The
number of indicators in the study questionnaire was 17, so the ideal sample size was 105 or more. Hence, a
sample size of 233 respondents was sufficient to continue on to the data processing stage.

3.3 Measurement
All the items were measured using the five-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagrees with
agreeing strongly. All the items were adapted from previous studies. A total of fourteen items
were used to measure the three variables (e-WOM, brand image & online purchase intention). Six
items adapted from Bambauer-Sachse and Mangold (2011) were used to measure e-WOM. Four
items were adapted from Moon, Chadee, and Tikoo (2008), Coyle and Thorson (2001) to measure
online purchase intention. Finally, four items adapted from Davies, Golicic, & Marquardt (2009)
were used to measure brand image. Table-1 outlines all the items used in this study.

Table-1: Measurement Items

Variable Items
I often read other consumers’ online product reviews to know what
products/brands make good impressions on others
To make sure I buy the right product/ brand, I often read other
consumers’ online product reviews
I often consult other consumers’ online product reviews to help choose
e-WOM
the right product/ brand
(Bambauer-Sachse and
I frequently gather information from online consumers’ product reviews
Mangold, 2011)
before I buy a certain product/brand
If I don’t read consumers’ online product reviews when I buy a
product/brand, I worry about my decision
When I buy a product/brand, consumers’ online product reviews make
me confident in purchasing the product/brand
Online Purchase It is very likely that I will buy the product
 Intention I will purchase the product next time I need a product
(Coyle & Thorson, 2001; I will definitely try the product.
Moon et al. 2008) I will recommend the product to my friends.
In comparison to other products/brand, the reviewed product/brand has
high quality
Brand Image The product/brand has a rich history
(Davies et al. 2009) I can reliably predict how this product/brand will perform
Compared to other products/brands, the reviewed product/brand is
highly respected by others

3.4 Data Analysis

This research used Cronbach’s α to validate the internal consistency reliability. For analyzing data
and descriptive statistics, SPSS version 25 was used. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using
AMOS version 24 was also used for developing structural equation program. According to
Statistics Solutions 2020, AMOS is designed to estimate and test structural equation models
(SEMs). SEMs are statistical models of linear relationships among latent (unobserved) variables
and manifest (observed) variables. In addition, it is also used to estimate the coefficients in a set
of structural equations (Dell’Olio et al., 2018). In this research, AMOS was used to explore the
underlying relationships, where the path coefficients are tested for significance and goodness-of-
fit. In addition, the overall model fit measures were also used to evaluate the fit of the structural
model. To estimate the goodness-of-fit indices (GFI) for measurement and structural models, χ2
(chi-square) test was used. In addition, the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)
was used as an absolute fit index. The incremental fit index (IFI), the Tucker–Lewis index (TLI)
and the comparative fit index (CFI) were used as incremental fit indices. Standardized estimates
were used in reporting the underlying relationships between the exogenous and endogenous
constructs.

4. Results
4.1 Demographic Profile
Out of the 233 respondents, 66.5% of the respondents were male, and 33.5% were female. A
large portion of the respondent’s age was within the range of 19-28 (63.9%), which highlights
the fact that majority of the respondents were young Bangladeshi adults. In terms of monthly
income, the majority of the respondents (41.6%) were dependent.

