Positive Word-of-mouth Intentions Research Articles

The role of corporate social advocacy forms in shaping young adults’ responses

PurposeThis study aims to examine the role of different forms of corporate social advocacy (CSA) in shaping individuals’ attitudinal and behavioral intentions towards companies taking their public stand on controversial socio-political issues. With an online experiment as the research method, this study tests whether depicting nonpolitical or political behaviors in CSA messages increases individuals’ positive behavioral intentions.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a single factor between subject online experiment. A total of 135 US young adults were recruited through a Qualtrics online panel. Three social media mockups were created to manipulate three levels of actions in CSA messages (no action, nonpolitical action and political action). Participants viewed one of those social media posts depicting presented actions to counter anti-LGBTQ + legislation in the USA and answered questions about values-driven motives behind CSA, brand preference and positive word-of-mouth (WOM) intention.FindingsParticipants displayed higher levels of brand preference when they viewed CSA messages depicting the company’s political action intended to repel anti-LGBTQ + legislation. Participants showed more positive WOM intentions towards the company when they perceived its political actions as more values-driven.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study offer practical insights to companies when designing CSA messages and strategies. The results of this study indicate that the presence of political actions in CSA communication increases individuals’ positive behaviors towards companies. The results also suggest that depicting altruistic motives behind CSA leads individuals to talk about companies more in positive ways.Originality/valueThis study is one of the early studies investigating the impact of various forms of CSA on individuals’ attitudinal and behavioral intentions to companies practicing CSA. This study provides practical implications on how to effectively appeal individuals’ favorable attitudes and behaviors towards CSA. In particular, this research presents the importance of action aspects in individuals’ attitudes toward corporations’ CSA messages.

Effects of the dark triad on word of mouth in the luxury context: the moderating role of opinion divergence

AbstractThe study examines the effects of the dark triad traits (i.e., psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism) on positive word-of-mouth (WOM) intention for luxury products, and the moderating role of others’ opinion divergence (i.e., whether or not a consumer’s opinion deviates from that of the reference group). An experiment with 208 respondents tested the research hypotheses, shedding light on the moderating role of others’ opinion divergence in the relationship between each of the three dark triad traits and positive WOM intention. Results showed that psychopathy is positively (negatively) related to positive WOM intention in the presence (absence) of others’ opinion divergence. Moreover, narcissism is positively related to positive WOM intention when others’ opinion divergence is absent. Finally, Machiavellianism is negatively related to positive WOM intention when others’ opinion divergence is present. These results extend current knowledge on the influence of the dark triad traits on positive WOM intention about luxury products, offering insights for segmentation and targeting strategies in the luxury market.

Consumer Responses to Elements of Visual Esthetics on a Brand’s Instagram Page

The current study investigates the influence of visual complexity and color harmony, two important aspects of visual esthetics in the online context, on customer engagement and word-of-mouth (WOM) transmission. We further examine whether consumer expectations and self-concept congruence operate as critical boundary conditions for the effect of these esthetic factors. The study uses an experimental design in which 402 respondents viewed researcher manipulated Instagram brand pages with varying levels of visual complexity and color combinations. The results show that independently, high levels of visual complexity, and complementary color combinations evoked greater consumer engagement and positive WOM intentions. Engagement levels declined when analogous color combinations were used on Instagram pages with high visual complexity and complementary colors on low visual complexity pages. Additionally, consumer engagement mediated the relationship between the visual esthetic elements and WOM transmission. Consumer expectations emerged as an important moderator of the effect of visual complexity on engagement but our prediction regarding the moderating effect of self-concept congruence was not supported. The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the underlying process by which visual esthetic elements on image-centric platforms, like Instagram, interact to influence customer engagement and WOM.

