Abstract
Hong Kong residents tend to spend their holidays by traveling overseas; hence, they reserve hotels online. Moreover, low-cost carriers have become popular and common, thereby resulting in an increase in the number of individual travelers. Accordingly, the online hotel industry can no longer ignore the potential segment of individual travelers. In addition, word of mouth (WOM) is significant in the decision-making process because of the development of Web 2.0. and Travel 3.0. Furthermore, previous studies were analyzed and only a few focus on the individual traveler perspectives on purchasing hotel reservations online. However, individual travelers have different culture and values compared with the public; the former has its own lifestyle, consumer behavior, and ego. Therefore, the investigation of individual travelers when purchasing hotel reservations online is a valuable research topic. Under all situations, WOM has become one of the crucial factors upon which individual travelers base their travel planning and decision. This study used the interpretivist approach to investigate the respondents’ experiences and views for exploring and understanding individual traveler’s perception. The current study adopted qualitative research toward the effects of WOM communication on purchasing hotel reservations online. To investigate the topic, in-depth interviews were conducted on 15 respondents who are individual travelers and travel alone. The interviews followed a semi-structured format using open-ended questions. Descriptive research was designed to gather the findings. In addition, this study provided the effects of WOM communication on purchasing hotel reservations online from the perspective of an individual traveler. New findings, effects of WOM from an individual traveler’s perspective, and recommendations are provided, thereby providing significant guidance to industrial practitioners to improve and formulate marketing strategies.
Highlights
Online purchasing has witnessed a remarkable leap forward (Chiu et al, 2014; Kim et al, 2006; Luo et al, 2012) with confirmation sales increasing by over 19% annually (Internet Retailer, 2011); the most significant is a distribution channel for the service organization (Chiu et al, 2014)
This study provided the effects of word of mouth (WOM) communication on purchasing hotel reservations online from the perspective of an individual traveler
To fill in the aforementioned research gap, the present study aims to gain a substantially comprehensive understanding of the effects of online review attributes and source features of individual travelers booking confirmations in Hong Kong
Summary
Online purchasing has witnessed a remarkable leap forward (Chiu et al, 2014; Kim et al, 2006; Luo et al, 2012) with confirmation sales increasing by over 19% annually (Internet Retailer, 2011); the most significant is a distribution channel for the service organization (Chiu et al, 2014). Consumer reviews can be a good indication for word of mouth (WOM) and can influence consumers’ purchase decisions (Zhu, 2010). Online review platforms provide guidelines and references for potential consumers before they engage in any consumption (Chevalier & Mayzlin, 2006; Hu et al, 2009; Liu, 2006). Breaking out of the limited geographic boundaries and time span of conventional WOM, online WOM can measure all consumers’ comments and score the tourism product via the e-platform
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