Reevaluating Brand Power: The Dominant Influence of Word of Mouth and Price in Health Product Purchases

Authors

  • Helsi Dominggus Kalbis University
  • Prida Ariani Ambar Astuti Pulomas Selatan Kav. 22. East Jakarta

Keywords:

Brand Image, Price, Purchase Intention, Purchase Decision, Word of Mouth

Abstract

The rising prevalence of diabetes in Indonesia has increased the demand for low-calorie sweetener products such as Diabetasol. However, despite ranking second in the Top Brand Index, its market share has declined over the past five years. This study aims to analyze the influence of brand image, price, and word of mouth on Diabetasol purchase decisions, with purchase intention as a mediating variable. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected through a structured questionnaire survey among members of the Indonesian Diabetes Association (PERSADIA) and analyzed using multiple linear regression, t-tests, F-tests, and the Sobel test. The results indicate that, simultaneously, the three independent variables significantly affect both purchase intention and purchase decisions. Only price and word of mouth directly affect both dependent variables; brand image has no significant direct impact.  Purchase intention was found to mediate the influence of price and word of mouth on purchase decisions. These findings, analyzed based on consumer behavior and marketing communication theories, highlight the importance of pricing strategies aligned with perceived value and leveraging consumer testimonials to strengthen purchase decisions.

References

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211.

Anwar, A., & Gusnita, G. (2022). Price and consumer purchase decisions in health products. Journal of Marketing Management, 8(2), 45–58.

Astaki, N., & Purnami, S. (2019). Word of mouth and its influence on purchase decisions. Journal of Business Research, 10(1), 55–63.

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Durianto, D., Sugiarto, & Sitinjak, T. (2018). Strategi Menaklukkan Pasar Melalui Riset Ekuitas dan Perilaku Merek. Gramedia.

Febiyati, N., & Aqmala, D. (2022). Brand image, price, and word of mouth in consumer purchase intentions. International Journal of Business Studies, 15(1), 22–34.

Ferdinand, A. (in Yunikartika, N., & Harti, N. (2022)). Consumer behavior and purchase intention measures. Journal of Marketing Perspectives, 9(2), 34–41.

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2019). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Hayes, A. F. (2018). Introduction to Mediation, Moderation, and Conditional Process Analysis: A Regression-Based Approach (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

International Diabetes Federation (IDF). (2021). IDF Diabetes Atlas, 10th edition. Brussels: IDF.

International Diabetes Federation (IDF). (2021). IDF Diabetes Atlas, 10th edition. Brussels: IDF.

Keller, K. L. (2021). Strategic Brand Management (5th ed.). Pearson.

Kementerian Kesehatan Republik Indonesia (Kemenkes). (2024). Laporan tahunan kesehatan masyarakat. Jakarta: Kemenkes RI.

Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Marketing Management (15th ed.). Pearson.

Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., & Opresnik, M. O. (2022). Principles of Marketing (18th ed.). Pearson.

Muhtarom, A., Sutrisno, & Rahmawati, D. (2022). Price and brand image toward purchase decisions with purchase intention as mediation. Journal of Consumer Behavior Research, 11(3), 67–78.

Muhtarom, A., Sutrisno, & Rahmawati, D. (2022). Price and brand image toward purchase decisions with purchase intention as mediation. Journal of Consumer Behavior Research, 11(3), 67–78.

Nada, F. (2020). The impact of word of mouth on consumer decision-making. Journal of Marketing Insights, 7(4), 55–63.

Tjiptono, F. (2019). Pemasaran Jasa: Prinsip, Penerapan, dan Penelitian. Andi.

Wati, E., Sari, M., & Putra, Y. (2023). Word of mouth and consumer trust in online health products. Journal of Digital Marketing, 12(1), 14–26.

Yunikartika, N., & Harti, N. (2022). Consumer behavior and purchase intention measures. Journal of Marketing Perspectives, 9(2), 34–41.

Downloads

Published

2025-12-10

Issue

Vol. 5 (2025): Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Entrepreneurship (IConEnt)

Section

Articles

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.