📈 economics

Perception Speaks Louder Than Words: Brand Gestalt, eWOM, and Repurchase Intention in Halal Cosmetics

This study reveals that in the halal cosmetics market, electronic word of mouth (eWOM) indirectly drives repurchase intention by shaping holistic brand perceptions, specifically through sensory experiences and stakeholder trust, rather than through direct persuasion or other brand dimensions like story and service.

Original authors: Cryzelda M. Lumbantoruan, Deske W. Mandagi

Published 2026-09-14

📖 6 min read🧠 Deep dive

CC BY 4.0

Original authors: Cryzelda M. Lumbantoruan, Deske W. Mandagi

Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ✨ This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer

In the crowded world of modern shopping, a customer's decision to buy a product is rarely a simple transaction. It is a complex journey of trust, where a person must decide if a brand is safe, authentic, and worth their money. This is especially true for halal cosmetics, a market where buyers look for more than just a pleasant scent or smooth texture; they seek assurance that the product aligns with their religious values and ethical standards. Because these qualities are often invisible to the naked eye, shoppers rely heavily on the voices of others. They read online reviews, watch videos from influencers, and listen to friends to piece together a picture of what a brand truly represents. This process of gathering scattered bits of information and weaving them into a single, coherent understanding is what researchers call a "holistic perception." It is the mental image a consumer holds of a brand, built from stories, sensory details, service experiences, and the people associated with it.

For years, marketing experts have assumed that positive online chatter, known as electronic word of mouth, acts as a direct line to a customer's wallet. The logic was simple: if people say good things about a product online, others will buy it again. However, a new study from researchers at Klabat University in Indonesia challenges this straightforward view. By examining the habits of hundreds of consumers who have already purchased halal cosmetics, the researchers discovered that online praise does not automatically translate into repeat purchases. Instead, the study reveals that online comments serve a different, more foundational purpose: they help build the mental picture of the brand itself. It is only specific parts of that mental picture—the actual feel of the product and the trustworthiness of the people behind it—that truly convince a customer to return.

To understand how this works, the researchers focused on a concept called Brand Gestalt. Imagine a brand not as a list of separate features, but as a complete, integrated whole, much like a song is more than just a collection of individual notes. This whole is made up of four distinct but connected parts. First is the story, which includes the brand's history, its values, and the narratives it shares. Second is the sensory experience, covering how the product looks, smells, feels, and how it is used. Third is the service environment, which involves the physical stores or digital websites where the brand is encountered. Finally, there is the network of people, including influencers, religious authorities, retailers, and other customers who validate the brand's claims. The researchers wanted to know how online reviews influence these four parts and which of these parts actually drive a customer to buy again.

The team surveyed 371 consumers in Indonesia who had experience buying halal cosmetics. They asked these individuals to share how much they relied on online reviews and how those reviews shaped their views on the brand's story, sensory qualities, service, and the people associated with it. They also asked whether these views made them want to buy the product again. The results were clear and surprising. The study found that positive online reviews strongly influenced all four parts of the brand's mental image. When people read good things online, they developed a richer story about the brand, a stronger sense of its sensory appeal, a better view of its service, and more trust in the people behind it. In short, online chatter successfully built a complete and positive picture of the brand.

However, the story took a sharp turn when the researchers looked at what actually made people want to buy the product again. Despite the fact that online reviews helped build the brand's story and improved perceptions of its service environment, neither of these factors directly led to repeat purchases. The data showed that the brand's narrative and its service quality, while important for forming a general opinion, were not the deciding factors for returning customers. Instead, only two specific elements of the brand's mental image mattered for the decision to buy again: the sensory experience and the network of people.

The sensory experience, which includes the texture, fragrance, and packaging of the product, emerged as the strongest driver. This makes intuitive sense for cosmetics, which are products that must be felt and seen to be truly judged. If a customer reads online that a cream feels luxurious and smells wonderful, and their own experience confirms this, they are much more likely to return. The second key driver was the network of people. In the context of halal cosmetics, where trust and religious compliance are paramount, the credibility of the people surrounding the brand is crucial. This includes the influencers who recommend the product, the retailers who sell it, and the religious communities that validate its authenticity. When online reviews reinforced the trustworthiness of these people, customers felt confident enough to buy again.

The study effectively ruled out the idea that online reviews work by simply persuading people to buy directly. The data showed no direct link between reading positive reviews and the intention to repurchase. Instead, the influence of online comments was entirely indirect. They worked by shaping the sensory and social perceptions of the brand, and it was these specific perceptions that then triggered the desire to return. The other parts of the brand image, the story and the service, were shaped by online reviews just as strongly, but they did not carry the same weight when it came to the final decision to spend money again.

This finding offers a new way to think about how brands should manage their online presence. It suggests that generating positive conversations is only the first step. For a brand to secure a loyal customer, those conversations must do more than just create a good story or a nice image; they must reinforce the tangible, sensory reality of the product and the credibility of the people who stand behind it. In the world of halal cosmetics, where trust is everything, the most powerful online reviews are those that confirm the product feels right and that the brand is backed by the right people. The study concludes that while a brand needs a complete and positive image to be noticed, it is the sensory and social pillars of that image that hold the customer's loyalty.

