THE INFLUENCE OF E-WOM AND TRUST ON DIGITAL PRODUCT PURCHASE DECISIONS: THE MODERATING ROLE OF INTERNET ACCESSIBILITY

Abstract

As the digital economy in Indonesia continues to grow, understanding consumer behaviour is essential for the success of e-startups. This study concentrates on examining how electronic word-of-mouth (E-WOM) and trust influence purchase decisions for digital products. We further investigate the role of internet accessibility as a moderator in these relationships. We surveyed 200 active digital consumers across Indonesia using a purposive sampling approach and analysed the data using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0.

 Our findings show that E-WOM has a significant positive effect on purchase decisions (β= 0.324, p < 0.001) and trust also has a significant positive effect (β = 0.415, p < 0.001). Internet accessibility was found to moderate the relationship between both E-WOM and trust on purchase decisions. The research model explains 52.4% of the total variance in purchase decisions (R2 = 0.524 which suggest that e-startups should consider regional digital infrastructure when designing marketing strategies. This study contributes to consumer behaviours models by underscoring the significance of internet accessibility in the digital marketplace.