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1 – 10 of over 56000Jyh-Shen Chiou, Arlene Chi-Fen Hsu and Chia-Hung Hsieh
The goal of this study is to investigate the relationships among brand attachment, online source credibility, and severity of negative online information on perceived negative…
Abstract
Purpose
The goal of this study is to investigate the relationships among brand attachment, online source credibility, and severity of negative online information on perceived negative change in brand evaluation and perceived brand risk.
Design/methodology/approach
A 2×2×2 experiment was conducted to explore the effects of brand attachment (low or high), online source credibility (low or high), and online information severity (low or high) on perceived negative change in brand evaluation and perceived brand risk.
Findings
The results showed that the severity of negative online information affects perceived negative change in brand evaluation and perceived brand risk significantly. However brand attachment can reduce the effects of negative online information on perceived negative change in brand evaluation and perceived brand risk significantly. The results also showed that the effect of the severity of negative online information on perceived negative change in brand evaluation and perceived brand risk is moderated by online source credibility.
Originality/value
In addition to the main effects in the proposed research model, it is the first study to explore the moderating effects of brand attachment and online source credibility on the relationship between negative online information and perceived negative change in brand evaluation and perceived brand risk.
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Jyh-Shen Chiou, Cheng-Chieh Hsiao and Tien-Yi Chiu
To understand the effectiveness of electronic word of mouth, the purpose of this paper is to examine how high- vs low-knowledge consumers judge and attribute the credibility of…
Abstract
Purpose
To understand the effectiveness of electronic word of mouth, the purpose of this paper is to examine how high- vs low-knowledge consumers judge and attribute the credibility of positive and negative online reviews by drawing upon accessibility–diagnosticity theory and attribution theory.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducts an observation-based study in an online forum and a 2 (review valence) × 2 (consumer knowledge) between-participants factorial experiment to examine the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
High-knowledge consumers elicit less perceived credibility and make more non-product-relevant attribution than low-knowledge consumers in negative online reviews. Consumer attribution is also found to mediate the effects of the review valence by consumer knowledge interaction on review credibility.
Originality/value
This study adds to extant research by examining how consumer knowledge plays a key role in determining consumer perception of online review credibility. This study also advances the understanding of different casual inferences about online reviews between high- and low-knowledge consumers.
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Tyler Hancock, Michael Breazeale, Frank G. Adams and Haley Hardman
A firestorm is a vast wave of negative information about a brand that disseminates quickly online. Their relative unpredictability represents a particularly challenging problem…
Abstract
Purpose
A firestorm is a vast wave of negative information about a brand that disseminates quickly online. Their relative unpredictability represents a particularly challenging problem for brand marketers. This paper aims to show how firestorms are enabled and can be disabled by online community members (OCMs), exploring the dissemination of negative electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM), the challenges in countering negative brand information and how brands can effectively communicate with OCMs to facilitate offsetting negative e-WOM.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a sequential mixed-method research methodology. Study 1 uses an experimental design and tests serial mediation using PROCESS Model 6. Study 2 extends the findings while introducing a moderator using the PROCESS Model 83. Finally, qualitative findings are used to develop a practitioner-friendly typology of OCMs.
Findings
The perceived authenticity of a message can influence the believability of negative WOM in the presence of a negative availability cascade. Positive cascades are likely to prevent online communities from enabling negative e-WOM when the instigating message is perceived to be inauthentic. Qualitative findings from a post hoc analysis identify a typology of eight OCM types that enable and are also capable of disabling firestorms.
Practical implications
OCMs can both actively fuel and cool a firestorm. Brands should always monitor online communities and closely monitor discussions that are most likely to generate firestorms. More proactively, they should also develop communication strategies for each OCM type to help disable firestorms in the making.
Originality/value
Both negative and positive cascades are explored quantitatively and qualitatively to understand the mechanisms that can drive firestorms and provide both warnings and guidance for brands. An OCM typology guides brands’ mitigation strategies.
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Minwoo Lee, Miyoung Jeong and Jongseo Lee
This paper aims to explore how emotional expressions embedded in online hotel reviews influence consumers’ helpfulness perceptions. In particular, this study develops and tests…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore how emotional expressions embedded in online hotel reviews influence consumers’ helpfulness perceptions. In particular, this study develops and tests hypotheses analyzing empirical data with a text-mining method in the context of hotels to investigate how review valence influences the perceived helpfulness of online hotel reviews and to examine the role of negative emotional expressions embedded in online consumer reviews with respect to perceived helpfulness.
