eWOM Behavior Research Articles

Sharing healthy lifestyle information on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic: a moderated mediation model

ABSTRACTThe objective of this study is to investigate the interaction effect of extraversion and materialism on self-disclosure and electronic word of mouth regarding healthy lifestyle information on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was examined with a sample of 214 social media users. The indirect influence of materialism on e-WOM was analysed through a moderated mediation model with materialism as a moderator of the relationship between extraversion and self-disclosure, and self-disclosure as a mediator between extraversion and e-WOM. This study contributes to a better understanding of e-WOM behaviour during the COVID-19 crisis. This investigation extends the literature on information sharing behaviour and also provides practical implications for government and business houses to run social media campaigns effectively.

Electronic word-of-mouth on social networking sites: What inspires travelers to engage in opinion seeking, opinion passing, and opinion giving?

ABSTRACT The rise of social media in the digital era has revolutionized the travel and tourism industry. Some people post their feedback about the places they visit on the internet, while others seek such information on the internet. This has heightened the interest in and value of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) manyfold. This research seeks to examine the factors that may influence travel-related eWOM behavior through social networking sites (SNSs). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied on data collected from 416 travelers who are users of SNSs. The results indicate that information quality and quantity are the two most significant factors that influence travel-related eWOM behavior. Additionally, the intention to use SNSs when making travel-related decisions in the future is the most prominent factor among all. The paper concludes with pragmatic suggestions for travel and tourism businesses to optimally utilize travel-related eWOM for improving their business and earning a competitive edge.

Influence of Social Media Marketing Activity Instagram Towards Purchase Intention in Le Bliss Bouquet Cirebon

Technology today has an important role in various aspects of life. Technology can make it easier for people to carry out daily activities without any limitations. One of the uses of this technology is the implementation of marketing activities that can be carried out through social media. This study aims to determine whether the influence of social media marketing activity carried out by Le Bliss Bouquet has an influence on brand equity, distribution of e-WOM on social media, and purchase intention. Some of the theories used include the theory of social media marketing activity, brand equity, E-WOM, and consumer behavior that can form interest in making purchases. The type of research conducted is causal. Respondent data was collected by distributing questionnaires through social media and the analytical technique used was Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with the help of SmartPLS software. The sample used in this study were Instagram social media users who had accessed the Le Bliss Bouquet Cirebon Instagram social media account. The results show that the structural equation modeling supports the hypothesis contained in the study and shows a positive influence between social media marketing activity on purchase intention. In addition, brand equity is also considered to have a positive impact on e-WOM and e-WOM maintains a positive influence on purchase intention. It is hoped that the results of this study can be used as an evaluation of the implementation of social media marketing activities carried out by the company because it is considered capable of forming product brand equity and influencing purchase intention

Value co-destruction and negative e-WOM behavior: the mediating role of tourist citizenship

