A study of characteristics of e-WoM affecting consumer's social media opinion behavior

Abstract

Web-based social networking systems, for example, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are changing the way word-of-mouth in electronic form (e-WoM) is spread and devoured in the online digital world. Because of increasing number of contemporary SNSs (social networking sites), marketers endeavor to utilize the power of digital mechanism in individual communication, through examination of characteristics of e-WoM that prompts opinion behavior of users of social media, which in turn influence buyers on social media sites. In this paper, it had been researched as to how various characteristics of e-WoM are affecting consumer opinion behaviour. This study has used exploratory research design and followed by model analysis. The collection of data was done by random sampling method from the respondents using structured questionnaire. An attempt is made to understand the relationship between the characteristics of e-WoM and three identified opinion behavior of the social media user. For both, the opinion behavior of the social media user and the e-WoM accordingly, this paper identifies various directly observed variables. Characteristics of e-WoM like privacy and dispersion were found to have significant impact on opinion giving behaviour of the users. Anonymity, privacy and deception too have significant impact on opinion giving behaviour of the users where as consumer engagement and dispersion have significant impact on pass along behaviour which are treated as manifest characteristics for e-WoM. Marketers require creating an e-WoM program by keeping relevant characteristics which influence more in mind to help embrace and execute digital media utilities to their business. The e-WoM program holds the capacity to stroke the opinion behavior of social media users.