Imported or locally made products? Building customers’ resilience to negative word of mouth (NWOM) about locally made products: Mediation of message quality in Tanzania

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of word of mouth (WOM) attributes on the resilience of customers to negative word of mouth (NWOM) about locally made products when mediated by message quality. The study’s findings contribute to a variety of areas. To begin, available empirical evidence has primarily examined WOM from a source perspective, with an emphasis on the message’s design and delivery to receivers. Thus, it is necessary to study WOM from the perspective of the receiver, as the decision to accept or reject products is highly dependent on the perspective of the receiver (user). Further, available literature has not sufficiently connected the attributes of WOM with resilience to NWOM when mediated by message quality, especially of locally made products. This study attempts to cover that gap in knowledge. The study used a cross-sectional design involving 201 customers. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) revealed that WOM attributes such as expertise, homophily, and trustworthiness between the sender and the receiver positively and significantly influence the message quality, and that message quality influences the resilience of NWOM about locally made products. Furthermore, message quality was found to partially mediate the relationship between WOM attributes and resilience to NWOM. The findings have both theoretical and practical implications.