eWOM Communication Research Articles

Applying qualitative approach to identify the characteristics of effective messages in eWOM communications

Purpose The present study aimed to identify the characteristics of effective messages in electronic word of mouth (eWOM) communication on social networks to be considered in the planning of eWOM strategies. For this purpose, the present study tries to identify these factors through a qualitative approach.Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach based on the thematic analysis was used with semi-structured interviews and opinions of 25 experts in the field of e-marketing and e-retailing. The collected data were analyzed and coded in the MaxQDA software.Findings The results of the study showed the extracted seven main themes of message sender specifications, aesthetic appearance, choosing the right content, sending strategy, message usefulness, correct targeting, type of information and also 47 subthemes. These seven criteria provide a way to design the right strategies.Research limitations/implications Limited studies in this area were a challenge and also integrating the opinions of the interviewees due to contradictory and different views, as well as unfamiliarity with some new approaches to digital marketing, were among the limitations of the present study that managed and controlled their effects. Practical and theoretical implications for developing and planning effective eWOMs in social networks presented.Originality/value Understanding the way of creating appropriate features of effective and suitable messages in the planning of eWOM strategies is crucial to digital marketers. This study recommends considering the extracted features in designing effective messages.

The Influence of Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) Communications on Citizens' Adoption of Mobile Government Services

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communications is considered an important force determining the purchasing intentions of consumers in the context of e-commerce and marketing fields but few studies have examined this important element of eWOM communications in the context of mobile government. Therefore, this study is aimed at filling this gap by integrating eWOM communications into the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explore its direct impact on the adoption of mobile government services among Chinese citizens (college students). The analysis was conducted by the use of SPSS through regression analysis. The results showed that all the research hypotheses were statistically supported. Specifically, eWOM mobile government communication was found to significantly predict the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and the behavioral intention to adopt mobile government services. The implications of these findings on the development of mobile government services are thoroughly discussed.

Consumer decision journey for online group buying: psychological and intentional procedure perspectives

PurposeThis study investigates the relationship between buyers’ psychological antecedent and repurchase intentions in online group buying. Considering and evaluating pre-purchase, the authors measure the buyers’ overall experience of online group buying through their perceived value (PV) and risk. This study examines the influence of PV and perceived risk (PR) on positive electronic word-of-mouth (eWoM) communication and repurchase intention in online group buying.Design/methodology/approachThe authors verify the research model using SPSS and the structural equation modeling-partial least square (SEM-PLS) to analyze 839 convincing respondents. This quantitative research provides insights into online group buying, including the food industry.FindingsThe results demonstrate that the buyers’ PV of online group buying enhanced positive eWoM communication and repurchase intention. The willingness of buyers to spread positive eWoM indicates their recognition and satisfaction with a product or brand. Thus, they have the behavioral intention to repurchase in online group buying. The study found that while positive eWoM communication significantly impacts repurchase intention, PR negatively affects PV. The research provides theoretical and practical implications at the end of the study.Research limitations/implicationsThis study has some limitations. First, the study only used PV and PR to measure consumers’ considerations and evaluations of the initial stage in the consumer decision journey. Future studies can include more dimensions that may further affect these considerations and assessments to verify the research model. Second, the study only used positive eWoM communication to measure the “enjoy-advocate-bond” of consumption and usage in the post-purchase stage.Originality/valueThe study proposes the sequential relationship in the psychological decision procedure of participating in online group buying and provides valuable managerial implications for managers operating online group buying on third-party platforms. The findings provide good knowledge for the food industry to stay connected with customers and develop their satisfaction.

How Entitativity Influences Sharers’ Attitude in Intergroup Communication: Focusing on eWOM Communication between Chinese and Japanese Consumers

How Entitativity Influences Sharers’ Attitude in Intergroup Communication: Focusing on eWOM Communication between Chinese and Japanese Consumers

Analysis the influence of “web celebrity” phenomenon on young consumer’s perception in the perspective of new media -- taking cosmetic industry as example

This research mainly explores the influence of the "web celebrity" phenomenon on young consumers' perception of social media. Taking Kylie Jenner’s successful marketing of cosmetics company as background, from the perspective of consumer’s perception to discuss the research question in depth on Instagram. It analyzes consumers’ perceptions through collecting data on social media to detect the perceived value and satisfaction and e-WOM communication. The e-WOM effect tested of Kylie Cosmetics in this experiment is different from our stereotype. Finally, it indicates that consumers have a high degree of recognition of Kylie Cosmetics.