Green food packages’ effects on consumers’ pre- to post-consumption evaluations of restaurant curbside pickup service

PurposeThis study aims to assess green food packages’ role in sustaining a restaurant’s curbside pickup service on three stages of consumer experiences: choosing a restaurant, evaluating their experiences of a recent purchase and weighing their post-consumption behavioral intentions after the recent purchase.Design/methodology/approachThe service encounters framework and relevant literature guided the development of the questionnaire. A Qualtrics panel data of 314 valid questionnaires were collected and analyzed with choice experience, ordinary least squares regression and PROCESS modeling.FindingsFirst, word-of-mouth (WOM) and function encounters significantly influence consumers’ first-time curbside pickup purchasing decisions. Then, service results encounter (besides distributor encounter) most significantly affects consumers’ overall curbside pickup experience. Finally, green food packages increase consumers’ shares of future purchases through their positive WOM intentions and extra efforts of revisiting the restaurant. Consumers’ perceived importance of green restaurant practices strengthens green food packages’ positive impact on extra efforts.Practical implicationsThis study provides operational and marketing insights for restaurants to use food packages and sustain their curbside pickup service.Originality/valueBesides assessing consumers’ evaluations and behavioral intentions for an off-premises restaurant service expected to stay beyond the pandemic, this research uniquely focuses on green food packages, a sustainability issue lacking research attention. The findings add new empirical insights to studies about sustainability and restaurant/food–retail operations.

Cross-industrial study on satisfaction-commitment-PWOM linkage: The role of competition, consumption visibility, and service relationship

This study investigates how industry characteristics affect the relationships between customer satisfaction, commitment, and positive word-of-mouth (PWOM) intention. Specifically, it examines the moderating roles of competition, consumption visibility (private or public), and service relationship (contractual or noncontractual) within the satisfaction-commitment-PWOM linkage. A theoretical model was developed and validated by analyzing large-scale survey data encompassing 174,719 customer responses across 40 industries using the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. As expected, we found that customer satisfaction positively affects PWOM intention. However, the impact was more pronounced in industries with lower competition intensity, higher consumption visibility, and longer service relationship, whereas the link between commitment and PWOM appears to be the same across industries. These findings suggest that industry characteristics should be addressed in WOM research, and uniform marketing methods should not be implemented in practice, as there are differences in WOM generation mechanisms in different industries.

Trustworthiness and Trust as Drivers of Value Perception and Its Implications for Positive Word of Mouth Intention (Study on the Context of Private Campuses in Jabodetabek)

This research to understand for trustworthiness and trust in implication for perception value of implemen-tation for positive word of mouth intention. Study from private universities in Jabodetabek. Object research this is a student of private universities those who live in jabodetabek. To answer problems in this research and the testing of hypotheses research, data analysis using Structural Equation Model (sem) - amos to know how strong the influence of every variable the treatment, this study found that the variable to connect for trust, perceived value and student loyalty have dimension operational competence, operational benevo-lence, and problem solving orientation as benchmarks of Trust in the institution personnel and Trust in the institutions management to create Perceived Value to the campus and generate student loyalty is expected to be able to have a positive influence on increasing student trust.

Examining the determinants of consumer support for corporate social advocacy

PurposeUsing the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a theoretical framework, this study investigates individual level psychological determinants of individuals word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions as a way to support corporate social advocacy (CSA).Design/methodology/approachAn online survey (N = 505) using a Qualtrics panel was conducted.FindingsIndividuals' attitudes towards WOM, subjective norms, and self-efficacy was positively associated with their positive WOM intention, whereas perceived controllability over WOM behaviors was not associated with WOM intention. Age was negatively associated with WOM intention.Originality/valueThis study is one of the early attempts to test individual level factors in shaping individuals' WOM intention in response to CSA. This study also employed recent TPB argument and tested the role of self-efficacy and perceived controllability on behavioral intentions in the context of corporate communication. The findings of this study offer theoretical and practical insights to corporations when developing CSA campaigns and designing CSA messages.

The influence of norms on tourist behavioural intentions

This article examines how various norms affect customer loyalty behaviours, including revisiting intentions and positive word of mouth (WOM). Subjective norms were modelled as independent variables, while personal and cultural norms were used as mediators. The rationale for these proposed relationships is provided in the article. The normative conduct theory and the theory of planned behaviour were utilized in the development of this integrated model. Data were collected from 668 tourists at five different tourist locations in districts in the northern province of Pakistan. The results demonstrate that injunctive norms were significant predictors of tourists' revisit intentions and positive WOM intentions. Descriptive norms were also significant in predicting revisit intentions. Surprisingly, these norms appeared insignificant in terms of a direct relationship with positive WOM. Nevertheless, personal and cultural norms significantly mediated the proposed relationships. The current study extends the existing empirical and theoretical body of evidence regarding tourists' subjective, cultural and social norms, and their effects on tourists’ behavioural intentions. The findings also yield useful insights for marketers and governmental bodies that will aid in future decision-making.

