eWOM Communication Research Articles

Factors influencing Generation Y consumers’ perceptions of eWOM credibility: a study of the fast-food industry

eWOM communication is certainly one of the most influential drivers of purchase decisions. However, little knowledge is available on the factors that influence the trustworthiness and credibility of eWOM communication. To address this research gap, the study aimed to assess whether the three independent variables (homophily, authority and interestingness) have a significant positive indirect effect on eWOM credibility, as mediated by source trustworthiness. The context of the study was fast-food retailers. A cross-sectional survey was conducted and the target population included all Generation Y consumers that visited the fast-food market leaders in Gauteng province, the economic hub of South Africa. Lisrel version 8.8 was used to analyse the results obtained from a realised sample of 362 respondents and to compile the structural equation model. The findings of the study support the research hypotheses formulated and offer a theoretical contribution by enhancing knowledge of the relationships between the variables investigated as well as the factors that could influence eWOM credibility. The study also has meaning to fast-food retailers, as the model could be applied to formulate appropriate strategies and influence the online conversations and perceptions of consumers.

An investigation of motivations to engage in eWom among inbound Muslim tourists to Malaysia

The purpose of this paper is to investigate motivations to engage in eWom communication among the Muslim tourism market. Specifically the study focuses on inbound Muslim tourists to Malaysia, a top Muslim friendly holiday destination. A non-probability judgmental sampling approach was employed to collect data in two major cities in Malaysia. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on the scales. Reliability and validity of the measurement scale was established through AVE, Cronbach's alpha, critical ratios and composite reliability. Similar to earlier studies, the findings of the current study indicate that the driving force among Muslim tourists to engage in eWom in the pre-purchase stages relate to convenience, risk reduction and social reassurance. Similarly they are desirous of self-enhancement and social benefits, display a concern for others and are keen to provide platform assistance in their post purchase stages. In essence Muslim tourists are not that different from non-Muslim tourists. Strategic implications and directions for future research are included.

The effect of eWOM on brand attitude and purchase intention of consumers: a cross-sectional study on consumer electronics

Growing acceptance of Facebook and Twitter as an interesting social networking service for customers has made them a value-adding marketing channel for business. These platforms play an important role in Electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) communication and thus call for new knowledge to understand their effect on consumer behaviour. Considering their significance and popularity among social media users, the purpose of this paper is to find out the relationship between user-generated positive eWOM for consumer electronics given on social networking sites, brand attitude and purchase intention. A survey-based empirical study was conducted to examine the influence of positive eWOM on brand attitude and purchase intention. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was applied using the data collected from 315 respondents comprising of the users of Facebook and Twitter. The research established that user-generated positive eWOM on social networking sites (Facebook and Twitter) significantly influences the brand attitude and purchase intention of consumer electronics.

Investigating antecedents and moderating factors of consumer's acceptance and adoption of online-received recommendations on social media: an empirical analysis

The topic of Electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) has received considerable attention in both academia and among business practitioners. Yet, despite an emerging literature on the effectiveness of eWOM communication, 'the scope of published studies on the impact of eWOM communication is rather broad, and the studies appear relatively fragmented and inconclusive'. Integrating the elaboration likelihood model, network theory, and the concept of consumer innovativeness, this study focuses on the topic of 'online-received recommendations' on social media platforms. The theoretical model is then tested using partial least squares method. Based on an online survey distributed on social networks the results indicate that argument quality, perceptual affinity and information usefulness are determinants that influence the adoption of online-received recommendations. Managers can capitalise these results by designing information with a high degree of argument quality in order to enhance the perceived usefulness, thereby triggering the adoption of the information.

Understanding why consumers engage in electronic word-of-mouth communication: Perspectives from theory of planned behavior and justice theory

Word-of-mouth has been recognized as a dominant factor in shaping consumer behavior. However, what drives consumers to post their positive and negative purchasing experiences in the online environment remains an important but largely neglected issue. Building on the theory of planned behavior, the justice theory and the social psychology literature, this study aims to investigate the antecedents of consumers’ intention to engage in eWOM communication. Specifically, we separate negative and positive eWOM into two distinct concepts since the motivations underlying consumers’ decisions to post positive and negative eWOM are likely to be different. Through an experience survey, respondents were required to reflect on recent positive or negative shopping experiences. The findings reveal that intentions to engage in positive and negative eWOM communication are associated with different antecedents. Consumers who intend to post positive eWOM appear to be more driven by underlying attitudinal factors, whereas those who consider posting negative eWOM are more driven by social pressure. In addition, consumers’ feelings of satisfaction are largely driven by their perception of distributive justice for negative shopping experiences. In contrast, satisfaction is significantly influenced by the perceptions of interactional and procedural justice for positive shopping experiences. Our results provide insights and implications for scholars and managers.

