Relationship and impact of e WOM and brand image towards purchase intention of smartphone?
The purpose of this study is to investigate the purchase intention of students in Kota Samarahan and its association with electronic word of mouth and brand image. Also, this study aims to identify which of the independent variables (electronic word of mouth and brand image) provide more impact toward purchase intention. The data set is collected through self administered questionnaire and conveniently collected using non probability random sampling method. A sample of 380 was collected from Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia. The findings revealed that there is a significant relationship between brand image and purchase intention but an opposite for electronic word of mouth. Based on the results, it can be said that brand image provide more impact toward purchase intention compared to electronic word of mouth. This study is more important for marketers to understand the consumer's smart phone purchase intention to be more competitive. This study explores the contribution of interpersonal influence and brand image on purchase intention in smart phone industry. In addition, research showed that e WOM has no direct effect on purchase intention. As compared to other previous studies carried out, the result is unique as most studies show that e WOM has a strong direct effect on purchase intention.