Electronic word of mouth, brand image and young customers' online purchase intention during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThis study aims to identify the relationships between the electronic word of mouth (eWOM), brand image (Brand) and online purchase intention (INT) of young customers during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic period.Design/methodology/approachThe covariance-based SEM and the multi-group invariance analysis (MGA) were applied to investigate the proposed model with the data collected via an online survey during the fourth wave of COVID-19 in Vietnam.FindingsThe results showed that eWOM quantity (eQuan) has a significant positive effect on eWOM credibility (eC) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, whereas Brand positively partially mediates the relationship between eQuan and INT, this construct plays a positively fully mediating role in the relationship between eC and INT. Finally, the results indicated that there is no significant difference in the invariance indicators related to the gender of respondents.Originality/valueThis study has some contributions not only to the theoretical framework for understanding the online purchase behaviour of young customers in the pandemic context, but also to the practical implications of how to use different dimensions of eWOM accordingly to enhance a company's brand image in the online business environment.