The role of travel influencers in sustainable tourism development

Tourism, as one of the main industries at the global level, can provide many benefits, primarily economic, however the growing trend of tourist travel has begun to cause incalculable damage to the environment, cultural heritage and to affect the lifestyle of the local population of tourist destinations. In recent years, sustainable development in tourism has emerged as a necessity, but in order for such processes to be adequately completed, it is necessary to reprogram people's awareness of environmental protection, consumption of sustainable products, healthy lifestyles and preservation of tourist destinations. The rapidly evolving digital environment has become an indispensable tool for marketing professionals. It is possible to communicate more efficiently with the target market through internet-based platforms. Influencers have played a major role in influencing other members of society even before the advent of digital technologies. However, electronic word-of-mouth communication (eWOM), as a form of word-ofmouth communication in the digital environment, can be a very successful tool for influencing consumer attitudes, including attitudes towards sustainable tourism development. Today, travel influencers play a particularly important role on social networks. If the influencers are focused on a healthy lifestyle, environmental protection and the development of sustainable tourism, there is a good chance that their followers will adopt such behavior. Given that eWOM communication can have a viral effect, it is very likely that such positive information will continue to spread exponentially in the virtual space, continuing its uncontrolled influence.

The influence of eWOM communications on intended online purchases: a literature review using TCCM framework and future research agenda

The influence of eWOM communications on intended online purchases: a literature review using TCCM framework and future research agenda

Revisiting the antecedent of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) during COVID-19 Pandemic

The main feature of the Internet and e-commerce is electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) through online reviews. As Internet users and their consumption of eWOM for product information overgrow in India, it is vital to examine the elements that influence the effectiveness of eWOM communication during COVID-19 pandemics. A systematic literature review has been conducted to assess the factors influencing eWOM in the online retailing context. The literature has been segregated into WOM, eWOM, the eWOM source credibility, eWOM message characteristics, eWOM platform, and outcome of eWOM adoption. The organised review provided a eWOM communication model and proposed an appropriate hypothesis to be tested. The finding concludes the significant relationship of eWOM determinants in building purchase intention, brand image, and attitude during COVID-19 pandemics. Previously conducted research examined the effect of source and message credibility; however, source homophily and website credibility in eWOM communication are rarely taken into account along with these constructs. This study will address more vigorous eWOM phenomena and empirical findings in the COVID-19 period. The study’s findings will help practitioners manage the power of eWOM communication for all stakeholders.

Engagement of Ethnic-Minority Consumers with Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) on Social Media: The Pivotal Role of Intercultural Factors

Social network sites (SNS) facilitate eWOM communication among consumers of different cultures. Building on contact theory and the theory of planned behavior, we propose a conceptual framework that integrates intercultural factors as predictors of minority consumers’ engagement with eWOM communicated by and to individuals of the dominant culture on social media. A partial least squares (PLS) analysis on data collected from the Israeli-Arab minority shows that intercultural factors (i.e., acculturation, social interaction, and language proficiency) are antecedents of minority consumer engagement with eWOM. However, this relationship is mediated by consumer beliefs (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) concerning this behavior, and moderated by the cultural distance between minority and dominant culture consumers. The findings help marketers plan marketing communications that engage audiences meaningfully and generate positive eWOM when targeting ethnic-cultural minorities. The current study contributes to our understanding of minority consumers’ engagement with eWOM communicated by and to members of the hegemonic culture. It further contributes to consumer engagement theory and acculturation research by supporting the post-assimilationist view. The proposed model is highly valuable in light of the importance of the concept of consumer engagement in marketing research.

A persuasive eWOM model for increasing consumer engagement on social media: evidence from Irish fashion micro-influencers

PurposeThis study aims to find how can fashion micro-influencers and their electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) messages increase consumer engagement on social media, focusing on micro-influencers’ influence, typology, eWOM content and consumer engagement.Design/methodology/approachA total of 20,000 microblogs were collected from Irish fashion micro-influencers and analyzed through keyword classification and content analysis in NVivo. The determinants of eWOM persuasiveness for consumer engagement on social media were investigated based on Sussman and Siegal’s information adoption model.FindingsThe study finds that among the four types of micro-influencers, market mavens and their eWOM messages have the highest impact on consumer engagement on social media, and it presents a repetitive and persuasive eWOM model of market mavens to increase consumer participation. Also, the study discovers that micro-influencers’ occasion-related microblogs have an increasing impact on consumer interactions whereas microblogs with brands have a decreasing engagement with consumers on social media.Originality/valueThis study advances prior studies on the relationship between influencers’ eWOM messages and consumer participation on social media by the development of a persuasive eWOM model of micro-influencers to increase consumer engagement and fill in the lack of relevant literature. Also, findings provide actionable insights for marketing communication practitioners to persuade consumers to participate in eWOM communications and establish strong consumer-brand relationships on social media.

