Exploring the Impact of Rapport and eWOM Involvement on Purchase Intention: A Social Media Marketing Perspective

New information and communication technologies, including social media and the Internet, have altered market dynamics. Social media marketing is an effective means of connecting with potential clients and consumers, electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and rapport play a critical part in establishing this connection. The main aim of this study is to explore the impact of rapport and eWOM involvement on purchase intention under the perspective of social media marketing. This study used six latent constructs that built the conceptual framework namely homophily, customer expertise, rapport, perceived eWOM credibility, eWOM involvement and purchase intention. Then, a structured questionnaire was developed and a quantitative survey was carried out. The data were collected from 292 social media users using convenience sampling technique through online in Bangladesh. Finally, the collected data were estimated by applying Partial Least Squares–based Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). In this connection, a two-step procedure such as- assessment of the measurement model, and the assessment of the structural model were applied. The estimation of PLS-SEM suggested that purchase intention is influenced by eWOM involvement but is not influenced by homophily, customer expertise, rapport, perceived eWOM credibility in social media. Although customer expertise does not have any significant relationship on perceived eWOM credibility, customer expertise and rapport have a significant relationship on perceived eWOM credibility and eWOM involvement. This study concludes with some implications and future research directions useful to the social media practitioners, academicians, government, and those who are using social media.