Co-destrucción de valor y comportamiento negativo de e-wom: el papel mediador de la ciudadanía de los turistasResumenObjetivo/PropósitoLa investigación ha examinado el efecto de la destrucción conjunta de valor en la ciudadanía del cliente y en los comportamientos negativos de e-WOM. Además, la investigación tuvo como objetivo determinar el papel mediador de la ciudadanía turística entre la co-destrucción de valor y los comportamientos negativos de e-WOM.MetodologíaUtilizando un método de muestreo por conveniencia, se recopilaron datos de 704 clientes que compraron sus productos turísticos a través de un proceso de cocreación. Se aplicaron análisis factoriales exploratorios y confirmatorios a los datos para determinar los factores que componen las dimensiones en el modelo de investigación. Se utilizó el modelo de ecuaciones estructurales de mínimos cuadrados parciales (PLS-SEM) para evaluar la relación en el modelo de investigación propuesto en la investigación.ResultadosLos resultados de la investigación indicaron que la co-destrucción de valor afectó el comportamiento de ciudadanía del cliente y el e-WOM negativo. Mientras que el comportamiento de ayuda de la ciudadanía del cliente afectó al e-WOM negativo, el comportamiento de defensa de la ciudadanía del cliente no afectó al e-WOM negativo. La investigación, sin embargo, encontró un efecto de mediación solo indirecto: un comportamiento de ayuda en la relación entre la co-destrucción de valor y el e-WOM negativo.OriginalidadEl documento ayuda a explicar los antecedentes y los resultados de la co-destrucción de valor desde la perspectiva del cliente. Además, su información puede permitir a las empresas turísticas gestionar de forma eficaz y eficiente el proceso de creación conjunta de valor y evitar la destrucción conjunta de valor. Los datos de la investigación también proporcionarán sugerencias útiles a otros investigadores y representantes del sector.Implicaciones TeóricasLa investigación ha examinado los comportamientos antecedentes que causan la destrucción conjunta de valores y los efectos de estos comportamientos en los resultados de la experiencia vacacional. Esta información luego se combinó en un modelo y se evaluó en un marco holístico. Teóricamente, la investigación nos ayuda a comprender el impacto del comportamiento de co-destrucción de valor en el comportamiento de la ciudadanía y en la tendencia negativa de e-WOM de los turistas. La investigación examina el comportamiento de co-destrucción de valor y su efecto en los resultados de la experiencia vacacional simultáneamente.Implicaciones GerencialesLa investigación proporciona un marco que las empresas turísticas pueden usar para producir y ofrecer servicios que atribuyan valor a sus clientes y para gestionar procesos y comportamientos comerciales disfuncionales y disruptivos para reducir la co-destrucción de valor. La investigación también proporciona una nueva forma para que los profesionales del sector turístico comprendan y generalicen los cambios de comportamiento de los turistas causados por la destrucción conjunta de valor durante y después de su experiencia.Limitación e Investigación FuturaEsta investigación tiene varias limitaciones que podrían sugerir direcciones para investigaciones futuras. Se seleccionó como escenario de investigación a los clientes que compran experiencias turísticas a través de un proceso de co-creación. Por esta razón, los resultados de esta investigación podrían no aplicarse a otros turistas. Esta investigación también examinó la co-destrucción de valor solo desde el lado de la demanda. Además, la investigación proporcionó evidencia preliminar sobre las premisas y los resultados de los comportamientos de co-destrucción de valor en el contexto del turismo. Además, la investigación futura podría intentar ampliar el presente trabajo mediante la identificación de factores adicionales que pueden gestionar la destrucción conjunta de valor y otros resultados de la destrucción conjunta de valor para las empresas.

Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM): Menguji Pengaruh Pengalaman Positif, Persepsi Kualitas dan Kepercayaan. Studi Kasus: Restoran di Labuhanbatu

Compared to traditional methods, the Internet as a means of communication offers several advantages such as constant availability of information, efficient transfer of information and interactivity. In the context of the culinary business, the contribution of customers who want to spread positive information about restaurants is certainly very large. According to the literature, it was also conveyed that consumers believed in previous consumer experiences more than the advertisements delivered by the company. This study wants to examine the role of positive experience variables, perceived quality and trust in the eWOM behavior of restaurant customers in Labuhanbatu. The study used a quantitative approach using a questionnaire as a data collection tool. Questionnaires were distributed via google form to respondents. Respondents in this study were restaurant customers in Labuhanbatu who had carried out eWOM activities to the people around them. This study uses the SEM analysis method with the help of SMART PLS 3 software. The results of this study indicate that all predictive variables analyzed have a positive and significant influence on positive eWOM behavior in the context of a restaurant in Labuhanbatu.

Determinants of Customer Satisfaction and eWOM in the Sharing Economy: Timeshare versus Peer-to-Peer Accommodations

This study aims to investigate the differential effects of determinants of satisfaction on subsequent electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) behavior in the sharing economy with peer-to-peer accommodations and timeshares. Data were collected from consumers who stayed at either a timeshare or peer-to-peer accommodation within the previous year (N = 785). Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationship between the determinants and eWOM through satisfaction, followed by multiple-group comparison to examine the moderating effect of accommodation type. The results indicated that amenities, economic benefits, and trust demonstrated an indirect effect on eWOM behavior through satisfaction, but community belonging affected eWOM behavior directly. Multiple-group SEM revealed that accommodation type moderated the indirect effects of community belonging, economic benefits, and trust on eWOM behavior, such that the indirect effect was significant only for timeshare accommodations. This study contributes to the sharing economy literature by filling the gap of lodging research beyond Airbnb and including timeshares. The findings highlight competitive differences that influence eWOM between peer-to-peer accommodations and timeshares that otherwise offer similar home-like accommodations. The study revealed a newly found direct relationship between community belonging and eWOM.

Emojis: can it reduce post-purchase dissonance?

ABSTRACT Online food purchase over mobile apps is growing, and so is the competition between the different apps. Any dissatisfaction from the mobile app causes dissonance and customer attrition. The present study aims to highlight emoji’s impact in lessening dissonance through selective personalized post-purchase communication. The study explores emoji’s contrasting effect measured online between-group experimental designs among 431 participants. The results showed emoji presence in post-purchase communication lessens customers’ anxiety and enhances satisfaction and liking. Further, the results revealed a positive impact of emoji presence on customers repurchase intention and recommendation (eWOM) behavior. The study adds to the literature on the importance of a richer communication medium in an online business, especially in the post-purchase dissonance context.

