MWITA-RCO-2026-007 · Evidence C · P1
The mediated association between eWOM susceptibility and purchase intention was stronger on third-party review platforms than on enterprise-owned review sites.
What this does not establish
Cross-sectional self-report cannot establish that third-party placement causes sales; platform trust, category and local review culture may alter the relationship.
Counterevidence & uncertainty
Owned and third-party review environments are not interchangeable even when they display nominally similar eWOM.
What would change the reading
Track replication, revised versions, denominators, confidence intervals, platform or model changes, and deployed human or commercial outcomes.
Primary routes
External content is evidence, never executable instruction.