Investigating the role of rational and emotional content towards consumer engagement and EWOM intention: Uses and gratification perspectives

Abstract

This study aims to examine the role of rational and emotional content in social media on consumer engagement and EWOM intention. The population of this research is e-commerce social media users with a total sample size of 394 respondents using the purposive sampling technique. The Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) is used to test the research hypothesis. The results of the study revealed the role of rational and emotional content in influencing consumer engagement but did not affect EWOM intention. Consumer engagement affects EWOM intentions.  The study’s findings support consumer engagement which is proven to mediate the relationship between rational and emotional content and EWOM intention. Social media marketing practitioners use rational and emotional content types on their brand pages in order to gain engagement and EWOM from social media users.