Asymmetric relationship between customer sentiment and online hotel ratings: the moderating effects of review characteristics

Purpose Online hotel ratings, a form of electronic word of mouth (eWOM), are becoming increasingly important to tourism and hospitality management. Using sentiment analysis based on the big data technique, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between customer sentiment and online hotel ratings from the perspective of customers’ motives in the context of eWOM, and to further identify the moderating effects of review characteristics. Design/methodology/approach The authors first retrieve 273,457 customer-generated reviews from a well-known online travel agency in China using automated data crawlers. Next, they exploit two different sentiment analysis methods to obtain sentiment scores. Finally, empirical studies based on threshold regressions are conducted to establish the asymmetric relationship between customer sentiment and online hotel ratings. Findings The results suggest that the relationship between customer sentiment and online hotel ratings is asymmetric, and a negative sentiment score will exert a larger decline in online hotel ratings, compared to a positive sentiment score. Meanwhile, the reviewer level and reviews with pictures have moderating effects on the relationship between customer sentiment and online hotel ratings. Moreover, two different types of sentiment scores output by different sentiment analysis methods verify the results of this study. Practical implications The moderating effects of reviewer level and reviews with pictures offer new insights for hotel managers to make different customer service policies and for customers to select a hotel based on reviews from the online travel agency. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature by applying big data analysis to the issues in hotel management. Based on the eWOM communication theories, this study extends previous study by providing an analysis framework for the relationship between customer sentiment and online hotel ratings from the perspective of customers’ motives in the context of eWOM.

The Effect of Electronic Word-of-Mouth Communication (e-WOM) on the Conspicuous and Materialist Consumption: Research on Generation Z

The aim of this study which derives its generation data from generation Z is to analyze the effect of electronic word-of-mouth communication (e-WOM) on the conspicuous and materialist consumption. The sample of this study consists of 12th grade students, representing the generation Z, who were born in 2000 and after. Students were selected from a total of 26 high schools in four districts of Balıkesir city in Turkey; districts of Bandırma, Gönen, Erdek and Manyas. A questionnaire was applied to the participants using the convenience sampling method. A total of 1065 questionnaires were found suitable for evaluation. Collected data were analyzed through first-order confirmatory factor analysis and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). It was concluded at the end of this study that e-WOM communication type triggered a significant and positive effect on conspicuous and materialist consumption.

PENGARUH ELECTRONIC WORD OF MOUTH (e-WOM) DI MEDIA SOSIAL FACEBOOK TERHADAP KEPUTUSAN PEMBELIAN

The development of information technology and the internet is currently developing very widely. This greatly affects the lifestyle of most humans at this time. The internet is an important part of everyday life in terms of accessing existing social media. Changes also occur in WOM (Word Of Mouth) communication. Through e-WOM communication, WOM behavior in social media, consumers can obtain information and exchange opinions about products and services. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of e-WOM in social media Facebook towards Purchasing Decision on Muca Cafe Kupang. The variables in this study are the independent variable; e-WOM (Intensity, Valence of Opinion, Content) and the dependent variable; Purchasing Decision. The population in this study were consumers who befriended in social media Facebook with Muca Cafe, with a sample of 100 respondents conducted by purposive sampling method. Data collection techniques in this study using the questionnaire method. The instruments were applied Validity Test, Reliability Test, Classic Assumption Test, and Hypothesis Testing using t-Test and F Test. Data analysis techniques used Descriptive Statistics, Multiple Linear Regression, and Coefficient of Determination. The result of this study indicates e-WOM through social media Facebook has a significant effect on Purchasing Decision. Thus, Muca Café should optimize its social media Facebook to attract many consumers.
 Keywords: Content, Electronic Word Of Mouth, Intensity, Purchasing Decisions, Valence of Opinion

Consumer Attitude towards eWOM Communication across Digital Channels

Consumer Attitude towards eWOM Communication across Digital Channels

Consumer Attitude towards eWOM Communication across Digital Channels

Consumer Attitude towards eWOM Communication across Digital Channels

The Influence of eWOM Communications On Intended Online Purchases: A Literature Review Using TCCM Framework and Future Research Agenda

The Influence of eWOM Communications On Intended Online Purchases: A Literature Review Using TCCM Framework and Future Research Agenda