Exploring the Link between Net Promoter Score, E-Wom and Hotel Booking Behaviour

Exploring the Link between Net Promoter Score, E-Wom and Hotel Booking Behaviour

Effects of offering incentives for reviews on trust: Role of review quality and incentive source

Incentives are often used by businesses to motivate customers to post reviews of their products or services online. However, the impact of those incentives on customers who are on the receiving end of such electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) behaviors are rarely examined. This study explores the effects of incentive-driven eWOM on receivers’ trust (customer trust) utilizing norm conflict and stakeholder perspectives. The findings indicate that customers have less trust in incentive-driven eWOM than in organic eWOM, for two reasons. First, the sharing of eWOM follows social norms, whereas incentives fall under market norms. This creates a potential conflict of norms for the receivers of incentivized eWOM. Second, the offer and acceptance of incentives establish interest relevance between businesses and posters. The findings suggest that increasing the quality of eWOM and hiding interest relevance between posters and businesses by changing the incentive source can alleviate the conflict of norms and increase customer trust in those reviews. This study provides a theoretical basis and suggests practical strategies for businesses to actively manage their customers’ incentive-based eWOM behavior. • Receivers consider the incentive-motivated eWOM less trustworthy compared with organic eWOM. • Increases in eWOM quality can decrease the perceived norm conflict and increase receivers’ trust. • Source of the incentive source can influence receivers’ trust. • Source of the incentive source can influence the perceived interest relationship between the sender and the business.

E-WOM & Purchase Intention towards Mobile Data Packages among Facebook users: The Mediating Effect of Brand Image

Facebook is undoubtedly the leading social networking service in Sri Lanka, which comprises approximately 7.9 million users by creating a massive platform to advertise and brand engagement. Therefore, it has become an essential tool for eWOM, which is crucial for Marketers to understand to leverage on social media. The Mobile Telecommunication industry is a competitive and technologically advanced sector in Sri Lanka, sized at 30.41Mn mobile connections rapidly ignite Social Networking Sites based interactions; hence, eWOM behaviour is pivotal to examine as a digital communicational tool and a reality. Accordingly, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of eWOM on Purchase Intention as millions of consumers are now exposed to digital platforms and how impactful amidst the brand image among the Facebook users of Sri Lanka. Even though many scholars studied this issue in different contexts and very little research was done in Sri Lanka. The significance of this research instrumentalized to fill this gap and open a scholarly discussion. A survey conducted for data collection was instrumentalized via a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire among 267 respondents. The findings revealed a positive relationship between eWOM and Purchase Intention for Mobile data packages in the context of Sri Lankan Facebook users & it was positively strengthened by Brand Image. Furthermore, this outcome could be used as base research to study eWOM on other platforms and give new knowledge to the academic & business world.

Who is an evangelist? Food tourists’ positive and negative eWOM behavior

PurposeThis study aims to examine food tourists’ engagement in positive and negative electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) by considering the following questions: Do satisfied customers engage in advocacy, and do dissatisfied customers make the same effort to spread their negative experiences? Which restaurant experience attributes influence eWOM behavior? What demographic and psychographic characteristics contribute to advocacy?Design/methodology/approachUsing data from an online survey of 456 consumers with restaurant experience in the tourism context, this study applied simultaneous Tobit estimation to examine the research hypotheses.FindingsEngagement in negative eWOM because of poor experiences was stronger than engagement in positive eWOM because of positive experiences. Food taste was a critical attribute for both positive and negative eWOM. Authenticity was influential for positive eWOM only, and value was influential for negative eWOM only. Atmosphere, service and location were found to be insignificant, indicating that they are ‘indifferent’ factors for eWOM in the food tourism context. Female customers were more active in negative advocacy, while Generation Y customers were more active in positive advocacy. Food involvement was significantly related to both positive and negative eWOM.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study provide useful marketing and service insights for restaurant managers in the digitally connected world, enabling them to formulate services based on factors critical for restaurant eWOM in the tourism context.Originality/valueTo fill a gap in the current literature in the era of digital marketing, this study takes a comprehensive yet industry-specific perspective on eWOM engagement by examining demographic factors and the food involvement of consumers as well as restaurant experience attributes. By investigating both positive and negative eWOM, this study presents meaningful practical and theoretical implications.