Technical Summary: Perception Speaks Louder Than Words: Brand Gestalt, eWOM, and Repurchase Intention in Halal Cosmetics

Problem Statement
While electronic word of mouth (eWOM) is widely recognized as a critical influence on consumer behavior, existing literature often treats it as a direct persuasive stimulus. A significant theoretical gap remains regarding how fragmented online cues are integrated into a coherent, holistic brand perception and whether this integrated perception drives continued purchasing. Specifically, it is unclear whether favorable eWOM translates directly into repurchase intention or if it operates through a more complex mechanism of brand-meaning formation. This issue is particularly salient in the halal cosmetics market, where product attributes often possess "credence qualities" (e.g., religious compliance, ethical authenticity) that cannot be fully verified through direct use alone, necessitating reliance on surrounding stakeholders and holistic brand narratives.

Methodology
The study employs a cross-sectional quantitative survey design to examine the relationships among eWOM, the four dimensions of Brand Gestalt, and repurchase intention.

Sample: Data were collected from 371 valid respondents in Indonesia who had prior experience purchasing halal cosmetic products. The sample was predominantly female (88.7%) and young (79.0% aged 18–30).
Instrument: A structured questionnaire utilizing a seven-point Likert scale measured eWOM (5 items), the four Brand Gestalt dimensions (19 items total: Storyscape, Sensescape, Servicescape, Stakeholderscape), and Repurchase Intention (5 items).
Analysis: Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) via SmartPLS 4. The analysis included assessments of indicator reliability, convergent and discriminant validity (using HTMT and Fornell-Larcker criteria), structural collinearity (VIF), explanatory power ( $R^2$ ), effect sizes ( $f^2$ ), and predictive relevance ( $Q^2$ and PLSpredict). Mediation effects were tested using 5,000 bootstrap subsamples.

Key Results
The structural model analysis yielded the following findings:

eWOM as a Formation Mechanism: eWOM exerts strong, positive, and statistically significant effects on all four dimensions of Brand Gestalt ( $\beta$ ranges from 0.874 to 0.900, $p < .001$ ). This confirms that online consumer communication is a primary antecedent in constructing the holistic brand configuration, including narratives (Storyscape), sensory impressions (Sensescape), service environments (Servicescape), and stakeholder associations (Stakeholderscape).
Direct Effects on Repurchase Intention: Contrary to the hypothesis of direct persuasion, eWOM does not have a statistically significant direct effect on repurchase intention ( $\beta = 0.157, p = 0.139$ ). Similarly, Storyscape ( $\beta = 0.094$ ) and Servicescape ( $\beta = 0.119$ ) do not significantly predict repurchase intention when considered simultaneously with other dimensions.
Differentiated Behavioral Impact: Among the Brand Gestalt dimensions, only Sensescape ( $\beta = 0.335, p < .001$ ) and Stakeholderscape ( $\beta = 0.241, p = .005$ ) significantly predict repurchase intention.
Mediation Patterns: The influence of eWOM on repurchase intention operates exclusively through indirect pathways. Significant indirect effects were found through Sensescape ( $\beta = 0.293$ ) and Stakeholderscape ( $\beta = 0.210$ ). The indirect paths through Storyscape and Servicescape were not significant. This indicates an "indirect-only" mediation pattern where eWOM shapes the brand gestalt, but only specific sensory and stakeholder-related perceptions translate that meaning into behavioral intent.
Model Fit: The model demonstrated acceptable fit (SRMR = 0.066) and substantial explanatory power, with the predictors collectively explaining 80.6% of the variance in repurchase intention.

Key Contributions
The paper claims three principal theoretical and managerial contributions:

Reconceptualization of eWOM: The study shifts the perspective of eWOM from a direct behavioral stimulus to an antecedent of holistic brand meaning. It demonstrates that consumer-generated communication functions as a mechanism for constructing the integrated configuration of brand cues (Brand Gestalt) rather than merely persuading consumers directly.
Functional Asymmetry in Brand Gestalt: The research advances Brand Gestalt theory by demonstrating "functional asymmetry." While all four dimensions (Storyscape, Sensescape, Servicescape, Stakeholderscape) are jointly shaped by digital communication, they are not equally consequential for behavioral conversion. The study identifies that sensory confirmation and stakeholder legitimacy are the specific drivers that convert brand meaning into repurchase, whereas narrative and service-environment meanings, while important for brand formation, do not independently drive repeat purchasing in this context.
Contextual Specificity in Halal Cosmetics: By focusing on halal cosmetics, the study highlights the critical role of Stakeholderscape. In markets where religious and ethical claims are difficult to verify, the credibility of actors surrounding the brand (influencers, certifiers, communities) becomes a decisive factor in repurchase, distinct from the product's sensory attributes.

Significance and Managerial Implications
The authors assert that the findings challenge the managerial assumption that generating positive online conversations is sufficient to secure repeat customers. Instead, the study suggests that brands must ensure eWOM reinforces two specific pillars:

Credible Sensory Experiences (Sensescape): Online communication must validate tangible product attributes (texture, fragrance, packaging) that provide experiential confirmation.
Trustworthy Stakeholder Associations (Stakeholderscape): Brands must cultivate an ecosystem of credible actors (influencers, retailers, communities) that provide social and institutional assurance regarding halal authenticity and legitimacy.

The paper concludes that while Storyscape and Servicescape are essential for constructing the overall brand representation, they do not independently drive repurchase intention in the presence of strong sensory and stakeholder perceptions. Therefore, managerial efforts should prioritize the alignment of online discourse with credible sensory delivery and stakeholder trust to effectively convert favorable eWOM into sustained repurchase behavior.

More like this