The Influence of Social Media Marketing and Electronic Word of Mouth (E-WOM) on Purchase Intention Through Trust in Indibiz Products in the Telkom Yogyakarta and Southern Central Java Area

Afifah Nuraghnia Kusumadewi; Retno Widowati

doi:10.59261/jbt.v7i2.606

Authors

Afifah Nuraghnia Kusumadewi Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta
Retno Widowati Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59261/jbt.v7i2.606

Keywords:

electronic word of mouth (e-wom), Repurchase Intention (RI), social media marketing; trust

Abstract

Background: The digitalization of business services in Indonesia has boosted social media marketing (SMM) and e-WOM adoption among SMEs in the B2B telecommunications sector. However, trust as a link between SMM, e-WOM, and purchase intention for products like Indibiz remains underexplored.

Objective: This study examines the impact of SMM and e-WOM on purchase intention for Indibiz through consumer trust, focusing on SMEs in the Telkom Yogyakarta Jateng Selatan area that use social media, are aware of Indibiz, but have not subscribed.

Methods: This study uses a quantitative explanatory approach with purposive sampling, collecting 208 valid responses from 283 questionnaires via Google Forms. Data were analyzed using SEM-PLS with SmartPLS 4.0, including outer model tests (validity, reliability) and inner model analysis (path coefficients, bootstrapping, R²).

Results: All seven hypotheses were supported. SMM positively influenced trust (β = 0.287, t = 3.42, p < 0.01) and purchase intention (β = 0.198, t = 2.21, p < 0.05). e-WOM positively influenced trust (β = 0.602, t = 7.15, p < 0.001) and purchase intention (β = 0.231, t = 2.64, p < 0.01). Trust significantly mediated both relationships (SMM→Trust→PI: β = 0.130; e-WOM→Trust→PI: β = 0.272). The model explained 73.1% of purchase intention variance (R² = 0.731).

Conclusion: Trust mediates the relationship between digital marketing signals and B2B purchase intention in Indonesian telecommunications SMEs. Practitioners should focus on trust-building content strategies and manage e-WOM credibility to convert prospects into Indibiz subscribers. Future research should explore other regions and platforms.

References

Aji, P. M., Nadhila, V., & Sanny, L. (2020). Effect of social media marketing on Instagram towards purchase intention: Evidence from Indonesia’s ready-to-drink tea industry. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 4(2), 91–104.

Alalwan, A. A., Rana, N. P., Dwivedi, Y. K., & Algharabat, R. (2017). Social media in marketing: A review and analysis of the existing literature. Telematics and Informatics, 34(7), 1177–1190.

Antczak, B. (2024). The influence of digital marketing and social media marketing on consumer buying behavior. Journal of Modern Science, 56(2), 310–335.

Atito, M., Abd El-Jalil, S. G., Rady, A., & Fawy, W. M. (2023). The effect of e-WOM through social media on purchasing intention: The mediating role of e-trust at the Egyptian youth hostels. International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management, 6(1), 206–228.

Bist, A. S., Agarwal, V., Aini, Q., & Khofifah, N. (2022). Managing digital transformation in marketing:" fusion of traditional marketing and digital marketing". International Transactions on Artificial Intelligence, 1(1), 18–27.

Cheung, C. M. K., & Thadani, D. R. (2012). The impact of electronic word-of-mouth communication: A literature analysis and integrative model. Decision Support Systems, 54(1), 461–470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2012.06.008

Enyinda, C. I., Opute, A. P., Fadahunsi, A., & Mbah, C. H. (2021). Marketing-sales-service interface and social media marketing influence on B2B sales process. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 36(6), 990–1009. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-01-2019-0053

Erkan, I., & Evans, C. (2016). The influence of eWOM in social media on consumers’ purchase intentions: An extended approach to information adoption. Computers in Human Behavior, 61, 47–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.03.003

Firman, A., Ilyas, G. B., Reza, H. K., Lestari, S. D., & Putra, A. H. P. K. (2021). The mediating role of customer trust on the relationships of celebrity endorsement and e-WOM to Instagram Purchase intention. Jurnal Minds: Manajemen Ide Dan Inspirasi, 8(1), 107–126.

Gefen, D., Karahanna, E., & Straub, D. W. (2003a). Trust and TAM in online shopping: An integrated model. MIS Quarterly, 51–90.

Hair, J. F., M. Hult, G. T., M. Ringle, C., Sarstedt, & Marko. (2022). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) [3 ed]. In Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 6(11), 951–952. (Vol. 3, Issue 1).

Hajli, M. N. (2014). A study of the impact of social media on consumers. International Journal of Market Research, 56(3), 387–404.

Hennig-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K. P., Walsh, G., & Gremler, D. D. (2004). Electronic word-of-mouth via consumer-opinion platforms: what motivates consumers to articulate themselves on the internet? Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(1), 38–52.

Joudeh, J. M. M., Omeish, F., Alharthi, S., Abu-Loghod, N. A., Zamil, A. M., & Joudeh, A. H. M. (2024). Exploring the impact of E-WOM information via social media on customer purchasing decision: a mediating role of customer satisfaction. Data and Metadata, 3, 449.

Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59–68.

Kim, & Ko, E. (2012). Do social media marketing activities enhance customer equity? An empirical study of luxury fashion brand. Journal of Business Research, 65(10), 1480–1486. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.10.014

Meidyasari, S. (2024). The impact of digital economy in driving economic growth and development in Indonesia. Interdiciplinary Journal and Hummanity (INJURITY), 3(11), 777–783.

Otieno Aluoch, K. (2023). Social Media as a Promotional Tool for Products and Services.

Pahlawan, M. R. R., & Cahyono, S. E. (2025). The role of social media marketing and e-WOM in influencing purchase intention. Economic and Business Horizon, 4(2), 353–364.

Park, D.-H., Lee, J., & Han, I. (2007). The effect of on-line consumer reviews on consumer purchasing intention: The moderating role of involvement. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 11(4), 125–148. https://doi.org/10.2753/JEC1086-4415110405

Romadhoni, B., Akhmad, A., Naldah, N., & Rossanty, N. P. E. (2023). Purchasing decisions effect of social media marketing, electronic word of mouth (eWOM), purchase intention. Journal of Accounting and Finance Management, 4(1), 74–86.

Schiffman, L. G., & Wisenblit, J. L. (2019). Consumer behavior. BoD–Books on Demand.

Sudaryanto, S., Hanim, A., Rosediana Dewi, I., Kartikasari, A. D., & Rusdiyanto, R. (2025). The mediating effect of customer trust of E-WOM and online customer reviews impacting purchase decision of household electronic products at a marketplace: evidence from Indonesia. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), 2503093. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2503093

Vieira, V. A., de Almeida, M. I. S., Agnihotri, R., da Silva, N. S. D. A. C., & Arunachalam, S. (2019). In pursuit of an effective B2B digital marketing strategy in an emerging market. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 47(6), 1085–1108.

Winarno, K. O., & Indrawati, I. (2022). Impact of social media marketing and electronic word of mouth (E-wom) on purchase intention. Jurnal Aplikasi Manajemen, 20(3), 668–683.

Wiraandryana, I. M. J., & Ardani, I. (2021). The role of trust mediates effect of e-WOM on consumer purchase decisions. American Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research, 5(1), 408–415.