National cultures and their impact on electronic word of mouth: a systematic review

PurposeThis paper aims to summarize peer-reviewed journal articles on national cultures and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) behavior, identify the main findings and patterns among those studies and discuss research gaps that need to be addressed in the future.Design/methodology/approachA systematic review process was utilized to analyze peer-reviewed journal articles on both eWOM and national cultures. The main research questions were defined, then proceeded by the identification of exclusive and inclusive criteria to search for relevant articles, which were further filtered based on abstracts and full texts, and then scrutinized for main findings and major variables such as countries, cultural variables and data collection methods.FindingsAn analysis of 52 papers shows that national cultures, primarily Hofstede's dimensions, influence the willingness of individuals to share eWOM, how they write eWOM and the extent to which they use eWOM to make decisions. Although the reviewed studies have provided insightful implications for marketing theory and practice, the present paper has identified a number of important questions that warrant future research attention.Originality/valueeWOM is continually being employed as a popular source of information for consumers throughout different countries to make their purchase decisions. However, eWOM behavior differs from country to country due to national cultures, and managers' eWOM strategies that work in one country may not be applicable in another. Therefore, there has been an increasing interest in this topic. Nevertheless, it remains unclear which subjects have been addressed and what areas are yet to be investigated. This paper presents a comprehensive review of how national cultures affect eWOM behavior by drawing upon prior research and provides directions for future research contributions.

Impact of Beauty Vlogger's Credibility and Popularity on eWOM Sharing Intention: The Mediating Role of Parasocial Interaction

Drawing on the foundation of three critical theories of consumer psychology-parasocial theory, source credibility theory and signaling theory, the study tries to examine the impact of beauty vlogger’s credibility and popularity on the eWOM intention of the viewers among the millennial female sample from Delhi-National Capital Region. The study incorporates parasocial interaction (with the vlogger) as a mediator between the relationship of vlogger popularity and eWOM intention of followers. An online survey was administered and data was collected from 490 female millennial beauty vlog followers in Delhi-National Capital Region, India. The study attempts to explore eWOM behavior of women in the Indian context. Findings reveal that there is significant relationship between credibility of a beauty vlogger and eWOM Intention. Additionally, a significant association was established between vlogger popularity and eWOM intention, with parasocial interaction as a partial mediator.

The power to voice my hate! Exploring the effect of brand hate and perceived social media power on negative eWOM

PurposeConsumer brand relationship literature has recently seen a surge of studies on brand hate, its antecedents and outcomes. Hate alone will not drive consumers to engage in negative electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and indicates the interplay of other social relationship factors that can strengthen the effect of brand hate on negative eWOM. The purpose of this study is to integrate the emerging concept of brand hate and perceived social media power with the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to expand the understanding of negative eWOM.Design/methodology/approachData is collected through a survey conducted among university students based in the National Capital Region of Delhi in India. The research model is empirically tested using structural equation modeling in AMOSv23.FindingsThe three TPB dimensions, including brand attitude, subjective norms and individual’s propensity to anthropomorphize, are found to influence brand to hate significantly. The other perceived control factors included in the model, perceived homophily and social media self-efficacy, were found to affect perceived social media power, which, in turn, is crucial in predicting consumers’ engagement in negative eWOM behavior, both directly and through interaction with brand hate.Originality/valueThe study contributes to brand hate literature and offers a novel perspective by advocating the role of consumers’ propensity to anthropomorphize in augmenting feelings of brand hate.

Social sharing of consumption emotion in electronic word of mouth (eWOM): A cross-media perspective

Despite increased research into electronic word of mouth (eWOM) in the hospitality sector, the role of emotion in consumers’ eWOM behavior remains underexplored. Highlighting media differences in eWOM, we utilize the online disinhibition effect and social sharing of emotion theory to investigate the consequences of consumption emotion for consumers’ eWOM behavior and emotion-specific media preferences (social networking sites [SNSs] vs. review sites). Experimental results identify emotional intensity as the key driver of consumers’ eWOM-giving intention on both media, whereas emotional valence shows media-specific effects on eWOM-giving. Satisfaction demonstrates a ‘positivity bias’ in consumers’ eWOM-giving, but only on SNSs. Expressive suppression also regulates the impact of emotional intensity on eWOM-giving intention. We push the boundaries of valence-centered assertions in eWOM research and advance theoretical understanding of consumers’ eWOM behavior through the lenses of emotion and media differences. Our findings have important implications for practitioners in the hospitality sector and for eWOM media providers.

