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1 – 10 of 97Catherine Bachleda and Boutaina Berrada-Fathi
The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of various sources of negative electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and negative personal word-of-mouth (pWOM) on trust in the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of various sources of negative electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and negative personal word-of-mouth (pWOM) on trust in the Word-of-mouth (WOM), attitude toward the service provider and purchase intention.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were gathered from 336 Moroccan workers who responded to an online survey.
Findings
Results show that negative pWOM is more influential than negative eWOM in the form of written Facebook testimonials, written review site testimonials and written testimonials on a corporate website. However, there is a relative ranking of importance among eWOM sources, with review site testimonials found to be more influential than either Facebook or corporate website testimonials.
Research limitations/implications
This work responds to a call for research on differences and similarities between pWOM and eWOM. The findings extend understanding of the relative influence of negative pWOM and negative eWOM.
Practical implications
The results of this study provide guidance to service marketers in terms of strategies for deflecting negative WOM and allocating service recovery resources.
Originality/value
This study is the first to compare the relative influence of negative pWOM and eWOM in service consumption.
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Chatura Ranaweera and Kalyani Menon
The authors aim to study the direct and moderating effects of relationship age, continuance commitment and satisfaction on the generation of positive and negative word of mouth…
Abstract
Purpose
The authors aim to study the direct and moderating effects of relationship age, continuance commitment and satisfaction on the generation of positive and negative word of mouth (P/NWOM).
Design/methodology/approach
Hypotheses based on the notion of liability of adolescence and the motivation to generate P/NWOM were tested with data collected through a survey of a random sample of customers of fixed-line telephone users.
Findings
Relationship age adversely impacts PWOM and the effect of satisfaction on both P/NWOM. Continuance commitment increases NWOM and causes dissatisfied customers to generate greater NWOM while not affecting the PWOM of satisfied customers. Satisfaction shows a significant non-linear effect on WOM.
Research limitations/implications
Future research could conduct longitudinal or experimental work to explicate the causal mechanisms underlying these cross-sectional survey results. Research could also extend these results to a B-B context.
Practical implications
Results offer strong evidence of a dark side to long-term customer relationships. Recommendations focus on managing long-term relationships and perceptions of continuance commitment to minimise adverse effects.
Originality/value
As far as the authors know, this research is the first to offer a theoretically grounded explanation of the direct and moderating effects of relationship age on P/NWOM behaviour. Results challenge the premise of long-term customers being a panacea for numerous problems faced by firms. Findings also help explain the contradictory results in prior research on the effects of continuous commitment on WOM.
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Anne Martensen and Lars Grønholdt
The purpose of this paper is to examine how received word-of-mouth (WOM) influences consumer emotions and, in turn, behavioral attitude and intention.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how received word-of-mouth (WOM) influences consumer emotions and, in turn, behavioral attitude and intention.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual model is developed by extending the theory of reasoned action framework to include WOM and emotions. The conceptual model is operationalized through a structural equation model, and the model is estimated and tested by using the partial least squares method. A survey among 509 consumers in Denmark forms the empirical basis for the study.
Findings
The paper finds that positive and negative WOM has an asymmetric influence on emotions, behavioral attitude and intention, i.e. that consumers respond differently to positive and negative WOM. The paper also finds that positive WOM has a larger impact than the social norm on behavioral attitude and intention and that negative WOM has an impact equal to that of the social norm. Furthermore, the study finds that emotions are an important mediator for both WOM and social norm.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is limited to a large travel agency in Denmark.
Practical implications
This paper has clear implications in terms of measuring the importance of WOM and emotions in consumer decision-making. It may serve as a useful basis for a practical WOM marketing strategy, which is a critical and increasingly applied element of customer-focused companies’ marketing strategies.
Originality/value
This paper provides new insights into how WOM works and the interplay between WOM, emotions and social norm in consumer decision-making.
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Yan Li, Ruijuan Wu and Dongjin Li
The purpose of this paper is to examine how subjective characteristics of social network sites (SNSs) affect consumers' positive and negative word-of-mouth (WOM) sharing.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how subjective characteristics of social network sites (SNSs) affect consumers' positive and negative word-of-mouth (WOM) sharing.
Design/methodology/approach
The data used for this study were obtained from an online survey with a sample size of 369 consumers. Structural equation modeling was performed to test hypotheses and examine the research questions.
Findings
The authors found that the perceived anonymity of an SNS is negatively correlated with its perceived interpersonal closeness of friends, and the number of friends in an SNS is positively correlated with its perceived interpersonal closeness of friends. With regard to positive WOM, the perceived anonymity of the SNS has a significant negative influence on consumers' WOM, and both perceived interpersonal closeness and the number of friends have a significant positive influence on consumers' WOM. But, in the case of negative WOM, only perceived interpersonal closeness of friends has a significant positive influence on consumers' WOM.
