Ratings Outweigh Reviews and Endorsements in Shaping Brand Trust and Purchase Intention among Young Indian Online Shoppers

Purpose - This study examines the joint influence of three commonly co-occurring online cues-numerical ratings, written reviews, and social media endorsements-on brand trust and purchase intention among young Indian online shoppers.Design/methodology/approach - A 2 (review valence) × 2 (rating) × 2 (endorsement) between-subjects factorial experiment was conducted with 400 Indian online shoppers (84% aged ≤ 35 years) using a fictitious footwear brand. Data were analysed with three-way ANOVAs and simple-effects decomposition.Findings - Numerical ratings produced very large effects on brand trust (F(1, 392) = 112.87, p < 0.001) and purchase intention (F(1, 392) = 114.90, p < 0.001), partial η² = 0.22 and 0.23. Review valence and endorsement showed no meaningful main effects. A Rating × Endorsement interaction on purchase intention (p = 0.049) showed endorsement amplified intention only when ratings were high (d = 0.34), not when low.Research limitations - Findings support an Elaboration Likelihood account: the most cognitively efficient peripheral cue dominates young consumers’ judgement. Manipulation checks were not administered; future work should test rating dominance across categories of differing involvement.Practical implications - Strong numerical ratings should be the foremost priority for retailers targeting young Indian consumers. Endorsement spending appears most effective when paired with strong ratings, amplifying rather than compensating for quality signals.Originality/value - The study provides rare factorial evidence on the relative weighting of three commonly co-occurring online cues and extends evidence to the Indian young-consumer context.Keywords Online customer reviews, Numerical ratings, Social media endorsement, Brand trust, Purchase intention, Elaboration Likelihood Model, Indian e-commerce, Young consumers