Motives for Employees Communicate Positive Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) on Social Network Sites: Exploring Moderating Mechanisms

Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) has received attention from marketing academic society in the last decade. Extant literature explains why consumers spread eWOM in social network sites (SNS), but the motivations of internal employees’ eWOM behavior are not extensively researched. This article aims to explore what factors motivate employees to create positive eWOM in SNS and the moderating variables in the effects of these motivations. Capturing motivations of employees’ positive eWOM behavior in SNS and moderating variables, the hypotheses were proposed by drawing on the literature of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), internal marketing, and consumer eWOM. Responses from a sample of 301 employees were conducted through an online questionnaire survey. The result reveals three job-related motivations and two social-related motivations of employees’ positive eWOM behavior with four moderating variables influencing these relationships in different ways. This study makes theoretical contributions to eWOM literature by integrating consumers’ eWOM and employees’ OCB research, probing into this issue from the internal employees’ perspective. Besides, it provides insightful implications for marketing managers on motivating employees to create positive eWOM in SNS voluntarily.

The impact of message appraisals of Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty on information seeking and electronic word-of-mouth intentions of US female consumers

The current study examines how an empowered public engages in information seeking and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) behavior due to emotions elicited from their message appraisals of an inspiring branding campaign. Using cognitive appraisal theory as a framework, the current research assumes that the women with higher problem recognition and involvement will be more likely to engage in information seeking and eWOM behavior through positive affect. Using a representative sample (N = 530) randomly drawn from Qualtrics’ panel data, it uses a structural equation modeling approach to test the proposed appraisal-based behavior model. The results indicate that participants’ information seeking and eWOM behavior are adaptive responses to the emotions elicited by message appraisals. The results also show that situational variables influence the message appraisals of intrinsic pleasantness and goal-conduciveness dimensions.

The impact of social relationship variables on eWOM and purchase intention in SNS marketing

Purpose : This study was conducted to identify the relationships among social relationship variables naturally formed with consumers on SNS, eWOM and purchase intentions. Research design, data, methodology : Research model was set up based on the relationships among social relationships variables, eWOM and purchase intention. Hypotheses are developed based on the theoretical inference reflecting the research model. The paper uses data from 406 Chinese Wechat users who are relatively frequent use SNS. Results : Major findings are social relationships variables have significant impact on the eWOM construct and purchase intention and eWOM behaviors also have positive effects on purchase intention. The eWOM constructs function as mediating variables between social relationships variables and purchase intentions at SNS. Conclusions : This result implies that firms that want to enhance the performance of marketing using SNS should focus on the forming and using the social relationships at SNS and also should investigate the eWOM behaviors of SNS users and research how to use the eWOM of users in their marketing at SNS.

Encouraging Passive Members of Online Brand Communities to Generate eWOM Based on TAM and Social Capital Theory

Online brand communities have become a strong marketing tool for companies. However, passive members form the majority of these communities, and although it is recognized that passive members' electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) has a powerful impact on success and prosperity of online brand communities, little research has been devoted so far to the factors influencing their eWOM. To improve our understanding of how to encourage passive members of online brand communities to generate eWOM, this study incorporates the technology acceptance model (TAM) and social capital theory to examine the influence of the factors in the TAM (perceived ease-of-use and perceived usefulness) on the different types of eWOM behaviors (opinion seeking and passing), while looking at bonding and bridging social capital as mediating factors. An internet questionnaire survey, in which 600 passive users of an online brand community were recruited in China, was conducted to validate hypothetical model with structural equation modeling using AMOS 24. The findings confirm that bonding and bridging social capital have significant, positive, direct effects on passive users' opinion seeking and passing. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use are indirect positively related to opinion seeking and passing through the mediating roles of passive members' bonding and bridging social capital. Finally, we propose specific recommendations for online brand community operators and members.

EWOM Behavior in the Healthcare Sector – The Case of a Hospital’s Facebook Page

Patients frequently use Facebook for health-related reasons, like seeking of information or the recommendation of practitioners or hospitals. In this way, Facebook provides a powerful communication platform for electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). The present explorative study provides detailed information regarding eWOM behavior on the Facebook page of an Austrian hospital. Data of the hospital’s Facebook page was gathered and analyzed with NodeXL. Reactions towards the different types of postings were analyzed by counting emojis, the number of shares and comments. Within the study, there was an in-depth evaluation of communication data (313 posts of the hospital, more than 14,000 eWom actions by 3,327 women, men and organizations). The study shows how heterogeneous users are in their eWOM behavior and that a variety of topics on the Facebook page stimulates electronic recommendations. One major finding is that a significant part of the eWOM is done by only a few users. According to this, a so-called Intensive WOM Behavior (IWB) can be identified. Users of the IWB-group behave heterogeneously. Most react either with an emoji, a comment or a share. By providing first insights into the existence of IWB-users as well as their eWOM-behavior, this study offers new insights to eWOM in Facebook.