Electronic word-of-mouth from video bloggers: The role of content quality and source homophily across hedonic and utilitarian products

Abstract

Consumers increasingly post videos in which they review products and experiences, spreading electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Despite the relevance of consumer-generated audio-visual eWOM, there is limited research on this topic. Integrating Source Credibility Theory and the Information Adoption Model, this study investigates the effect of source expertise, trustworthiness, homophily, and popularity on perceived content quality and purchase intention. We ran two studies and gathered responses from 498 and 230 viewers of online videos of hedonic experiences (travel) and utilitarian products (personal technology), respectively. Findings indicate that source trustworthiness and expertise predict content quality across product types, while source homophily predicts content quality for hedonic experiences and source popularity for utilitarian products. Source homophily and content quality directly affect behavioral intention across product types, while source expertise influences consumers’ purchase intention of utilitarian products. Content quality mediates the influence of these source characteristics on behavioral intention.