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1 – 10 of 32
Article
Publication date: 12 June 2017

Monica B. Fine, John Gironda and Maria Petrescu

“Prosumers” (combining “producer” and “consumers”) describes consumers’ ability to openly share their product/service experiences and thereby drive sales and digital marketing…

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Abstract

Purpose

“Prosumers” (combining “producer” and “consumers”) describes consumers’ ability to openly share their product/service experiences and thereby drive sales and digital marketing. Understanding what motivates active prosumers to engage in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and share or review their hotel experiences online can help organizations empathize with consumers and use their messages to co-create value. Identifying prosumers’ motivators can enable companies to properly target them as resources for review or consumer feedback studies. This paper aims to investigate the influence of motivators (intrinsic and extrinsic), service quality and age on consumers’ eWOM communication behaviors.

Design/methodology/approach

A panel of 204 travelers was surveyed regarding their hotel travel experiences, propensity to write online reviews, preferred review-writing platform, motivations for writing reviews and impressions of service quality. To test the hypotheses, a multivariate regression analysis was performed with eWOM as the dependent variable. Differences in eWOM as a function of preferred review platform were also tested using ANOVA, with a multiple comparison analysis that underlines the differences between prosumers who prefer different types of review platforms and their eWOM behaviors.

Findings

Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators, as well as service reliability, had a significant influence on eWOM behavior, while service tangibility had a negative relationship. Additionally, prosumers’ engagement in eWOM about their hospitality experience differed according to their preferred review platform.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of the analysis underline the importance of consumer motivations and of satisfaction with service quality in the context of digital review behavior. For marketing and hospitality research, this shows the benefits of including not only individual characteristics and demographics when analyzing review behavior but also elements such as perceptions of service quality. Given the differences in how the dimensions of service quality affect consumers’ engagement in online review behavior, this represents a very important topic for research and can be included in future studies that analyze the consumer review behavior model.

Practical implications

Regarding the implications for practitioners, this study highlights the important role played by consumer satisfaction with service in the hospitality industry and its effect on their involvement in online reviews. Managers should be focused constantly on offering great service to their guests, while, at the same time, offering them motivations to engage in posting positive reviews about their vacation. Moreover, as the results of this study imply that various dimensions of service quality have a different impact, managers should focus especially on the aspects that consumers consider important and constantly include in their reviews, such as the tangibles dimension. The results of this study also have the potential to provide to businesses more information to improve the social aspects of vacationing, which can not only improve perceptions about service quality but can also have a positive influence on consumers’ motivations.

Originality/value

This paper develops a better understanding of what motivates people to engage in the eWOM communication behavior of writing online hotel reviews, by showing the effect of consumer motivations and service quality variables on prosumers’ engagement in online review behavior.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, vol. 8 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1757-9880

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2024

Maria Petrescu, John Gironda and Kathleen Bay O'Leary

This paper aims to evaluate and structure the basic heuristics consumers use in evaluating word-of-mouth (WOM) about luxury hotel brands while analyzing the impact of deception in…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to evaluate and structure the basic heuristics consumers use in evaluating word-of-mouth (WOM) about luxury hotel brands while analyzing the impact of deception in online consumer reviews.

Design/methodology/approach

The research used a two-study mixed-methods approach, using interpersonal deception theory and social proof theory as lenses to conduct our analysis. For the first study, a qualitative conceptual mapping analysis was conducted, examining online consumer reviews to identify key concepts and their relationships in the context of luxury hotel brands. In the second study, the themes were further examined using a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis to analyze their causal complexity and association between variables to determine how they influence the perceived helpfulness of online reviews for luxury hotel brands.

Findings

The results underline the importance of functional, objective variables, such as the number of reviews and stars, as social proof heuristics and other factors, including clout, authenticity and analytic tone, as interpersonal communication heuristics. Therefore, consumers use a combination of social and interpersonal communication heuristics to extract information from reviews and manage deception risk.

Research limitations/implications

The paper contributes to the consumer–brand relationship literature by assessing the heuristics consumers use in evaluating online reviews and provides additional information for research in online reputation management.

Practical implications

This study’s results can help marketing practitioners and brand managers manage their online reputations better. It can also aid managers in improving their messaging on hotel websites to entice consumers to complete bookings. Heuristics play an essential role in such messaging and understanding them can help marketers appeal directly to their target market.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature on consumer–brand relationships by providing a framework of heuristics that consumers use when evaluating luxury service brands and contributes to WOM and online reputation research by highlighting factors that may make online reviews more helpful.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

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Article
Publication date: 2 July 2020

Maria Petrescu, Anjala Krishen and My Bui

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of internet of everything (IoE) on marketing analytics, the benefits and challenges it presents and the implications of its…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of internet of everything (IoE) on marketing analytics, the benefits and challenges it presents and the implications of its policy and legal framework.

Design/methodology/approach

Qualitative research methods are used across privacy statements and consumer social media data to determine factors of concern for business and consumers.

