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International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2222-6990

Does Electronic Word-of-mouth (EWOM) Matter? Using PLS-SEM Approach to Reveal Generation Z Online Purchase Intention

Dayang Zuhaiza Abg Abd Wahap, Ewin Wong Chuo Jin, Lim Wee-Cheng, Ek-Tee Ngian, Chee-Hua Chin

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v12-i12/16032

Open access

Online purchases are prevalent prior to COVID-19 and have expanded post-COVID-19. This rising trend is also evident in the context of Malaysia, particularly among the generation Z. Consequently, the purpose of this paper was to examine the impact of trust, privacy and security, perceived benefits, and perceived ease of use on the online purchase intentions of generation Z in Sarawak. In order to improve the association between the hypothesized constructs, eWOM was introduced as a moderator variable. There was a total of 171 respondents in this study. WarpPLS software was utilized to conduct the partial least square - structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis to analyse relationship between the proposed variables. Privacy and security, as well as perceived benefits, were found to have a positive and significant relationship with online purchase intention. The empirical evidence presented provides online retailers with practical information in developing a marketing strategy to encourage locals to make online purchases.

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In-Text Citation: (Wahap et al., 2022)
To Cite this Article: Wahap, D. Z. A. A., Jin, E. W. C., Wee-Cheng, L., Ngian, E.-T., & Chin, C.-H. (2022). Does Electronic Word-of-mouth (EWOM) Matter? Using PLS-SEM Approach to Reveal Generation Z Online Purchase Intention. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 12(12), 2445 – 2459.