How does salespeople’s personal interaction affect customers’ word-of-mouth in retailing?

Purpose Drawing on the philosophy of retail service quality, this study aims to empirically investigate how salespeople’s personal interaction affects customers’ positive word-of-mouth (WOM) intention through the lens of affective customer experience and consumers’ cross-cultural attitudes toward domestic or foreign products. Design/methodology/approach The hypothesis was tested with a two-step structural equation model using survey data obtained from 529 shopping center customers in China. Findings The positive impact of salespeople’s personal interaction on customers’ positive WOM intention is fully mediated by affective customer experience. In addition, consumer ethnocentrism strengthens the positive impact of salespeople’s personal interaction on affective customer experience, whereas this study fails to find the moderating effect of foreign product affinity. Practical implications To increase customers’ positive WOM intention, store managers need to encourage their frontline sales personnel to personally interact with customers to support customers’ problem-solving. Also, frontline salespeople should pay more attention to consumers’ cross-cultural attitudes such as consumer ethnocentrism when interacting with their customers. Originality/value By linking affective customer experience and consumers’ cross-cultural attitudes of ethnocentrism and affinity toward domestic or foreign products, this study further extends the knowledge of retail service quality on the relationship between salespeople’s personal interaction and customers’ positive WOM intention.

Linking atmospherics to shopping outcomes: The role of the desire to stay

This study relies on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S–O-R) paradigm to explore the mediating role of the desire to stay at the shopping mall in the relationship between shopper positive attitudes towards three atmospheric cues (color schemes, lighting, and music) and the shopping outcomes of shopper satisfaction, positive Word-of-Mouth (WOM) and patronage intentions. Moreover, the study elaborates on the path from the desire to stay to positive WOM and patronage intentions by considering the mediating role of shopper satisfaction. A survey-based study comprising a sample size of 451 mall shoppers has been developed to test the proposed research model. The results indicate that the desire to stay mediates the relationship between shoppers’ positive attitudes towards color schemes and music, on one hand, and shopper satisfaction and positive WOM, on the other hand. Although the desire to stay has a direct effect on positive WOM, it does not directly impact patronage intention. However, the latter path becomes significant when considering the mediating role of shopper satisfaction, indicating that satisfying mall stays enhance desirable outcomes. Based on these findings, implications for theory and retailers are discussed.

Testing the effects of reputation, value congruence and brand identity on word-of-mouth intentions

PurposeThis study developed and tested a consumer relations model to determine linkages among brand identity, reputation and value congruence with positive Word-of- Mouth (WOM) intentions.Design/methodology/approachAn intercept survey was conducted during which 350 participants were asked about their perceptions of the store from where they are most likely to purchase coffee among options including multi-national corporations (MNCs) that have global brand identity and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) with local brand identity.FindingsReputation and value congruence were positively related to positive WOM intentions. Unexpectedly, respondents indicated more positive WOM intentions toward SMEs than MNCs.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings suggested that value congruence and reputation are positively associated with WOM intentions. Yet, consumers indicated greater WOM intentions toward SMEs than MNCs, which implies that SMEs may be unique and have the ability to create more emotional attachment between businesses and consumers.Practical implicationsTo promote consumers' positive WOM intentions, corporate/brand communication practitioners need to build a favorable reputation through effective communication that externalizes organizational values among consumers and includes companies' commitment to the communities in which they operate.Originality/valueLike SMEs, MNCs should build quality relationships with the local community where they conduct business. Also, based on definitions of values and values congruence in the research literature, an original five-item scale of value congruence was developed and validated to measure the congruence between consumers' personal values and their perceptions of a company's values in the context of consumer relationship management.

The influence of university brand image, satisfaction, and university identification on alumni WOM intentions

ABSTRACT This study investigates the influence of university brand image, satisfaction, and alumni’s university identification on positive word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions. The model is tested using data collected from a sample of 1000 university alumni, an important and under-researched stakeholder group. A contribution is provided by enhancing our understanding of key under-researched relationships. University brand image was found to be a key driver of alumni positive WOM intentions, due to its direct and indirect influences. The study also identified the mediating roles of alumni’s university identification and satisfaction. The influence of university brand image on alumi WOM is partially accounted for through its influence on alumni satisfaction and alumni’s university identification.

