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1 – 10 of over 1000
Article
Publication date: 11 August 2022

Hasnan Baber, Marius-Cristian Pană and Mina Fanea-Ivanovici

The tourism industry has a huge potential, and the return to its state prior to the COVID-19 pandemic is a large stake for any economy. Tourism e-WOM is an important contributor…

Abstract

Purpose

The tourism industry has a huge potential, and the return to its state prior to the COVID-19 pandemic is a large stake for any economy. Tourism e-WOM is an important contributor towards attracting visitors and choosing tourism destinations. Drawing from the value and personality theories, the aim of this study is to investigate the factors determining e-WOM intentions in tourism.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on a sample of 469 responses collected online from a random sample of Romanians and using partial least squares structural equation modelling, the authors hereby analyze the influence of economic, emotional, social and altruistic values on e-WOM intentions, and the moderating effects of the big five personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism) on this relationship.

Findings

The results of the study revealed that except economic value, all the exogenous (emotional, social and altruistic) values have a positive influence on the e-WOM intentions. However, the study further suggested that the big five personality traits do not moderate the relationship between the value factors and e-WOM intentions.

Research limitations/implications

The influence of perceived value will be useful for building a stout marketing strategy and to describe e-WOM behaviour among Romanians.

Practical implications

Tourism service providers can promote their services by stressing the various types of value bestowed by their offers.

Originality/value

Although inspired by existing research, the current study is original in that the model used has not yet been proposed before, all the more so for the particular case of the tourism industry.

Details

European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 27 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-1060

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 September 2023

Hua Pang and Jingying Wang

Building upon uses and gratifications (UG) theory and social exchange theory, the current study establishes a theoretical model to examine the underlying relationship between…

Abstract

Purpose

Building upon uses and gratifications (UG) theory and social exchange theory, the current study establishes a theoretical model to examine the underlying relationship between customer motivations, active participation and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) and purchase intentions on WeChat.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were gathered in a web-based survey of 301 WeChat users in mainland China. To empirically verify the proposed hypotheses, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed using online data.

Findings

Path analysis outcomes demonstrate that functional, hedonic and social motivations positively affect WeChat users' active participation. In addition, active participation significantly influences e-WOM intention while showing no correlation with purchase intention.

Research limitations/implications

Theoretically, this article can enrich the extant system of relevant theories and offer a fresh perspective for further research on the generation of consumers' e-WOM intention and purchase intention in the WeChat context. Practically, the research outcomes provide insight for companies on how to motivate customers to participate in online activities, which subsequently improve WeChat users' willingness in conducting e-WOM communication and making purchase decisions.

Originality/value

Although mobile social media could serve as an influential marketing vehicle for individuals' engagement in social and commercial activities in today's mobile-matured environment, the substantial impact of active engagement on the relationship between customer motivation and purchase intention remains insufficiently explored. The outcomes not only contribute to the current body of knowledge, but also offer several managerial guidance for companies that pay attention to mobile social media marketing in a contemporary mobile media-saturated society.

Details

Aslib Journal of Information Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-3806

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 May 2016

Shabnam Doosti, Mohammad Reza Jalilvand, Ali Asadi, Javad Khazaei Pool and Parisa Mehrani Adl

– The purpose of this paper is to investigate how electronic word of mouth (e-WOM), attitude, and city image affect tourists’ intention to visit a tourism city.

3355

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how electronic word of mouth (e-WOM), attitude, and city image affect tourists’ intention to visit a tourism city.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing from the tourism management literature, the authors hypothesize and test the relationships among e-WOM, attitude, overall city image, and visit intentions. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test the proposed relationships among the variables.

Findings

The empirical results suggested that e-WOM has a positive and significant influence on tourists’ attitude and overall city image. Further, e-WOM, attitude toward city, and overall city image were significant determinants of visit intentions.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to understand the relationship between four constructs of e-WOM, attitude, and overall city image and visit intentions, tested in city tourism in the context of a tourism city.

