Paper Title
A Theoretical Model for Studying the Influence of Opinion Leaders Towards the Purchase Intentions of Consumers in the Online Community of Consumption
Abstract
Nowadays, more and more consumers begin to get used to searching and sharing the electronic word-of-mouth
information online and interact with others, leading to the popularity of online communities of consumption. Facing with
numerous information which are difficult to judge, these consumers begin to rely on the opinion leaders’ recommendation.
Theopinion leaders exert not only informational influences on the public through spreading eWOM information, but also
interpersonal influences through the interaction with the public. Prior researches have confirmed the influence of opinion
leaders towards the eWOM dissemination inside the online communities. However, the mechanism of how opinion leaders
affect the purchase intentions of the consumers in the online communities of consumption is still unknown. In order to fill in
this research gap, this study points out a theoretical model, based on the original model of consumer behavior and provides
theoretical implications for further study.
Key Words - Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), Online communities of consumption, Opinion leaders,
TechnologyAcceptanceModel (IAM), Information Adoption Model (IAM)