Research purpose: This study investigates the influence of online product reviews on consumer purchase decisions in Vietnam’s emerging e-commerce market. Specifically, it examines four review attributes-credibility, usefulness, volume, and valence (negative reviews)-to assess their role in shaping consumer behavior.
Research motivation: While prior research consistently highlights the positive role of online reviews in driving purchase intentions, much evidence comes from developed economies. Emerging markets, such as Vietnam, face unique challenges, including weaker consumer trust and concerns about review authenticity. This raises the need to evaluate whether traditional review attributes carry the same weight in influencing consumer behavior in such contexts.
Research design, approach, and method: The study employs a quantitative survey design, collecting data from 220 Vietnamese online shoppers. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s Alpha, and multiple regression analysis was applied to test the hypothesized relationships between review attributes and purchase decisions.
Main findings: The results reveal that none of the four review attributes significantly predict purchase decisions in the Vietnamese context. While review usefulness and credibility show small positive associations, review volume and negative reviews exert negligible effects. Overall, the explanatory power of the model remains limited, suggesting that other contextual factors may shape consumer decisions more strongly.
Practical/managerial implications: For e-commerce platforms, these findings highlight the need to enhance review credibility and usefulness through verified purchase tags, detailed feedback prompts, and stricter moderation policies. For academics, the study underscores the importance of incorporating contextual variables such as platform trust, product type, and cultural dynamics when analyzing the role of reviews in emerging markets.