The Influence of e-WOM on Young Female Consumers’ Purchase Behaviour in the Cosmetic Industry in China

The aim of this thesis was to explore the impact of electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) on purchase intention and purchase progress for cosmetics in the context of young female Chinese consumers. This was achieved through the examination of how three factors of e-WOM, namely quality, quantity, and credibility, impact on purchase intention and purchase progress. Although many previous studies have discussed the impact of e-WOM on purchase intention, few have focused on the Chinese cosmetic market and young female consumers. This thesis attempted to fill the research gap regarding the relationship between e-WOM and purchase intention, as well as the relationship between e-WOM and purchase progress, in the context of cosmetics in the Chinese market. To achieve this objective, a survey was conducted and 243 questionnaires were analysed. Descriptive analysis; reliability and validity analysis; correlation analysis; and regression analysis were conducted using SPSS Version 26.0, to analyse the relationships between all constructs of the developed model on the purchase intention and purchase progress of young female consumers regarding cosmetics in the Chinese market. In this study, the three factors of e-WOM (i.e., quality, quantity, and credibility) serve as independent variables, whilst purchase intention and purchase progress are used as dependent variables. The research targets young female consumers aged between 18 and 35 in the Chinese market to explore the impact of e-WOM on purchase intention and purchase progress. The result of the study demonstrates that the quality, quantity, and credibility of e-WOM have a significant impact on purchase intention for cosmetics in the Chinese market; furthermore, e-WOM could accelerate the purchase progress of cosmetics by young female consumers. This study illustrates the considerable impact of e-WOM on purchase intention and purchase progress. This can provide marketers or sellers with a better understanding of e-WOM – particularly in the context of the Chinese market – and its different factors, which could help them construct more robust, effective strategies to improve consumers’ purchase intention and accelerate their purchase progress