Impact of Electronic Guest Relationship Management (e-GRM) on Brand Loyalty: The Case of Croatian Hotels

Quick adoption of e-business and emerging influence of “Electronic Word of Mouth e-WOM” communication on guests made leading hotel brands successful examples of electronic guest relationship management. Main reasons behind such success are well established procedures in collection, analysis and usage of highly valuable data available on the Internet, generated through some form of e-GRM programme. E-GRM is more than just a technology solution. It’s a system which balance respective guest demands, hotel technological capabilities and organizational culture of employees, discharging the universal approach in guest relations “same for all”. The purpose of this research derives from the necessity of determining the importance of monitoring and applying e-WOM communication as one of the methods used in managing guest relations. This paper analyses and compares different hotelier’s opinions on e-WOM communication.

Motivações da Comunicação Boca a Boca Eletrônica Positiva entre Consumidores no Facebook

Este estudo buscou investigar as motivações subjacentes ao comportamento de comunicação boca a boca eletrônica (BAB-e) positiva sobre produtos, serviços e marcas no site de redes sociais Facebook, no contexto brasileiro. Para tanto, foram desenvolvidas hipóteses de pesquisa e um modelo teórico para se entender as motivações da comunicação BAB-e positiva nesse contexto. A fim de testar a validade do modelo proposto, um levantamento amostral foi conduzido com 468 usuários do site no Brasil. Os dados foram analisados por meio de modelos de equações estruturais. Os resultados sugerem como motivações significantes a preocupação com outros consumidores e o desejo de interação social, assim como os desejos de extravasar emoções positivas e de ajudar a empresa. A hipótese que previu que as recompensas econômicas afetam positivamente a comunicação BAB-e positiva não foi confirmada, assim, sugerindo que as motivações deste comportamento no Facebook são de natureza social e psicológica mais do que puramente econômica. O teste empírico deu suporte ao papel moderador da força dos laços sociais na relação entre preocupação com outros consumidores e comunicação BAB-e positiva.

An integrative approach to eWOM and marketing communications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of how different forms of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and simultaneous marketing communications (MC), two crucial components of relationship marketing, affect consumer persuasion when presented in a business-to-customer (B2C)-sponsored vs a customer-to-customer (C2C)-sponsored social network site (SNS). A concise typology of eWOM is also proposed. Design/methodology/approach – An experiment involving different social network movie sites was conducted testing the effects of different eWOM along with a comparison to MC on consumers’ interest in, and likelihood to watch movie DVDs. Findings – The empirical results showed that not all eWOM types have the same persuasiveness and community sponsorship as a source credibility cue is more influential from a C2C-sponsored SNS than from a B2C one, particularly for many-to-one eWOM communications. Research limitations/implications – Future research should include both positive and negative types of eWOM using different product categories to increase the generalizability of the results. Practical implications – Not all eWOM types are created equal, and thus, SNS sponsorship can lead to source bias and affect the persuasiveness of eWOM embedded in SNSs. The results also imply that not all positive word-of-mouth has a more positive effect than MC. Originality/value – The approach of measuring two forms of communications simultaneously adds to the much-needed integrative approach of studying the simultaneous delivery of MC and WOM and provides a more nuanced view of persuasion knowledge.

Using social network analysis to explain communication characteristics of travel-related electronic word-of-mouth on social networking sites

Social networking sites (SNSs), which are platforms based on user interactions, currently play increasingly important roles in sharing electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) among tourists. Viewing eWOM communication on SNSs as a network based on the users' social relationships, this study applied social network analysis to examine the communication characteristics of travel-related eWOM on SNSs from the perspective of both ego and whole networks. Results show that travel-related eWOM communication via SNSs relied on existing social relationships, ties of which can be categorized as strong, of middling strength, or weak. Furthermore, the effect of transmitted information was stronger than that of influential decision-making. The communication network studied was found to be structured, loose-knit, flat, and of high centrality. These results enrich current research on the effects of eWOM and provide a dynamic perspective for understanding how eWOM disseminates and influences users through interactions.

