The Effect of Viral Marketing on Consumer Behaviour: A Review of Literature and Conceptual Model Development

Abstract

This review synthesizes current research on viral marketing through social media, analyzing how different message content types influence purchase intentions, with particular attention to research gaps in the Indian context. The review of literature is done exploring researches in mostly in the last 10 years. The main keywords used to find the articles are - viral marketing and consumer behaviour/attitude/purchase intentions, and effect of viral marketing on consumer behaviour /attitude/purchase intentions. The research papers were searched on Google Scholar, Science Direct and Scopus Databases. The relevant research papers were downloaded, if available, and analysed using content analysis. The analysis reveals that viral marketing leverages social networks and digital platforms to spread messages rapidly, and has a clear and significant impact on consumer behaviour. It influences attitudes, purchase intentions, brand recognition, trust, credibility and even transforms consumers from passive recipients to active participants in marketing ecosystems. While viral marketing has been extensively studied globally, significant knowledge gaps exist regarding its specific applications and effectiveness within India's unique ecosystem. It was found that the effect of five viral marketing characteristics – informativeness, entertainment, customisation, interactivity and EWOM on purchase intentions is understudied in India. This study explores the impact of these viral marketing messages and develop a conceptual model employing Theory of Reasoned Action. The conceptual model has implications for marketers and future researches can test the conceptual model empirically to produce the evidences in Indian context.