The Influence of Facebook Discussions on Purchase Intention and Word of Mouth

Abstract

This chapter examines the influence of online consumer discussions on Facebook on purchase intention and word of mouth (WOM). Specifically, it attempts to determine whether Facebook discussions are perceived as credible and how these discussions are linked with behavioural intentions. The first part of this chapter presents a research model linking seven constructs. In the second part, we tested the research model and hypotheses with a sample of 151 consumers from one Facebook group for children’s shoe recommendations. Of the seven hypotheses tested, we found support for six. This chapter concludes by discussing the contributions of the study to both theory and practice, outlining the main limitations and suggesting future study areas.