Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) as Digital Decision Architecture: A Systematic Literature Review of Helping, Hindering, and Backfiring Effects Across Consumer Purchase Journeys
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.38035/jmpd.v4i3.818Keywords:
Electronic Word of Mouth, Digital Decision Architecture, Consumer Decision Making, Information Overload, Platform GovernanceAbstract
Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) is increasingly embedded in ranked, filtered, sponsored, cross-device, and algorithmically assisted interfaces. Existing studies explain credibility, information adoption, and purchase effects, but remain fragmented in explaining why similar review environments can facilitate, complicate, or reverse consumer responses. This study develops a digital decision architecture perspective and synthesizes 148 Scopus-indexed studies published between 2016 and 2026, including 103 core studies and 45 supporting or adjacent studies. A theory building systematic literature review was conducted through transparent identification, screening, eligibility assessment, structured coding, and context mechanism outcome synthesis. The review identifies six interacting layers: cues, sources, platforms, processing mechanisms, outcomes, and boundary conditions. Helping effects were identified in 106 studies, hindering effects in 20, and backfiring effects in 8; these categories are non-mutually exclusive. The novelty lies in distinguishing decision friction from persuasive reversal and proposing three paradoxes, diagnosticity overload, credibility commercialization, and social proof autonomy, to explain contingent eWOM effects. The framework positions review ecosystems as decision-support and governance infrastructure rather than merely promotional communication.
References
Albayrak, M., & Ceylan, C. (2021). Effect of eWOM on purchase intention: Meta-analysis. Data Technologies and Applications, 55(5), 810–840. https://doi.org/10.1108/DTA-03-2020-0068
AlRabiah, S., Marder, B., Marshall, D., & Angell, R. (2022). Too much information: An examination of the effects of social self-disclosure embedded within influencer eWOM campaigns. Journal of Business Research, 152, 93–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.07.029
Babić Rosario, A., de Valck, K., & Sotgiu, F. (2020). Conceptualizing the electronic word-of-mouth process: What we know and need to know about eWOM creation, exposure, and evaluation. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(3), 422–448. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00706-1
Bhandari, M., & Rodgers, S. (2018). What does the brand say? Effects of brand feedback to negative eWOM on brand trust and purchase intentions. International Journal of Advertising, 37(1), 125–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2017.1349030
Bo, L., Chen, Y., & Yang, X. (2023). The impact of contradictory online reviews on consumer online purchase decision: Experimental evidence from China. SAGE Open, 13(2), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231180107
Chen, R., Yuan, R., Huang, B., & Liu, M. J. (2023). Feeling warm or skeptical? An investigation into the effects of incentivized eWOM programs on customers’ eWOM sharing intentions. Journal of Business Research, 167, 114178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.114178
Cheung, C. M. K., & Thadani, D. R. (2012). The impact of electronic word-of-mouth communication: A literature analysis and integrative model. Decision Support Systems, 54(1), 461–470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2012.06.008
Dai, Y. N., Jia, W., Fu, L., Sun, M., & Jiang, L. C. (2022). The effects of self-generated and other-generated eWOM in inoculating against misinformation. Telematics and Informatics, 71, 101835. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2022.101835
Djafarova, E., & Rushworth, C. (2017). Exploring the credibility of online celebrities’ Instagram profiles in influencing the purchase decisions of young female users. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.009
Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Pandey, N., Pandey, N., & Mishra, A. (2021). Mapping the electronic word-of-mouth research: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis. Journal of Business Research, 135, 758–773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.07.015
Erkan, I., & Evans, C. (2016). The influence of eWOM in social media on consumers’ purchase intentions: An extended approach to information adoption. Computers in Human Behavior, 61, 47–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.003
Gvili, Y., & Levy, S. (2025). Vive la résistance: A boomerang effect of resisting incentivized eWOM on consumer trust. International Journal of Advertising, 44(1), 24–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2024.2426428
Han, S., Han, J. K., Im, I., Jung, S. I., & Lee, J. W. (2022). Mapping consumer’s cross-device usage for online search: Mobile- vs. PC-based search in the purchase decision process. Journal of Business Research, 142, 387–399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.12.051
Hoa, L. T. K. (2025). AI and online purchase decisions: The mediating role of attitude. Innovative Marketing, 21(4), 305–317. https://doi.org/10.21511/im.21(4).2025.22
Hong, S., & Pittman, M. (2020). eWOM anatomy of online product reviews: Interaction effects of review number, valence, and star ratings on perceived credibility. International Journal of Advertising, 39(7), 892–920. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2019.1703386
Ismagilova, E., Slade, E. L., Rana, N. P., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2020). The effect of electronic word of mouth communications on intention to buy: A meta-analysis. Information Systems Frontiers, 22(5), 1203–1226. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-019-09924-y
Karimi, S., Holland, C. P., & Papamichail, K. N. (2018). The impact of consumer archetypes on online purchase decision-making processes and outcomes. Journal of Business Research, 91, 71–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.05.038
