THE ROLE OF ELECTRONIC WORD OF MOUTH (E-WOM) AND CONSUMER TRUST IN PURCHASE DECISIONS ON INDONESIAN E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS: A SECONDARY-DATA-BASED STUDY
Keywords:
electronic word of mouth, consumer trust, purchase decision, e-commerce, digital marketing.Abstract
The sustained growth of electronic transactions in Indonesia has positioned digital consumer behaviour as a strategic issue in marketing management. This article examines the role of electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) and consumer trust in purchase decisions on Indonesian e-commerce platforms through a systematic literature review supported by secondary data analysis. Data were drawn from official sources, including Statistics Indonesia (BPS), the Ministry of Trade, Bank Indonesia, Data Reportal/We Are Social, and market research surveys such as Populix, combined with a synthesis of prior empirical studies and established marketing references. The findings indicate that the volume and value of Indonesian e-commerce transactions continue to rise alongside expanding internet and mobile device adoption, and that platform trust is consistently the key determinant of consumers' choice of online marketplace. E-WOM, in the form of product reviews and peer recommendations, functions as an uncertainty-reduction mechanism that strengthens trust and ultimately drives purchase decisions. The article concludes that e-commerce marketing strategy should treat review management and trust-building as an integrated system rather than separate activities, and proposes an agenda for future empirical testing across different platforms and product categories.
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