S.M. Monirul Islam

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
The role of social media reviews in consumer food preferences is significant nowadays. Nevertheless, their impact on the informal markets of street foods in the developing economies has not been well explored. This study examines the effect of social media reviews on consumer perceptions and street food consumption intentions in Bangladesh, through an extended Technology Acceptance Model. A structured survey was conducted in Bangladesh because of the high rate of street food consumption and was administered using online and offline questionnaires to 411 street food consumers in February 2025. Respondents were selected through judgmental sampling, and quantitative results were analyzed using partial least squares–structural equation modeling in SmartPLS4. The result of the analysis reveals that Perceived Usefulness (β = 0.149, p < 0.001), Perceived Ease of Use (β = 0.147,p < 0.008), Source Credibility (β = 0.289,p < 0.001), and Information Quality (β = 0.288, p < 0.001) of social media reviews positively affect the customer Attitude and Street Food Consumption Intention significantly whereas Perceived Risk (β = −0.118, p < 0.029) has a negative impact. Also, Attitude (β = 0.323, p < 0.001) plays a key mediating role between these factors and consumption intention. These insights underscore the potential strength of social media in shaping consumer behavior among people towards Bangladeshi street food.