Practical implications
When attempting to promote positive WOM, marketers should choose consumers who possess the “right” subjective characteristics of SNSs (i.e. low anonymity, high interpersonal closeness of friends and a large number of friends). At the same time, marketers should monitor the emergence of consumers' negative WOM, especially those consumers who have a high level of interpersonal closeness of friends in SNSs, and respond to the content of negative WOM without delay.
Originality/value
This study investigates the influence that subjective characteristics of SNSs have on consumers' WOM sharing and therefore contributes to the literature on the antecedents of WOM generation and also contributes to the research that compares positive WOM with its negative counterpart.
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Gauze Pitipon Kitirattarkarn, Weiting Tao and Wan-Hsiu Sunny Tsai
This study aims to systematically evaluate the psychological factors of independent versus interdependent self-construal, self-evaluation motives of enhancement versus…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to systematically evaluate the psychological factors of independent versus interdependent self-construal, self-evaluation motives of enhancement versus verification, and the mediating role of bridging and bonding social capital on consumers' positive and negative brand-related electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) sharing with in-group and out-group audiences.
Design/methodology/approach
The online survey was conducted with young adult consumers in the Netherlands (N = 322). Multiple regression analysis with PROCESS was used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Consumers with independent self-construal are more likely to share negative eWOM, particularly via social messengers with in-group members. These consumers, however, tend to share positive eWOM on companies' social media accounts that reach out-group audiences including online strangers. Additionally, self-evaluation was the key motivation driving positive eWOM sharing with in-groups, while bridging social capital mediated the effects of self-construal on sharing negative eWOM.
Originality/value
The paper provides a more holistic understanding of the factors impacting the valence and intended audience for eWOM sharing. The findings advance eWOM research by differentiating positive and negative eWOM sharing in the context of intergroup communication.
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Consumer psychology research has established the importance of customer satisfaction as a determinant of customer repurchasing intention…
Abstract
Purpose
Consumer psychology research has established the importance of customer satisfaction as a determinant of customer repurchasing intention. Nonetheless, even satisfied customers switch brands. Also, even dissatisfied customers have repurchasing intentions. This means that customer repurchasing behaviour is extremely difficult to predict, necessitating additional research to identify additional factors that can help organizations better understand the methods to predict customer repurchasing intention. To fill this knowledge gap, this study examined the mediating effects of brand love (BL) and positive word of mouth (PWOM) on psychological contract fulfilment (PCF) and customer repurchasing intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a cross-sectional study. The study used structural equation modelling (SEM) to analyse relationships from a sample size of 400 beauty salon customers. Also, a process macro mediation test was used to analyse the mediating effects of BL and PWOM on the relationship between PCF and customer repurchase intentions.
Findings
The findings indicate that transactional and relational psychological contracts have a positive and significant relationship with BL and PWOM. As well, BL and PWOM positively and significantly influence customer repurchase intentions. Finally, the findings indicate that BL and PWOM mediate the relationship between psychological contract fulfilment and customer repurchase intentions.
Research limitations/implications
This survey sampled beauty salons solely. Given that each type of organization may have a unique way of fulfilling psychological contracts, future studies may include more categories such as restaurants and craftsmanship to broaden the sample. Additionally, this study utilized female beauty salons. Therefore, future research could include salons that cater to women and men to boost the sample's generalizability. Finally, this study concluded that BL and positive recommendations are the most effective variables for resolving consumer satisfaction challenges. However, additional factors can probably amplify this fact by focusing on additional elements to broaden the arguments.
Originality/value
Past studies have extensively covered customer repurchasing intention in relation to customer satisfaction. However, it was noted that even some satisfied customers could switch to other brands, and those who were dissatisfied could repurchase the brand. Given that little is known about how other factors than customer satisfaction can affect repurchasing intentions, this study examines the mediating effects of BL and PWOM on PCF and customer repurchase intentions.
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Anupama Sukhu and Anil Bilgihan
When customers decide to dine out, they choose a restaurant for both physiological and psychological reasons. The psychological reasons include the hedonic/enjoyment goal of the…
Abstract
Purpose
When customers decide to dine out, they choose a restaurant for both physiological and psychological reasons. The psychological reasons include the hedonic/enjoyment goal of the consumer. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether dining experiences that provide a positive or negative hedonic value will influence positive word of mouth (PWOM), switching intentions (SI) and willingness to pay (WTP).
Design/methodology/approach
Two survey-based experiments using student (N = 112) and general restaurant consumer samples (N = 270) were conducted to test the proposed theoretical model. The student sample provided internal validity, whereas the general consumer sample provided external validity for the study. Two types of manipulations were used to manipulate positive and negative restaurant service encounters. The second study randomly assigned participants into positive or negative scenarios.