Details

International Journal of Tourism Cities, vol. 2 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-5607

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 December 2023

Nidhi Sharma and Nilesh Arora

There has been considerable discussion about the utilization of social media effectively in tourist research. Still, there is a paucity of information about its usage for…

Abstract

Purpose

There has been considerable discussion about the utilization of social media effectively in tourist research. Still, there is a paucity of information about its usage for ecotourism destination selection. The study aims to determine critical factors influencing travelers' behavioral and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) intentions to use Instagram reels to select an ecotourism destination.

Design/methodology/approach

This study is based on the motivated consumer innovativeness theory and technology acceptance model. Purposive sampling was applied to acquire data from Instagram users. Data were gathered from 445 respondents and 415 valid responses were analyzed using partial least square structural equational modeling.

Findings

The findings of the study confirmed the positive impact of perceived ease of use, socially motivated consumer innovativeness and hedonically motivated consumer innovativeness on travelers' attitude except for perceived usefulness. The outcomes also revealed a significant influence of travelers' attitude on behavioral and e-WOM intention.

Research limitations/implications

The study's findings were intended to offer insights into traveler behavior to critical players in the tourism sector, including destination marketers, travel companies, the government and policymakers. They must comprehend how useful Instagram is for the tourist industry, which will help them better understand how to attract travelers through Instagram reels to market their destination.

Originality/value

The current investigation is the first attempt to investigate the travelers' behavioral and e-WOM intentions to use Instagram reels to select an ecotourism destination.

Details

Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9792

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 September 2022

Attila Endre Simay, Yuling Wei, Tamás Gyulavári, Jhanghiz Syahrivar, Piotr Gaczek and Ágnes Hofmeister-Tóth

The recent advancements in smartphone technology and social media platforms have increased the popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) color cosmetics. Meanwhile, China is a…

3509

Abstract

Purpose

The recent advancements in smartphone technology and social media platforms have increased the popularity of artificial intelligence (AI) color cosmetics. Meanwhile, China is a lucrative market for various foreign beauty products and technological innovations. This research aims to investigate the adoption of AI color cosmetics applications and their electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) intention among Chinese social media influencers. Several key concepts have been proposed in this research, namely body esteem, price sensitivity, social media addiction and actual purchase.

Design/methodology/approach

An online questionnaire design was used in this research. A combination of purposive sampling and snowball sampling of AI color cosmetics users who are also social media influencers in China yields 221 respondents. To analyze the data, this research employs Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) method via SPSS and AMOS software. A 2-step approach, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), is implemented to prove the hypotheses and generate the results.

Findings

1) Social media addiction is a positive predictor of AI color cosmetics usage, (2) AI color cosmetics usage is a positive predictor of actual purchase, (3) actual purchase is a positive predictor of e-WOM intention and lastly, (4) there is a full mediation effect of actual purchase.

Originality/value

This research draws on the uses and gratification (U&G) theory to investigate how specific user characteristics affect Chinese social media influencers' adoption of AI color cosmetics, as well as how this may affect their decision to purchase branded color cosmetics and their e-WOM.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 35 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 October 2021

Giada Mainolfi, Vittoria Marino and Riccardo Resciniti

The present study investigates the impact of perceived enjoyment, blogger credibility and homophily on readers' engagement. Moreover, the study investigates the role exerted by…

1963

Abstract

Purpose

The present study investigates the impact of perceived enjoyment, blogger credibility and homophily on readers' engagement. Moreover, the study investigates the role exerted by blog engagement on intentions to follow blogger's recommendations. Despite the growing relevance of these issues, past studies have neglected the relevance of a joint analysis of such dimensions within the context of food blogs.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical research builds on an online survey with a sample of 821 blog readers (353 Italian and 468 American). The proposed model was tested through structural equation modelling.

Findings

Results from a survey on Italian and American consumers show that perceived enjoyment and homophily have a significant effect on blog engagement, which, in turn, positively influences both intention to taste and visit. Moreover, blogger credibility does not show a significant influence on blog engagement for Italian and American followers.

Originality/value

The study contributes to a better understanding of the influence exerted by blog engagement on intention to follow blogger's recommendations. The study also examines perceived enjoyment, credibility and homophily as antecedents of engagement, which have not been extensively researched in the past with respect to food blogs.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 124 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 11 November 2020

Svetlana Bialkova and Stephanie Te Paske

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how to optimise corporate social responsibility (CSR) when communicating via social media. In particular, the communication type, cause…

7540

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how to optimise corporate social responsibility (CSR) when communicating via social media. In particular, the communication type, cause proximity and CSR motives are addressed facing the increased demand for transparency and the grown consumers' expectations towards socially responsible brands.