Design/methodology/approach
This study collected 520,668 online reviews involving 488 hotels in New York City (NYC) on Tripadvisor.com. Of these reviews, 69,202 reviews (13.29 per cent) that had received helpfulness votes were analyzed by a text mining method and negative binomial regression.
Findings
This study demonstrates that negative reviews are considered more helpful than positive reviews when potential customers read online hotel reviews for their future stay. However, when intensively negative emotions were expressed, the degree of helpfulness regarding negative reviews was diminished.
Originality/value
While emotional expressions prevail in online consumer reviews, surprisingly little attention has been devoted to the consequences of emotional expressions in consumers’ information processing and decision-making. Due to the nature of service, given the inseparability of production and consumption, which often hinders the execution of flawless service, consumers tend to be more dependent on reviews to minimize any potential failures they may encounter later on. Therefore, this study fills a gap by demonstrating that negative reviews and emotional expressions play a more crucial role in consumers’ information processing and decision-making.
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Eonyou Shin, Telin Chung and Mary Lynn Damhorst
The purpose of the current study is to explore how valenced fit reviews affect the consumer decision-making process during online apparel shopping.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the current study is to explore how valenced fit reviews affect the consumer decision-making process during online apparel shopping.
Design/methodology/approach
A single factor (valence of fit review) within-subject experimental design was employed to examine how the valenced fit review (negative vs positive) affects the consumer online purchase decision process. A mock website was created to simulate the online shopping environment through four steps for developing a stimulus website for the main study. The data were analyzed using repeated multivariate analysis of variance and structural equation modeling.
Findings
A total of 418 female consumers completed an online self-administrated survey. Results showed that positive fit review was more compelling than negative fit review for female consumers when they like the apparel product. Two aspects of information credibility (review and site credibility) and confidence in purchase decision evoked by both fit reviews and overall product information were significant determinants of the consumer purchase decision process in increasing consumers’ future purchase intentions through attitude to the online retailer.
Originality/value
The current study was an attempt to fill the gap in knowledge regarding the crucial role of fit reviews in apparel product purchase decisions in an online context. This study confirmed the type of fit reviews that would be influential on female consumers’ online purchase decision-making process for apparel products when they liked the apparel product, supporting positive confirmation bias from the information processing point of view. This study contributed to the importance of the two concepts (i.e. credibility and confidence in the purchase decision) in online information processing and purchase decision-making process.
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Tanikan Pipitwanichakarn and Nittaya Wongtada
As technology has increasingly disrupted traditional commerce, there is a need for inclusive growth to ensure that no group – particularly the underprivileged – is left behind…
Abstract
Purpose
As technology has increasingly disrupted traditional commerce, there is a need for inclusive growth to ensure that no group – particularly the underprivileged – is left behind. Against this backdrop, this paper aims to shed light on mobile commerce (m-commerce) adoption among street vendors. This study conducts an experiment to investigate the contribution of online reviews and relevant factors in enhancing the perceived usefulness and adoption of m-commerce.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a 2 (perceived ease of use: high vs low) × 2 (trust in service provider: high vs low) × 2 (online review: positive vs negative) between-subjects design, resulting in eight experimental groups. The level of the online review was manipulated, and the degrees of perceived ease of use and trust were measured.
Findings
Perceived usefulness depends on online reviews when users perceive incongruent information (e.g. high ease of use but low trust); that is, users who saw positive reviews more strongly perceived the usefulness of m-commerce. On the contrary, perceived usefulness does not vary based on online reviews if users perceive congruent information (e.g. high ease of use and high trust).
Originality/value
This research advances the knowledge of m-commerce adoption by exploring the interaction of perceived ease of use, trust and online reviews, a combination that has not been addressed in previous empirical studies.
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Xiao Peng, Hessam Vali, Xixian Peng, Jingjun (David) Xu and Mehmet Bayram Yildirim
The study examines the potential moderating effects of repeating purchase cues and product knowledge on the relationship between the varying consistency of the review set and…
Abstract
Purpose
The study examines the potential moderating effects of repeating purchase cues and product knowledge on the relationship between the varying consistency of the review set and causal attribution. This study also investigates how causal attribution correlates with the perceived misleadingness of the review set.
Design/methodology/approach
A scenario-based experiment was conducted with 170 participants to explore the relationship between the consistency of the review set and causal attribution and how repeating purchase cues and product knowledge moderates this relationship.
Findings
Findings suggest that inconsistent review sets lead to more product (vs reviewer) attribution than consistent review sets. The repeating purchase cues mitigate the negative relationship between the consistency of the review set and product attribution, whereas product knowledge mitigates the positive relationship between the consistency of the review set and reviewer attribution. Furthermore, the results indicate that high product attribution and low reviewer attribution are associated with low perceived misleadingness.