Findings
The results suggest that positive (negative) service encounters lead to higher (lower) hedonic value. Higher hedonic value leads to PWOM, WTP and reduced SI. The findings of this study would assist restaurant managers and service scholars by bridging the gap between experiential and relationship marketing.
Originality/value
The current research investigates the dining out experience with a holistic lens.
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Nathalie Dens, Patrick De Pelsmacker and Nathalia Purnawirawan
Consumers often discuss brands and companies online, but no research details how service providers’ responses to online reviews influence other readers’ perceptions of the reviews…
Abstract
Purpose
Consumers often discuss brands and companies online, but no research details how service providers’ responses to online reviews influence other readers’ perceptions of the reviews and responses. Based on justice theory and the accountability principle, both integrated in equity theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine how service providers should react to different degrees of negative reviews to enhance readers’ attitudes, patronage intentions, and intentions to spread positive word of mouth.
Design/methodology/approach
A 3 (review set balance: positive, neutral, negative) × 6 (response strategy) full-factorial between-subjects experiment included 973 respondents.
Findings
More negative balance demands more effort from the service provider to create positive attitudes and encourage behavioural intentions. If a minority of reviewers are dissatisfied, no response is necessary; if the review set is neutral, the service provider should apologize and promise to resolve the problem; if a majority of reviewers are dissatisfied, the most effective response includes both an apology, promise and compensation. These effects are mediated by readers’ perceived trust in the response. Word of mouth also requires more effort than favourable attitudes or patronage intentions.
Research limitations/implications
This research reflects the authors’ choices with regard to review set balance and managerial responses, which ensure internal validity but may limit external validity.
Originality/value
This study applies offline service recovery strategies to an online review context. It also explicitly incorporates the bystander (potential customer) perspective.
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Ghada Talat Alhothali, Felix Mavondo and Islam Elgammal
In recent days, there has been an increasing interest towards achieving sustainable tourism objectives globally and specifically in Saudi Arabia. The benefits can be maximized if…
Abstract
Purpose
In recent days, there has been an increasing interest towards achieving sustainable tourism objectives globally and specifically in Saudi Arabia. The benefits can be maximized if the government is successful in attracting current pilgrims and influence their future intention to revisit the country as tourists. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to measure pilgrims’ revisit intentions to understand more about the possibility of their potential contribution towards the Saudi tourism and hospitality industry in the evolving circumstances.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses configuration theory to identify the “ideal” type of the pilgrims and compares this to the rest to establish if they differ and if that difference matters. Data were collected from 278 visitors to the Holy Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, to perform Umrah.
Findings
The findings show that a large deviation from the “ideal pilgrim” is negatively related to revisiting intentions and dissemination of positive word of mouth (PWOM).
Research limitations/implications
The development of profiles gives a better understanding of organizations or people across several dimensions looked at holistically. Fundamental to the theory is that there are only a limited number of configurations that achieve optimal performance (however defined).
Originality/value
The analytical approach adopted in this paper leads to achieving verbal and statistical correspondence in tests of “gestalts”. The interest is in establishing whether this difference matters to intentions to revisit and providing PWOM.
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Jenni Romaniuk and Nicole Hartnett
This paper aims to investigate the relative influence of advertising and word of mouth (WOM) for new season TV programmes, both new and returning.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate the relative influence of advertising and word of mouth (WOM) for new season TV programmes, both new and returning.
Design/methodology/approach
The study’s longitudinal research design tracks individuals before and after possible exposure to advertising and/or positive WOM (PWOM) to model the effects of both paid versus earned media on behaviour.
Findings
This study provides contrary evidence to previous research that suggests that WOM has more influence on consumers than advertising. By controlling for viewers’ benchmark probabilities of viewing the TV programme, the effect of receiving PWOM becomes insignificant, whereas the effect of TV advertising remains unchanged. Because WOM is commonly exchanged between people with shared interests, it reaches an audience that is already highly disposed to view the TV programme.
Research limitations/implications
The findings implicate that we need to reinvestigate the power of WOM to avoid misattribution of effects. This study is only study in one category, which means replication and extension to more categories are needed. The limitations of the study include the inability to control for creative differences in the execution of programme promotions or examine possible cross-media synergies for multimedia campaigns.
Practical implications
Findings have implications for how much to invest in WOM-generating activities. Findings also have wider implications for cross-media research and media-mix models, as different media may reach audiences with differing predispositions to act.
Originality/value
This is one of the rare individual-level, longitudinal studies that investigate the influence of WOM in comparison to advertising.
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