A Contemporary Investigation into the Economic Impacts of RTAs: Case Study of the AFTZ and the TPP

Abstract

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWoM) has been studied extensively in both marketing and information systems literature due to its critical impact on online buyers’ purchase decisions. Very few studies, however, have examined the dynamics among expectation disconfirmation, satisfaction, and consumers’ eWoM engagement behavior. Drawing on expectancy disconfirmation theory, this research examines how buyers’ eWoM engagement is influenced by the level of disconfirmation and satisfaction. The logistic regression method was used to analyze 221 survey returns collected from buyers of online tourism products. The results show that low satisfaction and high satisfaction have opposite effects on the buyers’ eWoM engagement. There is no such contingency on the relationship between satisfaction and the contribution of visual content, however. Instead, the results reveal that satisfaction has a positive influence on visual content contribution. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.