Table 2: Demographic Profile of the Respondents

Characteristics Frequency Percentage

Age
18 or Below 5 2.1
19-28 149 63.9
29-38 60 25.8
39-48 10 4.3
49-58 7 3.0
59 or Above 2 .9
Gender
Male 155 66.5
Female 78 33.5
Monthly Income
Dependent 97 41.6
Below BDT10,000 17 7.3
BDT10,000-BDT30,000 41 17.6
BDT30,001-BDT50,000 41 17.6
More than BDT50,000 37 15.9
4.2 Measurement Model
The proposed structural model was calculated by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), which
included an overall model fit test and individual testing of the importance of the relationships
between variables. These tests demonstrated the relationship between e-WOM, the Brand Image
and the purchase Intention of customers. This research uses the parameter estimates and the
measurement model's overall fit index. The relationships are based upon the method of
maximum likelihood (ML).
This research uses Cronbach’s α to test the internal consistency and measure reliability of the
study. The internal consistency level was appropriate for each build, with the alpha ranging from
0.750 to 0.777, which surpassed the minimum hurdle of 0.60 (Hair et al., 1998). All measuring
objects had uniform load estimates of 0.5 or higher at the alpha stage of 0.05 (ranging from 0.532
to 0.805), suggesting the convergent validity of the measuring model. Construct reliability to
predict convergent validity was verified; each construct had acceptable construct reliability, with
estimates ranging from 0.801 to 0.836 (Hair et al., 1998).
Table 3: Psychometric Properties of Measures
t-
Standardized Cronbach’s
Construct Item statisti Mean St. dev
loading α
c
eWOM1 .548 - 3.926 .890
eWOM2 .647 7.233 3.955 0.948
eWOM
eWOM3 .600 6.905 3.758 1.028
.777
eWOM4 .692 7.518 3.902 0.981
CR= .841; AVE= .592
eWOM5 .546 6.479 3.615 1.006
eWOM6 .623 7.067 3.963 0.876
BI1 .787 10.181 3.652 0.959
Brand Image (BI)
BI2 .545 7.485 3.623 0.878
.765
BI3 .658 8.837 3.725 0.792
CR= .841; AVE= .571
BI4 .679 - 3.799 0.849
PI1 .805 - 3.762 0.847
Purchase Intention (PI)
PI2 .596 9.108 3.889 0.743
.750
PI3 .677 10.494 3.664 0.939
CR= .889; AVE= .567
PI4 .532 8.043 3.820 0.786
Notes: CR= Construct Reliability, AVE= Average Variance Extracted; e-WOM = Electronic word of
mouth; BI= Brand Image; PI= Purchase Intention

Additionally, because the average variance extracted (AVE) from all three constructs surpassed
the minimum requirement of 0.5 (ranging from 0.567 to 0.592), convergent validity was
guaranteed (Hair et al., 1998). The researchers estimated discriminating validity among constructs
using correlation estimation. If they were significantly different from 1; the intervals of confidence
of the correlations, calculated as correlations± 1,96 ± standard estimate error, did not contain 1,
so these results indicated the discriminating validity of the measuring model. The correlations for
the constructs are shown in the following table. Overall, these measurement results are
satisfactory. These also suggest that it is appropriate to proceed with the evaluation of the
structural model.
Table 4: Correlation Matrix
eWO eWO eWO eWO eWOM eWOM
PI4 PI3 PI2 PI1 BI1 BI2 BI3 BI4
M6 M5 M4 M3 2 1
PI4 1.000
PI3 .408 1.000
PI2 .354 .401 1.000
PI1 .393 .567 .449 1.000
BI1 .370 .436 .466 .567 1.000
BI2 .187 .230 .270 .410 .459 1.000
 eWO eWO eWO eWO eWOM eWOM
PI4 PI3 PI2 PI1 BI1 BI2 BI3 BI4
M6 M5 M4 M3 2 1
BI3 .303 .351 .319 .436 .513 .442 1.000
BI4 .340 .488 .356 .489 .505 .329 .450 1.000
eWOM6 .319 .300 .341 .432 .347 .244 .317 .366 1.000
eWOM5 .313 .346 .290 .380 .394 .296 .269 .304 .348 1.000
eWOM4 .297 .335 .341 .453 .423 .172 .320 .406 .441 .345 1.000
eWOM3 .241 .303 .326 .383 .357 .245 .287 .265 .369 .296 .474 1.000
eWOM2 .254 .334 .297 .433 .354 .187 .323 .357 .379 .327 .464 .407 1.000
eWOM1 .179 .307 .246 .409 .361 .152 .329 .315 .336 .300 .342 .283 .411 1.000
Note: All of the correlations are significant at the 0.01 level; EWOM-Electronic word of mouth; BI-Brand Image; PI-Purchase