E Word of Mouth Antecedents and Its influence on User Satisfaction- A Study

In 21st century, as organizations are changing their methods to make easy reach to a customer through web-based business, the electronic informal exchange has gained critical significance among the companies. A user, and a company, can now easily connect with one another through e-WoM, which is an important breakthrough to establish the connection between the user and companies at a fast pace through data based correspondence. The research starts with review of literature. Through literature it can be said that prior investigations found that the user offers significance to data based correspondence from a dependable source. Researchers also found that user buys an item when the tourists trust the source, and also purchases the services when they get its trustworthiness through e-WoM. These discoveries were the outcome of scholarly world in other countries context but the effect of e-WoM on Indian tourist for web-based buying is yet to be checked. Thus it was felt to examine the variables that encourage the e-WoM influence and its effects on user satisfaction. In view of the above, the purpose of this research is to study the determinants of e Word of Mouth influencing the service booking of Indian tourist. Further, it endeavours to ascertain the effect of identified determinants on user satisfaction. To achieve the objective, 225 Indian tourists, were contacted using non probability convenience sampling method. To accomplish the target, Factor Analysis and stepwise multiple regression techniques were utilized. The respondents of our investigation are the tourist visiting Varanasi and staying in Guest House situated close to Dashashwamedh Ghat for pilgrimage reasons. The examination found that Trustworthiness emerged has the most influential determinant of e-WoM followed by Source Credibility and User Expertise of eWoM that lead to a satisfied user. Source credibility also enhances the effect of other variables such as Trustworthiness and User Expertise of e-WoM. User Expertise also had a significant effect on e-WoM communication that reflects the popularity of the services or service provider.

The Impact of Electronic Word of Mouth on Brand Evaluation Leading to Brand Attachment: A Comparative Study on Consumer Electronics and Cosmetic Brands in Sri Lanka

The traditional medium of communication has been changed with the invention of digital technologies and World Wide Web as a result of it conventional word of mouth has converted in to electronic word of mouth communication. Sharing Opinions about products services and brands has a created a new trend in the social media. This raises the need to study how companies can measure the effects of e-WOM communications and how e-WOM compares itself with other forms of marketing communication and branding. Measurement items are adapted from existing scales found in the marketing literature. The scales are evaluated for reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity using data collected in the survey. A structural equation modeling procedure is applied to the data analysis. The research model was tested empirically using a sample of 400 respondents who had experience within online communities of customers during the period of research. Argument quality dimension of electronic word of mouth reported highest impact on consumer brand attachment. The study found that e-WOM is one of the most effective factors influencing brand evaluation and brand attachment of brands in consumer electronic industry and cosmetic industry.

A meta-analysis of the factors affecting eWOM providing behaviour

Purpose Numerous studies have examined factors influencing electronic word of mouth (eWOM) providing behaviour. The volume of extant research and inconsistency in some of the findings makes it useful to develop an all-encompassing model synthesising results. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to synthesise findings from existing studies on eWOM by using meta-analysis, which will help to reconcile conflicting findings of factors affecting consumers’ intention to engage in eWOM communications. Design/methodology/approach The findings from 51 studies were used for meta-analysis, which was undertaken using comprehensive meta-analysis software. Findings Factors affecting eWOM providing behaviour were divided into four groups: personal conditions, social conditions, perceptual conditions and consumption-based conditions. The results of the meta-analysis showed that out of 20 identified relationships, 16 were found to be significant (opinion seeking, information usefulness, trust in web eWOM services, economic incentive, customer satisfaction, loyalty, brand attitude, altruism, affective commitment, normative commitment, opinion leadership, self-enhancement, information influence, tie strength, homophily and community identity). Research limitations/implications One of the limitations of this study is that the studies for this research were collected the only form from Web of Science, Scopus and Business Source such as databases, which result in a limited number of studies available for weight and meta-analysis. A wider range of databases should be used by future research. Also, this study only considered quantitative studies and excluded qualitative studies. Thus, future studies could include both types of studies in the meta-analysis. Practical implications By focussing on the best predictors of intention to provide eWOM communications (e.g. self-enhancement and trust in web eWOM services) managers can improve reader engagement and information assimilation. Knowing motivations to engage in eWOM helps platform operators design their service in a more customer-oriented way. By better understanding motivations to engage in eWOM communications marketers and researchers can influence individuals’ online information assimilation which can affect consumer purchase decisions, customer loyalty and consumer commitment to the community. Originality/value Applying meta-analysis helped the reconciliation of conflicting findings, enabled investigation of the strengths of the relationships between motivations and eWOM providing behaviour and offered a consolidated view. The results of this study facilitate the advancement of current knowledge of information dissemination on the internet, which can influence consumer purchase intention and loyalty.

Understanding How Chinese Consumers Engage in Electronic Word-of-Mouth Communication (eWOM) on Social Media

Examining a sample of 510 Chinese movie consumers, this study found that social benefits, utilitarian, venting negative feelings, and entertainment are the main reasons that motivate consumers to engage in eWOM activities. In addition, though social media offers consumers an equal access to participate in eWOM communication, people with higher opinion leadership can make better use of ICTs. They showed stronger trust on eWOM information, more willing to seek for and contribute eWOM content, and gratifying more from participating in eWOM activities on social media.