Paws and Reflect: Assessing the Impact of User Reviews and Ratings on Pet Food E-commerce Purchase Decisions

The pet food industry in the Philippines is thriving as the leading country in Southeast Asia in pet ownership. This study explores this growing sector and its e-commerce landscape, anchored in Rotter’s Expectancy-Value Theory. It uses a quantitative design to examine how online user reviews and ratings influence Filipino pet owners' expectancy & value as the independent variables, motivation with purchase decisions as the dependent variable, and celebrity endorsement as a moderating factor. The study also assesses the credibility and reliability of online reviews and employs Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) for analysis. The study’s results indicate that respondents highly value a product's attributes when making a purchase decision. While product value significantly impacts purchase decisions, expectations about online reviews and ratings do not influence buying motivation.  Celebrity endorsements, however, do affect motivation. This study suggests that marketers and pet food retailers should focus on enhancing the quality of user reviews and ratings, engaging with industry experts, and improving customer interactions to foster credibility, trust, and informed purchasing.