Originality/value
This study is novel because it examines the moderating effects of repeating purchase cues and product knowledge on the relationship between the consistency of the review set and causal attribution. It adds to the literature by shedding light on the causal attribution process underlying the formation of perceived misleadingness of online reviews. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for managers on how to enhance the positive effects of consistent review sets and mitigate the negative effects of inconsistent review sets.
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Shutian Wang, Yan Lin, Yejin Yan and Guoqing Zhu
This study explores the direct relationship between social media user-generated content (UGC), online search traffic and offline light vehicle sales of different models.
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores the direct relationship between social media user-generated content (UGC), online search traffic and offline light vehicle sales of different models.
Design/methodology/approach
The long-run equilibrium relationship and short-run dynamic effects between the valence and volume of UGC, online search traffic and offline car sales are analyzed by applying the autoregressive distribution lag (ARDL) model.
Findings
The study found the following. (1) In the long-run relationship, the valence of online reviews on social media platforms is significantly negatively correlated with the sales of all models. However, in the short-run, the valence of online reviews has a significant positive correlation with all models in different lag periods. (2) The volume of online reviews is significantly positively correlated with the sales of all models in the long run. However, in the short run, the relationship between the volume of online reviews and the sales of lower-sales-volume cars is uncertain. There is a significant positive correlation between the volume of reviews and the sales of higher-sales-volume cars. (3) Online search traffic has a significantly negative correlation with the sales of all models in the long run. However, in the short run, there is no consistent conclusion on the relationship between online search traffic and car sales.
Originality/value
This study provides a reference for managers to use in their efforts to improve offline high-involvement product sales using online information.
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Bettina Lis and Maximilian Fischer
This study aims to investigate if different types of negative electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) have various negative effects on the attitude of the consumer toward a product…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate if different types of negative electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) have various negative effects on the attitude of the consumer toward a product (Laptop) and whether this newfound attitude remains unaffected by the subsequent influence of positive eWOM.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative study in Germany was conducted. In the two-part experimental setting, first, a factorial repeated-measures between-subjects design was used in which the types of negative eWOM have been manipulated. The second part is characterized by a mixed between–within subjects design to test the durability of attitudinal changes.
Findings
The results demonstrate that destructive and ethical eWOM only provoke a small decline in consumer attitude compared to functional product criticism. Furthermore, the examination shows that renewed positive eWOM can improve the attitude, whereas ethical criticism is the most difficult to correct.
Research limitations/implications
The study views negative eWOM differentiated. Researchers could adopt this approach by analyzing online communication more precisely. Ambivalent relationships between negative eWOM and their outcomes can be explained.
Practical implications
The findings lessen the fear of permanent loss of brand reputation caused by negative reviews. The harmful effects on the attitude can be compensated through targeted marketing management actions. The study shows which content companies need to focus on.
Originality/value
Previous literature has predominantly overlooked the complex nature of negative eWOM. Therefore, the study provides first empirical results about the divergent effect of different content types of negative eWOM on consumer attitude toward a product. Additionally, the durability of consumer negativity could be measured over time.
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Yeunjae Lee, Su Yeon Cho, Ruoyu Sun and Cong Li
This study examines the effects of employees' personal social media posts on external publics' online engagement and offline word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions about a company…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the effects of employees' personal social media posts on external publics' online engagement and offline word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions about a company. Specifically, it investigates how employee post characteristics including valence and content and employer reputation jointly influence publics' online and offline behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
A 2 (post valence: positive vs. negative) × 2 (post content: organization-related vs. job-related) × 2 (employer reputation: good vs. bad) between-subjects experiment was conducted. Participants were asked to view a stimulus social media post created by a fictitious company employee, reflecting one of the eight experimental conditions on a random basis. After viewing, they were requested to report their online engagement intentions (i.e., “like,” “share” and “comment”) with the post and offline WOM intentions about the company.
Findings
The experimental results showed that participants expressed more “like” intentions when they viewed a positive post than a negative post. Further, they were more likely to “comment” on a job-related post as opposed to an organization-related post. In addition, a significant interaction effect between post valence and employer reputation on publics' online engagement was found, which in turn influenced their offline WOM intentions about the company.
Originality/value
This study is among the first empirical attempts to examine the effectiveness of employees' personal social media posts on external publics' online and offline behaviors. The experimental findings highlight the importance of managing employee relations from a corporate reputation perspective.
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