What We Know and Don't Know About Online Word-of-Mouth: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature

Electronic word-of mouth (eWOM) has attracted considerable interest from researchers in the past decade. Although the extant research has helped us to develop a good understanding of a number of the issues pertaining to eWOM, several research and managerial questions remain. Furthermore, no attempt has been made to consolidate and synthesize this stream of research. With consumers' increasing reliance on online retailing and information seeking, as well as the continued growth of social media, the importance of eWOM cannot be overstated. Based on a systematic review of 190 studies, we conduct a multi-dimensional analysis of eWOM communication. We present the key issues in current and emerging literature and propose important questions for future research.

Measuring the Impacts of Online Word-of-Mouth on Tourists’ Attitude and Intentions to Visit Jordan: An Empirical Study

Reduced consumer trust, both of organizations and advertising, has led to electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) becoming an increasingly popular way of obtaining competitive advantage. e-WOM is especially relevant with regard to tourism, specifically tourists’ attitudes toward such destinations. This study explores the empirical and theoretical evidence regarding the causal e-WOM relationships between tourists’ attitudes regarding specific destinations and actual intention to travel. In the context of visits to Jordan, we applied SEM technique to examine these relationships. A pre-validated questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample with response rate of 97.3%. The result revealed that e-WOM communications positively impact tourists’ travel intentions and their attitudes toward Jordan as a destination, while a positive effect is found for the attitudes toward Jordan visit on their intention to travel. Managers of travel agency can consider various aspects of e-WOM to encourage tourists to participate in online travel communities and to build such communities, as this will foster trust in terms of visiting Jordan.

Electronic Word of Mouth Impacts: A Spotlight on Customer Integration

Developing an innovative value creation process is linking customer integration to electronic WOM (eWOM). Providers and users are to be effectively interconnected at an early stage of that process. Consumers turn to kind of providers by giving input and feedback to the providers. The objective is to make users become part of the brand intending to consequently develop better commitment, strengthened brand trust as well as an increased willingness to pay. Data was gathered by means of an online consumer questionnaire, measuring how customer integration via eWOM communication supports the customer’s relation to the provider. In this context, it was then analysed to what extent such interaction has lasting influence on the increase of commitment, stabilization of brand trust and a positive adaptation of the willingness to pay. The result of the analysis is that customer integration with eWOM positively affects the analysed subjects of commitment, brand trust and willingness to pay.

Digging for gold with a simple tool: Validating text mining in studying electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication

Text-based electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication has increasingly become an important channel for consumers to exchange information about products and services. How to effectively utilize the enormous amount of text information poses a great challenge to marketing researchers and practitioners. This study takes an initial step to investigate the validities and usefulness of text mining, a promising approach in generating valuable information from eWOM communication. Bilateral data were collected from both eWOM senders and readers via two web-based surveys. Results provide initial evidence for the validity and utility of text mining and demonstrate that the linguistic indicators generated by text analysis are predictive of eWOM communicators’ attitudes toward a product or service. Text analysis indicators (e.g., Negations and Money) can explain additional variance in eWOM communicators’ attitudes above and beyond the star ratings and may become a promising supplement to the widely used star ratings as indicators of eWOM valence.

Social identity, electronic word-of-mouth and referrals in social network services

Purpose – The main aim of this work is to explore the mechanisms that promote the transmission and reception of online opinions (electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and referrals) by travel services buyers in the context of social networks services (SNS). Design/methodology/approach – The research examines two areas of study: social identification theory and word-of-mouth communication in the virtual environment (eWOM). Based on these theories an explicative model has been proposed applying structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis to a sample of SNS users buying travel services. Partial least squares was chosen as a method to conduct an SEM analysis. Findings – First, the results support the central role of social identification in SNS communication. Second, the results show that SNS users give greater importance to the transmission of communication than to its reception. This fact supports the idea that SNS is used more as a tool for highlighting and maintaining social status than as a channel for information. Originality/value – The study highlights the role of social identification as the core element which drives SNS. It then analyses the development of eWOM communication in the new context provided by SNS. In addition eWOM communication is studied from two perspectives: from the standpoint of the communicator, but also the receiver. Finally, it seems appropriate to differentiate between virtual communities discussing tourism (e.g. www.TripAdvisor.com) and the SNS (e.g. www.facebook.com, www.twitter.com). While the former seems to be a growing source of information, the latter acts rather more in a social context.