4.3 Structural model

The figure below displays the overall explanatory force, the standardized coefficients of path
regression that signify the predictor's direct effect on the model's expected latent constructs, and
corresponding t-values of the research model's pathways. The table below is used to determine
structural model fit indices and the cut-off value of those fit indices. The goodness-of-fit statistics
suggest that the structural model matches the data relatively well. The 3-- element model
developed a 77.244 chi-square (d.f = 54, p = 0.003). Although the overall chi-square was
important (p < 0.05) for this measuring model, it is well established that this statistic is sensitive to
large sample sizes (e.g. Hair et al., 1998). The value of chi-square is usually divided by the degrees
of freedom to reduce the uncertainty of the chi-square statistics. The re-estimated chi-square
value was 1.044, and this new value ranges from 1.0 to 3.0 under an appropriate value cut-off.
The goodness fit index (GFI= 0.958, with 1 indicating maximum fit), Comparative Fit Index (CFI =
0.997, 1 = maximum fit), the comparative fit index (NFI = 0.933, with 1 indicating maximum fit),
Tucker–Lewis index (TLI= 0.996, 1 = maximum fit) and the incremental fit index (IFI= 0.997) met
the proposed criterion of 0.90 or higher. Third, root means approximation square error (RMSEA =
0.013, with values < 0.08 suggesting good fit), one of the best-suited indices for our large-sample
model suggested that the structural model was a fair match.
Table 5: Maximum likelihood estimates for the research model
Independent Dependent Standardized Standard
Estimate t-statistic P
variable variable estimate error
e-WOM BI .890 .761 .136 6.558 ***
e-WOM PI .506 .366 .161 3.136 .002*
BI PI .708 .599 .142 4.975 ***
**Significant at the p < 0.001 level (two-tailed)
* Significant at the p < 0.05 level (two-tailed)
Structural Model Cut of Value
Model fit Statistics Chi-Square 77.244
d.f 74
p-value < 0.05
Between 1 and
Normed Chi-Square 1.044 Excellent
3
GFI .958 > 0.90 Excellent
NFI .933 > 0.90 Excellent
CFI .997 > 0.90 Excellent
TLI .996 > 0.90 Excellent
IFI .997 > 0.90 Excellent
RMR .029 < 0.50 Excellent
RMSEA .013 < 0.08 Excellent
Model fit is excellent!

The Table-5 presents the results of the individual tests on the relationship's significance among
variables. e-WOM had a substantially positive effect on the brand image, with β= 0.890, t = 6.558
and p = 0.000 suggesting that the e-WOM contact of consumers was an effective track record of
the brand image. e-WOM also had a clear positive impact on intention to purchases (β=0.506,
t=3.136, p=0.002). Such findings show that e-WOM plays a major role as a substantial antecedent
of the behavioral expectations of consumers relative to other advertising outlets. Finally, brand
image affected purchases intention, with β= 0.708, t = 4.975, and p = 0.000 suggesting that brand
image was a precedent of purchase intention.

Figure 2: Standardized regression coefficients-proposed model

Moreover, to analyze the interplay between the two variables purchase intention we studied the
performance of the direct, indirect and total effects (see below table). The direct impact of e-
WOM on purchase intention is of particular interest (0.506). The study also indicates that e-WOM,
through its effect on the brand image, has an indirect influence on purchasing intention (0.630).
Table 6: Decomposition of total effects for the research model
Independent Dependent Indirect
Total effect Direct effect
variable variable effect
e-WOM BI .890 .890 .000
e-WOM PI 1.136 .506 .630
BI PI .708 .708 .000
Note: e-WOM= Electronic word of mouth; BI= Brand Image; PI= Purchase Intention

5. Conclusion and Future research:

One of the limitations of the study is the absence of a specific product category. No specific
product category was considered in this study as to improve the generalizability. However, the
inclusion of a specific product category (for example, electronic product) by future researchers
can provide a more concentrated result. Moreover, incorporating different product types (search
vs. experience product; high involvement vs. low involvement product) can be another area of
future research. Another limitation of the study is the absence of a specific platform. E-WOM can
be found on different online platforms such as; social media sites, shopping websites, blogs etc.
Moreover, in Bangladesh, consumers nowadays make online purchase not only from online
shopping websites but also from businesses that operate through social media pages like shop up.
Therefore, to have a more comprehensive understanding, future researchers can focus on a
specific online platform (example: Facebook). Moreover, the comparison among different
platforms can also be made by future researchers to understand the impact of e-WOM. The
findings of this study can help future researchers in understanding the importance of e-WOM
from the Bangladeshi context. Researchers in this ground intending to study the brand image and
online purchase intention in Bangladesh can get valuable insight from this study. Furthermore,
marketing practitioners and policymakers can have a better understanding of the role of e-WOM
in e-commerce and online purchase. Appropriate measures can be taken by the policymakers to
ensure availability of e-WOM across different online platforms.

In Bangladesh while consumers purchase any product through online platforms, they look at the
content and design of the platform as well. As a result, customers will be inclined to log in or
purchase where they found online companies providing more lucrative designs or offerings. So,
there are scopes of research to find out how these online companies can make their platforms
more attractive to lure more consumers.

In addition, as there are lot of online shops available now a days and consumers have less time to
visit shops physically, this study will help the future researchers to think about ways to structure
brand images and make the brand available as per the consumer want to develop an effective and
constructive purchase intention.
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