How social media influencers affect behavioural intentions towards recommended brands: the role of emotional attachment and information value

ABSTRACT Despite the current relevance of social media influencers in brand communication strategies, questions remain about the factors that determine their influential power and how this power affects follower behaviour. This research examines the role of emotional attachment and perceived information value in the process of influence that can lead followers to manifest behavioural intentions toward the brands endorsed by influencers. The results show that both factors act as determinants of followers’ perceived influence, which in turn predicts followers’ positive word-of-mouth (WOM) about recommended brands and purchase intention. In fact, perceived influence plays a mediating role in these relationships. Positive WOM and purchase intention are also significantly related. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the nature and effects of the persuasive power of social media influencers. Key implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

Leveraging “human-likeness” of robotic service at restaurants

• Robotic service staff’s humanlike attributes are key determinants of consumption outcomes. • Humanlike voice increases service encounter evaluation and behavioral intentions. • Humanlike language positively affects service encounter evaluation. • Positive emotion accounts for the positive effect of humanlike voice . • Perceived credibility and positive emotion both explain the language effect. Despite the rise of human-robot interaction research, the mixed findings of human-likeness in consumer evaluation exist. Focusing on the restaurant sector, this research investigates how service robots’ varying levels of human-likeness of attributes (i.e., visual, vocal and verbal ) influence consumption outcomes (e.g., service encounter evaluation, revisit intentions and positive word of mouth intentions) and the underlying mechanisms through cognition (i.e., perceived credibility) and positive emotion per Appraisal Theory . Drawing on a consumer experiment involving a total of 587 participants, results suggest that humanlike voice emerges as a dominant attribute affecting all three consumption outcomes. Humanlike language style positively affects service encounter evaluation but barely affects the other two outcomes. The significant effect of humanlike voice on three consumption outcomes is only explained by positive emotion whereas the effect of humanlike language style on service encounter evaluation is explained by both cognition (i.e., perceived credibility) and emotion.

High-involvement HRM and positive WOM intentions: a mediation model

PurposeThis study proposes and tests a conceptual model hypothesizing that perceived high-involvement human resource practices (HIHRPs) influence organizational members’ positive word-of-mouth (PWOM) intentions, via the mediating mechanisms of perceived organizational support (POS) and positive affect (PA).Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaire data were collected from 194 working individuals and were analyzed by using structural equation modeling and the SPSS PROCESS macro.FindingsThe findings of this study are as follows: perceived HIHRPs had a significant positive influence on organizational members’ POS and PA; POS and PA were each significantly and positively related to PWOM intentions; the relation between HIHRPs and PWOM intentions was significantly mediated by POS and significantly mediated by PA; when included in one model, POS and PA together fully mediated the relationship between HIHRPs and PWOM intentions.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to develop and empirically test a model identifying the HR determinants of personnel’s PWOM intentions, an area overlooked within the human resource management and organizational behavior literature. The study is also the first to examine the mediating effects of POS and PA on the relationship between HIHRPs and PWOM intentions.

The Influence of Resource Type and Gender on Customer Word-of-Mouth (WOM) Intention: Focusing on the Duty-Free Shops at Incheon International Airport

Purpose This study focused on the role of customers’ resource type and gender as the antecedents of WOM intention. This research proposes ways to utilize customers’ WOM intention to enhance the competitiveness of duty-free shops suffering from COVID-19. Design/Methodology/Approach We conducted an online experiment on people in their 20s and 40s living in Seoul and the metropolitan area who have visited Incheon International Airport in the past year. Participants were randomly assigned to a group of time resources or monetary resources, and participants responded to their WOM intention for duty-free shops. Data from 390 participants was used for 2 (resource type: monetary vs. time) × 2 (gender: female vs. male) ANOVA. Findings The impact of resource types on the WOM intention varied depending on the gender. Specifically, female customers were more willing to do positive WOM intention about duty-free shops when time resources (vs. financial resources) were provided, whereas male customers were more willing to do positive WOM intention when financial resources were provided. Research Implications This study made academic contributions by demonstrating the interaction of resource type and gender on the WOM intention. It is of practical significance in that it proposed ways to utilize customers’ WOM intention to enhance the competitiveness of duty-free shops.

