Exploring how relationship quality influences positive eWOM: the importance of customer commitment

Abstract

This study mainly explores how relationship quality that a company has actually cultivated in the physical marketplace affects electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication. A structural equation model (SEM) is developed to test the casual effects between those contracts. The Sobel test is also applied to investigate the mediating effect between relationship quality and eWOM communication. The empirical results show that (1) customer satisfaction significantly and positively affects customer trust and customer commitment; (2) customer trust has a significant and positive impact on customer commitment; (3) customer trust exerts a partial mediating effect between customer satisfaction and customer commitment, while customer commitment plays the role of a full mediating variable in our revised model; and (4) satisfaction and trust of customers in company products do not promote their intention for positive eWOM communication; customers are only willing to spread eWOM when their satisfaction or trust is converted into commitment to the company. The managerial implications for online marketing managers and limitations are discussed.