Negative word of mouth intentions during self-service technology failures: The mediating role of regret

Abstract

Adoption of self-service technologies (SSTs) is changing the current service landscape in many ways. However, most previous research focused on customer’s acceptance of such technologies, neglecting the consequences of technology adoption. In the current research, a specific behavioral consequence, negative word of mouth (NWOM) during SST failure is investigated. Through an experimental study, the effect of SST failure on customer’s NWOM intentions and the underlying mechanism of the relationship are demonstrated. Specifically, customers who have experienced SST failures were more likely to engage in NWOM because of the heightened regret felt at the moment, which is a specific negative emotion associated with self-blame. In addition, the moderated mediation effect of an individual difference, fear of negative evaluation is suggested to moderate the relationship between regret and NWOM intentions. Taken together, the current research highlights the role of a negative emotion during service failures.