Gamifying the digital shopping experience: games without monetary participation incentives increase customer satisfaction and loyalty

PurposeMany marketplace examples suggest that using gamification in the online retail shopping context boosts sales and positively affects customer loyalty. Nevertheless, more research is needed to understand the effects of digital games on consumer behavior and their underlying psychological mechanisms. Therefore, this article explores how combining games and monetary rewards impacts customer satisfaction, loyalty and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions.Design/methodology/approachTo test our hypotheses, we designed two online laboratory experiments to stimulate an online shopping situation, as gamification in online retailing has the potential to affect an important set of outcomes for service firms throughout the consumer decision process (Hofacker et al., 2016).FindingsThe results of two lab experiments demonstrate that playing a shopping-related game without monetary participation incentive positively influences all three relational outcomes because games enhance consumers' enjoyment of the overall shopping experience. However, our findings also show that monetary rewards used to incentivize game participation diminish these effects. Gamification loses its positive effects if games are combined with monetary rewards, as consumers no longer play games to derive inherent enjoyment, but rather the extrinsic motivation of receiving a discount. We draw managerial implications about how gamification effectively and profitably fosters strong customer relationships and thus increases customer lifetime value and equity.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is the first to investigate the combined effects of gamification and price discounts that require consumers to play the game in order to receive the discount. Focusing on an online shopping context, this article contributes to research on motivation by providing new and more nuanced insights into the psychological process underlying the gamification effects on consumer' long-term attitudes (i.e. satisfaction) and relational behaviors (i.e. positive WOM and loyalty) toward a retailer.Practical implicationsBased on our findings, we provide recommendations for marketers that explain how gamification can be a profitable and efficient tool to foster strong customer relationships. Retail managers should use gamification as a less costly alternative to typical price discounts.Originality/valueTwo laboratory experiments investigate how the separate and combined use of games and price discounts affects consumers' satisfaction, positive WOM intentions and loyalty. Playing a shopping-related game increases satisfaction with the retailer and positive WOM intentions as well as loyalty. Monetary rewards used to incentivize game participation eliminate the positive effects of gamification.

What Makes a Hotelscape Beautiful? Antecedent and Consequent Behaviors of Perceived Aesthetic Value and Aesthetic Judgment in the Customer-Hotelscape Relationship

ABSTRACT This study tested a structural model of the relationships among individuals’ novelty-seeking desire (NSD), perceived aesthetic value (PAV), and the evaluative aesthetic judgment (AJ) of the customer-hotelscape relationship and the combined effects of these factors on individuals’ positive word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions and approach-avoidance behavior. Results indicated that NSD was positively related to PAV and AJ. PAV and AJ both exerted positive effects on positive WOM intention and approach behavior. The pattern of statistically significant relationships provided evidence supporting the view that components of a hotelscape contribute positively to guests’ PAV, their AJ of their experience, and their behavioral intent and future approach-avoidance behavior.

MGC, consumers’ engagement with MGC, WOM and consumers’ purchase intention: the case of Weibo platform

Nowadays, consumers spend more time on and pay more attention to information on social media. Thus, firms are constantly concerned if marketer-generated content (MGC), consumers’ engagement with MGC and WOM could promote purchases; and if so, what kinds of MGC could grab the attention of consumers. The present study establishes a framework based on the Hierarchy of Effects model to determine the effects of two types of MGC, retweets and word-of-mouth (WOM), on consumers’ purchase intention. Data about 28 firms from 4 industries were collected, and a three-stage least squares model was employed to estimate the coefficients. Empirical results show that product-related content (PMGC) and social-related content (SMGC) could increase retweets. Retweets of PMGC could boost positive and negative WOM and also facilitate purchase intention. Retweets of SMGC could increase positive WOM and purchase intention. This study identifies the mechanism of how consumers form purchase intention from MGC, and provides new evidence for the classification of MGC.

The impact of service recovery evaluation on word-of-mouth intention: A moderated mediation model of overall satisfaction, household income and gender

The study explores the effect of service recovery evaluation of tourists on their positive word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions. The successive findings from a sample of 20,727 tourists disclose several results. The proposed conditional model provides additional knowledge to the current literature with respect to accounting for how the service recovery evaluation of tourists affects positive WOM intentions through overall satisfaction contingent on household income, and whether the influence of household income on the effect of overall satisfaction on WOM is conditional on gender.