Findings

The qualitative analysis of privacy statements and consumer social media data unveils factors of concern that are common for businesses and consumers, such as user consent and data security, as well as problems specific to the IoE, including the use of mobile devices and various service providers. The study also shows a differentiation in the levels of information privacy concerns for marketing practice, the use of personal information, sharing information with third parties and consumer consent and agreement to critical terms.

Practical implications

Recommendations for policymakers, practitioners and researchers, especially concerning the need for more studies related to the issues of data security, information privacy and personal information are addressed.

Originality/value

There is a need to assess the potential implications that the use of marketing analytics in the IoE can have for marketing policy, governmental regulations and industry self-regulation. The purpose of this research is to perform an exploratory evaluation of the impact of IoE on marketing analytics, the benefits and challenges it presents and the implications of its policy and legal framework.

Details

Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 37 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0736-3761

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Article
Publication date: 24 August 2021

J. Ricky Fergurson, John T. Gironda and Maria Petrescu

This paper aims to examine how modern, digital era customers in a business-to-consumer (B2C) setting prioritize salesperson-customer orientation attributes when evaluating their…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine how modern, digital era customers in a business-to-consumer (B2C) setting prioritize salesperson-customer orientation attributes when evaluating their expectations regarding interactions with salespeople, as well as their impact on positive and negative word-of-mouth. In addition, the research further investigates which negative salesperson attributes have an impact on overall customer experience and satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

Role theory and expectancy-disconfirmation theory form the theoretical foundation for two mixed-method studies. Study 1 is an exploratory content analysis of online consumer reviews and social media word-of-mouth related to consumer experiences with salespeople. Study 2 is a three-round Delphi study investigating which salesperson orientation attributes are most important to the customer in B2C interactions.

Findings

The results uncover which salesperson customer orientation attributes are essential for modern consumers and how they differ as a function of context (retail, direct-selling and follow-up) and how they contribute to the generation of digital word-of-mouth.

Originality/value

This paper expands B2C sales interaction literature by exploring the need for differing sales attributes based on the differential function of the shopping environment.

Article
Publication date: 15 February 2024

Anjala S. Krishen, Jesse L. Barnes, Maria Petrescu and Shaheena Janjuha-Jivraj

This interdisciplinary study aims to analyze how service organizations communicate sustainable beliefs in their social media narratives and use them to generate brand awareness…

Abstract

Purpose

This interdisciplinary study aims to analyze how service organizations communicate sustainable beliefs in their social media narratives and use them to generate brand awareness, customer recognition and ongoing demand for sustainable service.

Design/methodology/approach

A two-phase exploratory analysis of 10,342 tweets from 2019–2020 was conducted by sustainable global corporations to identify best practices for their social media teams operating within a service-based business model. First, the significant themes were identified using an unguided machine learning approach of three types of firms: services, goods and mixed. Next, the full set of tweets with linguistic sentiment analysis was analyzed followed by a deeper view of the services-based organizations based on their strategic focus (business-to-business [B2B] versus mixed).

Findings

The findings indicate that tweets that appear to create the highest customer engagement are characterized as having high levels of analytical language, high clout (i.e. are socially relevant), a positive tone, a high number of words and a high number of words per sentence. On the other hand, having complex language in terms of six-letter words does not seem to associate with customer engagement. The last level of analysis shows that B2B services-based corporations with positive tone and higher word count exhibit higher levels of retweets. Implications include providing rational and informational tweets to increase engagement and highlight societal relevance.

Originality/value

Climate change has negative consequences on human and physical capital, and ecosystems across the globe. This study provides specific recommendations for how services corporations can increase their sustainable communications and actions.

Practical implications

The key implication of our research is that corporations must strategically design social media narratives about climate change as part of their online branding and communications process.

Details

Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7122

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Article
Publication date: 4 September 2017

Souheila Kaabachi, Selima Ben Mrad and Maria Petrescu

The purpose of this paper is to investigate internet-only banks’ (IOBs) adoption by French consumers and attempt to understand the factors that influence consumers’ initial trust…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate internet-only banks’ (IOBs) adoption by French consumers and attempt to understand the factors that influence consumers’ initial trust in this type of service.

Design/methodology/approach

A non-probability convenience sample of potential IOBs adopters from France was used to test a structural equation model that analyzed the antecedents of initial trust and usage intentions of IOBs.

Findings

The study shows that trust is a major influencer in IOBs’ adoption in France. It has also been found that consumer familiarity with internet banking, high perceived structural assurance, perceived website quality, bank reputation and relative advantage are critical factors influencing IOBs’ initial trust formation.

Research limitations/implications

This study shows the applicability of the initial trust-building model in the context of IOBs and underlines the importance of factors such as familiarity, reputation and perceived quality in the context of online banking services in France.

Practical implications

This paper provides e-banking companies with the most important factors that contribute to build the initial trust of customers. E-banks need to focus on making themselves known and promoting their brand more effectively through advertising and advocacy.

Originality/value

This study contributes significantly to the marketing research related to consumer trust and brand reputation, as well as to the electronic banking literature. The results show the importance of initial trust in the context of services and the main factors that influence it, including a key branding variable such as reputation. The paper also focuses on the IOBs’ adoption in France, a market understudied compared to the USA, and seeks to understand the mechanisms associated with the initial formation of French consumers’ trust toward it.

