{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]],"date-time":"2026-05-29T17:29:46Z","timestamp":1780075786972,"version":"3.54.0"},"reference-count":62,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,2]],"date-time":"2025-12-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764633600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Jinyong Guo","award":["72063017"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["72063017"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Behavioral Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study examines how different types of word-of-mouth (WOM) influence online purchase intention (OPI) among rural residents, an area not yet fully explored. Based on social tie strength theory, we classify WOM into \u201cquantity-sourced\u201d (e.g., friends, family, general consumers) and \u201cquality-sourced\u201d (e.g., influencers, celebrities, professionals). We propose a chain mediation model involving social distance (SD) and perceived value (PV). Using survey data from 1005 rural residents in Jiangxi Province, China, and analyzing the data with structural equation modeling (SmartPLS 4), we find that quantity-sourced WOM positively affects OPI (\u03b2 = 0.135), while quality-sourced WOM negatively affects it (\u03b2 = \u22120.166). Mechanism analysis shows SD is a key mediator: quantity-sourced WOM shortens SD, thereby increasing OPI (\u03b2 = 0.152), whereas quality-sourced WOM widens SD, reducing OPI (\u03b2 = \u22120.047). PV mediates between quantity-sourced WOM and OPI (\u03b2 = 0.043), but it shows no significant mediation between quality-sourced WOM and OPI (\u03b2 = \u22120.002). Additionally, SD and PV serve as chain mediators between both types of WOM and OPI. These findings extend WOM theory to rural contexts and offer practical insights for governments and e-commerce platforms to develop differentiated WOM strategies and build localized WOM networks.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bs15121661","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,2]],"date-time":"2025-12-02T15:03:13Z","timestamp":1764687793000},"page":"1661","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Quantity-Sourced or Quality-Sourced? The Impact of Word-of-Mouth Recommendations on China Rural Residents\u2019 Online Purchase Intention: The Chain Mediating Roles of Social Distance and Perceived Value"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Changxu","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Economics and Management, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235020, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jinyong","family":"Guo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Economics and Management, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.4018\/IJOM.2016010101","article-title":"The impact of social relationships on online word-of-mouth and knowledge sharing in social network sites: An empirical study","volume":"6","year":"2016","journal-title":"International Journal of Online Marketing (IJOM)"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1005","DOI":"10.2307\/2171877","article-title":"Social distance and social decisions","volume":"65","author":"Akerlof","year":"1997","journal-title":"Econometrica: Journal of the Econometric Society"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1973","DOI":"10.1108\/GKMC-08-2022-0199","article-title":"From traditional advertising to digital marketing: Exploring electronic word of mouth through a theoretical lens in the hospitality and tourism industry","volume":"74","author":"Amin","year":"2025","journal-title":"Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1499","DOI":"10.1080\/02522667.2022.2128510","article-title":"Analyzing the mediating effect of consumer online purchase intention in online shopping of domestic appliances","volume":"43","author":"Anoop","year":"2022","journal-title":"Journal of Information and Optimization Sciences"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"139","DOI":"10.1504\/IJMED.2023.130153","article-title":"Buyer behaviour modelling of rural online purchase intention using logistic regression","volume":"22","author":"Arumugam","year":"2023","journal-title":"International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Beyari, H., and Hashem, T. 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