Design/methodology/approach

Online survey was developed, based on a profound literature review and a field research we did on the actual social media behaviour of socially responsible brands. Consumers attitudes and behavioural reactions in terms of willingness to participate in a campaign, to spread e-WOM and to purchase were investigated, as a function of CSR motives (value vs performance vs value and performance) and cause proximity (national vs international), respectively, with monologue (study 1) and dialogue communication type (study 2).

Findings

Cause proximity enhanced the campaign participation, and this effect was pronounced for both, monologue and dialogue type of communication. CSR motives modulated the willingness to spread electronic word-of-mouth, and this holds for both, monologue and dialogue communication. Attitudes and purchase intention were highest when value- and performance-driven motives were communicated, but these effects appeared only when the message was in a dialogue form of communication. Message credibility and CSR motives credibility perception further modulated consumers response.

Practical implications

The outcomes could be used in developing marketing (communication) strategies leading to values and revenues optimisation.

Originality/value

The results are discussed in a framework of how CSR resonates via social media.

Details

European Journal of Management and Business Economics, vol. 30 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2444-8451

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 August 2012

Gina A. Tran, David Strutton and David G. Taylor

Consumers are increasingly connected to each other through electronic devices. Consequently, the potential for online retailer (hereafter, e‐tailer) initiated communications…

2635

Abstract

Purpose

Consumers are increasingly connected to each other through electronic devices. Consequently, the potential for online retailer (hereafter, e‐tailer) initiated communications delivered through electronic media to inspire viral‐like e‐WOM processes among consumers is also expanding. Microblog postings and e‐mails may impact consumers' perceptions of retail web sites (e‐servicescape). These perceptions may trigger other outcomes (i.e. greater trust, patronage, or e‐WOM) that redound to e‐tailers' interests. The first purpose of this paper is to expand online e‐tailers' (e‐tailers') understanding of how and whether microblog postings affect consumers' e‐servicescape perceptions. The second purpose is to investigate how and whether e‐servicescape perceptions influence consumers' trust in e‐tailers' web sites, patronage of e‐tailers, and propensity to engage in e‐WOM about e‐tailers' messages.

Design/methodology/approach

By integrating the e‐servicescape construct with the Network Coproduction Model of WOM theory, a model is developed. This model examines how e‐communication efforts affect consumers' perceptions of e‐servicescape, trust, e‐tail patronage and e‐WOM. Each relationship is investigated through a consumer survey.

Findings

Findings suggest: microblog postings may have a negative impact on consumers' e‐servicescape perceptions; retail web site's usability, financial security, customization, and entertainment value positively affect consumers' trust; and consumers' trust positively impacts retail patronage and e‐WOM intentions.

Practical implications

Prescriptive insights for managing microblogging in ways that more favorably influence consumers' perceptions of e‐tailers' e‐servicescapes – and subsequently consumer trust in, patronage of, and e‐WOM about the retailer and its web site – are developed.

Originality/value

The paper is the first to integrate word‐of‐mouth theory with e‐servicescape to test a model examining how microblog postings affect e‐servicescape perceptions, consumer trust, consumer retail patronage, and e‐WOM intentions.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. 35 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 April 2017

Angeline Close Scheinbaum, Stefan Hampel and Mihyun Kang

Marketers use e-mail in new, potentially more informative, entertaining and lucrative ways – such as embedding video. The purpose of this paper is to examine consumer responses to…

2567

Abstract

Purpose

Marketers use e-mail in new, potentially more informative, entertaining and lucrative ways – such as embedding video. The purpose of this paper is to examine consumer responses to audiovisual (i.e. text along with a short video) versus text-only messages in brand communication. Specifically, authors seek to uncover the efficacy of marketer-embedded video (vs text-only) in e-mail on the consumer's product interest, informativeness, perceived prestige, electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) intentions and willingness to pass the electronic message along digitally or on social media. With the dual coding theory and selective visual attention as theoretical guideposts, the intended contribution is a framework that can explain and predict advantages for multi-modal e-mail marketing communications.

