Abstract:
The internet and the application of Web 2.0 have an enormous impact on the
electronic word of mouth (eWOM) communication between consumers. Online
consumer reviews as a type of eWOM are valuable information sources for
consumers in the virtual platform. The pace at which the beauty care industry is
changing has been brisk and shows no signs of shopping. In the age of e
commerce, every industry is involved with online sales, and the beauty care
industry is no exception. However, perceived risk has forever been an area of
concern among online customers. In this context, online consumer reviews can
be used as a mechanism for gaining consumer trust Therefore, the purpose of this
study was to examine the impact of consumer reviews on online purchase
intention towards beauty care products concerning millennials in Southern
Province, Sri Lanka. A quantitative, survey research design was used in this
study. 341 effective responses were collected through a self-administered
questionnaire from people aged between 26 and 41 and residents in Southern
Province who are using any beauty care product by deploying a purposive
sampling technique. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis.
Findings emphasized that review volume, review relevance, review accuracy, and
review comprehensiveness have significant positive impacts on online purchase
intention while review accuracy is the most influential review element. Whereas,
review timeliness and review valence have no substantial impact on online
purchase intention. The research findings will benefit the companies by providing
the business communities with a better grasp of how users and online consumer
reviews influence others' decision-making and provide new perspectives to online
market owners of beauty care on managing and handling online consumer
reviews on their web pages. Thus, the study provides marketers with more clarity
into the area of online purchase intention for beauty care products, which is a
volatile and dynamic area with continuous uncertainty.