Details

International Journal of Bank Marketing, vol. 35 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-2323

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 April 2022

Maria Petrescu, Philip Kitchen, Costinel Dobre, Selima Ben Mrad, Anca Milovan-Ciuta, Deborah Goldring and Anne Fiedler

This study aims to formulate a new framework for identifying deception in consumer reviews through the lens of interpersonal deception theory (IDT) and the persuasion knowledge…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to formulate a new framework for identifying deception in consumer reviews through the lens of interpersonal deception theory (IDT) and the persuasion knowledge model (PKM). It evaluates variables contributing to consumer intentions to purchase after reading deceptive reviews and proposes deception identification cues to be incorporated into the interpersonal communication theoretical framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The first study is qualitative and quantitative, based on sentiment and lexical analysis of 1,000 consumer reviews. The second study uses the US national consumer survey with a partial least squares partial least squares-structural equation modeling and a process-based mediation–moderation analysis.

Findings

This study shows deceptive characteristics that cannot be dissimulated by reviewing consumers that represent review legitimacy based on review valence, authenticity, formalism and analytical writing. The results also support the central role of consumer suspicion of an ulterior motive, with a direct and mediation effect regarding consumer emotions and intentions, including brand trust and purchase intentions.

Research limitations/implications

This paper presents a new framework for identifying deception in consumer reviews based on IDT and PKM, adding new theoretical elements that help adapt these theories to written digital communication specificities. This study clarifies the role of suspicion in a deceptive communication context and shows the variables contributing to consumers’ purchase intention after reading deceptive reviews. The results also emphasize the benefits of lexical analysis in identifying deceptive characteristics of reviews.

Practical implications

Companies can consider the vulnerability of certain generations based on lower levels of suspicions and different linguistic cues to detect deception in reviews. Long-term, marketers can also implement deception identification practices as potential new business models and opportunities.

Social implications

Policymakers and regulators need to consider critical deception cues and the differences in suspicion levels among segments of consumers in the formulation of preventative and deception management measures.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the literature by formulating a new framework for identifying deception in consumer reviews, adapted to the characteristics of written digital communication. This study emphasizes deception cues in electronic word-of-mouth and provides additional opportunities for theorizing deception in electronic communication.

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2004

George K. Stylios

Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects…

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Abstract

Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Details

International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, vol. 16 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-6222

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Article
Publication date: 1 November 2011

Maria Petrescu

The objective of this study is to analyze price dispersion in the context of internet based shopping malls and assess which of the main informational elements available online…

2294

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this study is to analyze price dispersion in the context of internet based shopping malls and assess which of the main informational elements available online about sellers affect online price dispersion.

Design/methodology/approach

The author collected data for 100 models of watches from seven major brands and 100 models of cameras from nine major brands available for sale on Amazon. Statistical regression of price dispersion against average price, number of stores, shipping charge variation, average number of customer reviews, variation in the percentage of positive reviews and a dummy variable of product type were performed.

Findings

It is shown that price dispersion is present even in an online shopping mall. The conclusion significantly adds to the online pricing research, by showing that price dispersion is influenced by the average product price and product type and shipping charges. The number of stores does not affect price dispersion because there is no obstacle impeding the customer from finding the prices for all stores. A key finding is that the number of customer reviews significantly influences online price dispersion.

Research limitations/implications

The study only analyzes price dispersion for two products using secondary data. Future studies can analyze different types of goods and focus on which elements affect the buyers' store selection by using primary data.

Practical implications

Managers can see that there are numerous other elements of information besides price that influence buying decisions. Practitioners need to note the importance of customer reviews in online settings, including the significance of the number of reviews as signal of experience and reliability.

Originality/value

The paper shows that online price dispersion exists even in the context of practically inexistent search costs. Even though the buyers have instant access to all prices of a product, they use a combination of elements in order to decide the seller selection. A key contribution of the study shows that the amount of information available about the seller and the customer reviews significantly influence online price dispersion.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 20 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

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Article
Publication date: 6 May 2014

Pradeep Korgaonkar, Maria Petrescu and Enrique Becerra

– The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of consumers’ shopping orientations and income on online auction patronage intentions.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of consumers’ shopping orientations and income on online auction patronage intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The study collected data using a national sample of 3,000 online auction consumers over the age of 18, who had purchased from internet auction sites eBay, Yahoo, or Bargain Hunter in the previous six months and used structural equation modelling for data analysis.

Findings

The results suggest that consumers’ price consciousness shopping orientation, which increases shopping in online stores, decreases patronage intentions towards the online auction site. In addition, the findings indicate that consumers’ search orientation, convenience orientation and income level increase patronage intentions towards the online auction site.

Originality/value

The key theoretical and academic contribution of this study focuses on testing and integrating the shopping orientations literature in the more modern area of online auction retailing. Practitioners also benefit from the findings of the online auction customer motivations captured by this study.

Details

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, vol. 42 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0959-0552

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