The Impact of Review Quantity, Olfactory and Mental Imagery Vividness on Perceived Review Helpfulness and Consumers’ Perfume Online Purchase Intention

Abstract

This paper explores the influence of review quantity, olfactory cues, and mental imagery vividness on perceived review helpfulness and consumers' intention to purchase perfume online. The study aims to offer insights into consumer behavior within the online perfume industry. Using descriptive quantitative research and non-probability purposive sampling, the study collected data from 377 online perfume consumers familiar with social media platforms. The analysis, conducted using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with Smart-Partial Least Square (Smart-PLS), revealed significant associations between olfactory imagery vividness, mental imagery vividness, perceived review helpfulness, and online perfume purchase intention. Olfactory and mental imagery vividness were found to influence perceived review helpfulness and purchase intention positively. However, review quantity significantly influences purchase intention directly but does not impact purchase intention through perceived review helpfulness, contrary to previous literature.