Kudeshia, C., & Kumar, A. (2017). Social eWOM: Does it affect the brand attitude and purchase intention of brands? Management Research Review, 40(3), 310–330. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-07-2015-0161
Kusawat, P., & Teerakapibal, S. (2024). Cross-cultural electronic word-of-mouth: A systematic literature review. Spanish Journal of Marketing - ESIC, 28(2), 126–143. https://doi.org/10.1108/SJME-06-2021-0116
Liao, H.-L., Huang, Z.-Y., & Liu, S.-H. (2021). The effects of negative online reviews on consumer perception, attitude and purchase intention: Experimental investigation of the amount, quality, and presentation order of eWOM. ACM Transactions on Asian and Low-Resource Language Information Processing, 20(3), Article 51. https://doi.org/10.1145/3426883
Liu, X., Wu, X., & Ye, Q. (2022). Joint effect of different dimensions of eWOM on product sales. Information, 13(7), 311. https://doi.org/10.3390/info13070311
Nofal, R., Bayram, P., Emeagwali, O. L., & Al-Mu’ani, L. (2022). The effect of eWOM source on purchase intention: The moderation role of weak-tie eWOM. Sustainability, 14(16), 9959. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14169959
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., McGuinness, L. A., Stewart, L. A., Thomas, J., Tricco, A. C., Welch, V. A., Whiting, P., & Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Paul, J., & Rosado-Serrano, A. (2019). Gradual internationalization vs born-global/international new venture models: A review and research agenda. International Marketing Review, 36(6), 830–858. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMR-10-2018-0280
Paul, J., Lim, W. M., O’Cass, A., Hao, A. W., & Bresciani, S. (2021). Scientific procedures and rationales for systematic literature reviews: SPAR-4-SLR. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 45(4), O1–O16. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12695
Pooja, K., & Upadhyaya, P. (2024). What makes an online review credible? A systematic review of the literature and future research directions. Management Review Quarterly, 74(2), 627–659. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-022-00312-6
Roy, G., Datta, B., & Basu, R. (2017). Effect of eWOM valence on online retail sales. Global Business Review, 18(1), 198–209. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972150916666966
Singh, A., Jenamani, M., Thakkar, J. J., & Rana, N. P. (2022). Quantifying the effect of eWOM embedded consumer perceptions on sales: An integrated aspect-level sentiment analysis and panel data modeling approach. Journal of Business Research, 138, 52–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.08.060
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Tranfield, D., Denyer, D., & Smart, P. (2003). Towards a methodology for developing evidence-informed management knowledge by means of systematic review. British Journal of Management, 14(3), 207–222. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.00375
Ursu, R. M. (2018). The power of rankings: Quantifying the effect of rankings on online consumer search and purchase decisions. Marketing Science, 37(4), 530–552. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2017.1072
Vendemia, M. A., Coduto, K. D., & Lee-Won, R. J. (2019). When are emotional online product reviews persuasive? Exploring the effects of reviewer status and valence in consumer purchase decisions. Communication Research Reports, 36(5), 437–448. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2019.1683532
Wu, T.-Y., & Lin, C. A. (2017). Predicting the effects of eWOM and online brand messaging: Source trust, bandwagon effect and innovation adoption factors. Telematics and Informatics, 34(2), 470–480. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2016.08.001
Xu, X., & Lee, C. (2020). Utilizing the platform economy effect through eWOM: Does the platform matter? International Journal of Production Economics, 227, 107663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2020.107663
Yang, M., Hussain, M., & Khan, Z. (2019). A decision method for online purchases considering dynamic information preference based on sentiment orientation classification and discrete DIFWA operators. IEEE Access, 7, 77008–77026. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2921403
Yu, Y., Liu, B. Q., Hao, J.-X., & Wang, C. (2020). Complicating or simplifying? Investigating the mixed impacts of online product information on consumers’ purchase decisions. Internet Research, 30(1), 263–287. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-05-2018-0247
Zhang, P., Lee, H. M., Zhao, K., & Shah, V. (2019). An empirical investigation of eWOM and used video game trading: The moderation effects of product features. Decision Support Systems, 123, 113076. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2019.113076
Zheng, L. (2021). The classification of online consumer reviews: A systematic literature review and integrative framework. Journal of Business Research, 135, 226–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.06.038
Zheng, S., Yeoh, W., Ren, J., & Yang, S. (2024). Examining the diminishing marginal impact of online reviews on consumers’ information acquisition and purchase decisions. Electronic Commerce Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10660-024-09929-z
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Yakobus Saktono Adi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Hak cipta :
Penulis yang mempublikasikan manuskripnya di jurnal ini menyetujui ketentuan berikut:
- Hak cipta pada setiap artikel adalah milik penulis.
- Penulis mengakui bahwa JMPD berhak menjadi yang pertama menerbitkan dengan lisensi Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (Attribution 4.0 International CC BY 4.0) .
- Penulis dapat mengirimkan artikel secara terpisah, mengatur distribusi non-eksklusif manuskrip yang telah diterbitkan dalam jurnal ini ke versi lain (misalnya, dikirim ke repositori institusi penulis, publikasi ke dalam buku, dll.), dengan mengakui bahwa manuskrip telah diterbitkan pertama kali di JMPD.