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) generation in new media platforms: The role of regulatory focus and collective dissonance

In this research, we examine the role of two motivational forces associated with creation of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM): regulatory focus and collective dissonance. Our studies show that generation of eWOM is enhanced by regulatory fit, while traditional WOM is dominated by the negativity effect. In study 1A, we show that prevention-focused consumers produce stronger intentions to post eWOM when they undergo a negative compared to a positive service experience. In study 1B, we find that promotion-focused consumers are more likely to post eWOM in reaction to a positive service experience when one's self-construal is independent. The final study shows that due to collective dissonance, consumers have greater intentions to create eWOM when their experiences are inconsistent with others' postings. We discuss the implications of these results for the development and management of eWOM communication in virtual communities.

Social network influences on young tourists: An exploratory analysis of determinants of the purchasing intention

Several studies have identified the key determinants of customers’ intentions to purchase online, as well as the impact of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) communication on their judgements. Despite the large volume of contributions to this topic, there is a lack of research on the impact of social networks specifically on young consumers’ behaviour, despite their extensive use of social networks and greater exposure to social network-mediated advertising. The aim of this paper is to explain the antecedents of the purchasing intention for a tourism product in the context of social network communication, involving research among a sample of 1,183 students. Findings show the significant influence of eWOM communication and enjoyment, in addition to standard variables of the technology acceptance model (such as ease of use and usefulness), on attitude and intention. Key results of this work concern the importance of Facebook-mediated messages for the choice of tourism packages, with consequences for marketing strategies in the tourism industry.

Antecedents of travellers' electronic word-of-mouth communication

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is recognised as a means of interpersonal communication and a powerful marketing tool. However, previous studies have focussed on related motivations, and limited attention has been given to understanding the antecedents of eWOM communication behaviour in the travel industry. This study proposes a full and partial mediation model, which brings together for the first time three key antecedents: adoption of electronic communication technology, consumer dis/satisfaction with travel consumption experience, and subjective norm. The model aims to understand the impact of these antecedents on travellers' attitude towards eWOM communication and intention to use eWOM communication media. The data were collected from international travellers (n = 524), and structural equation modelling is used to test the conceptual framework. The findings of the study suggest that overall attitude towards eWOM communication partially mediates the impact of the traveller's adoption of electronic communication technology and subjective norm, and fully mediates the impact of consumer dis/satisfaction with travel consumption experience on travellers' intention to use eWOM communication media.

What We Know and Don’t Know About Online Word-Of-Mouth: A Systematic Review and Synthesis of the Literature

Online word-of-mouth (eWOM) has attracted considerable research in the past decade. Yet, no attempt has been made to consolidate and synthesize this stream of literature. Based on a systematic review of 148 studies, the authors conduct a multi-dimensional analysis of eWOM communication, consumption and effects. Results show that the factors that drive consumers to generate/transmit eWOM include need for self-enhancement, social interaction and altruism. These factors also assure the generation of quality information that benefits consumers who seek eWOM. The findings indicate that the effects of eWOM on consumer and market-level outcomes are not linear and vary significantly owing to eWOM dimensions such as valence and volume, and across products and consumers. With social media and other eWOM platforms taking central stage in marketing and promotional strategies, it is important to consider the key effects of eWOM on metrics such as consumer loyalty, life-time value and service delivery costs.

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

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.

The impact of electronic word-of-mouth communication: A literature analysis and integrative model

The notion of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication has received considerable attention in both business and academic communities. Numerous studies have been conducted to examine the effectiveness of eWOM communication. The scope of published studies on the impact of eWOM communication is large and fragmented and little effort has been made to integrate the findings of prior studies and evaluate the status of the research in this area. In this study, we conducted a systematic review of eWOM research. Building upon our literature analysis, we used the social communication framework to summarize and classify prior eWOM studies. We further identified key factors related to the major elements of the social communication literature and built an integrative framework explaining the impact of eWOM communication on consumer behavior. We believe that the framework will provide an important foundation for future eWOM research work.