Design/methodology/approach

Five hypotheses are tested experimentally with a one-factor experiment with two conditions (text-only vs audiovisual). The sample was 240 adult participants. Real brands (Audi and Apple) were used. For both brands, participants were randomly assigned to one of two conditions of the e-mail (i.e. audiovisual vs text-only). The stimuli are identical, with the exception of embedded video in the e-mail body. The videos are authentic brand videos, are approximately 50 s and use a product feature appeal. Participants’ pre-existing brand attitude was measured. Then, five dependent variables (product interest, informativeness, perceived prestige, e-WOM intentions and willingness to pass the electronic message along digitally or on social media) were considered with respect to consumer exposure to e-mail with video and text in the e-mail from the brand versus text-only e-mail from the brand.

Findings

The results supported the hypotheses that audiovisual messages (i.e. those with text and video) heighten informativeness, product interest, perceived prestige, intentions to spread e-WOM for a brand and willingness to pass along the e-mail along to friends and family when compared to text-only messages. These experimental findings from a one-factor experiment with two conditions (text-only vs audiovisual) are generally consistent for an American consumer technology brand Apple (iPhone) and a German luxury automobile brand Audi (S4). Hypotheses are supported for both brands (Apple and Audi), with the exception of product interest for Audi, which may be explained by the high price of a luxury automobile.

Research limitations/implications

An implication here for the dual coding theory is that the theory may be extended to consider what happens after the consumer codes the information with both the verbal and the non-verbal subsystem. The finding of interest to information processing scholars is that a video accompanying text communication from a brand to a consumer has an advantage over text-only communication. Brands that communicate with multi-modal marketing communication have better outcomes in informativeness, brand prestige perceptions and intentions of online consumer behaviors, including positive e-WOM for the brand in general and willingness to pass the specific content along in digital and social media platforms. Consumers can become brand advocates by being more inclined to forward the e-mails with the product short video as well as the e-mail text.

Practical implications

Brand marketers should consider e-mail in an integrated brand promotion (IBP) campaign as a cost advantage; one of the reasons e-mail should have a solid place in the IBP toolkit is due to e-mail's relatively low cost. The main cost comes with administration and production of the video. As a managerial implication for advertisers, embedding ads of a short video format in e-mails is a way to be more effective than plain-text e-mails. Short videos in e-mails are a reasonable idea to include in an integrated marketing communications effort (plausibly due to information processing with both a verbal and a non-verbal system). Brands can use videos in e-mails to enhance informativeness regarding products to enhance product differentiation from competitors. Yet, it is important to raise caution with some concerning disadvantages potentially associated with e-mail marketing and video. The three areas of caution include potential issues of privacy, clutter and technical inhibitors.

Originality/value

Despite the fact that e-mail is one of the most heavily used communication tools in marketing, there is scarce literature on e-mail and branding. By brands evoking a degree of prestige with embedded videos, consumer willingness to become part of the marketing communications is enhanced, as their e-WOM and willingness to share the branded content increase.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 51 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 October 2020

Nurun Naher Popy and Tauhid Ahmed Bappy

While the usage of social media reviews has become increasingly popular in recent years, few studies in this context of Bangladesh have investigated its impact on restaurant visit…

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Abstract

Purpose

While the usage of social media reviews has become increasingly popular in recent years, few studies in this context of Bangladesh have investigated its impact on restaurant visit intention. Therefore, this study aims to explain the role of attitude toward social media reviews in customers' restaurant visit intention from the perspective of Bangladesh. In doing so, predictors of attitude toward social media reviews were also ascertained and their indirect effects on restaurant visit intention were investigated.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey questionnaire was administered to 300 university students. A six-factor based measurement model was proposed, and structural equation modeling (SEM) was used in testing the hypotheses represented by the model. Furthermore, a focus group discussion with 12 respondents was also held to assess how negative reviews on social media affect the customers' restaurant visit intention.

Findings

This study reveals that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, trustworthiness and information quality of social media reviews are positively related to attitude toward using positive social media reviews for choosing a restaurant. Furthermore, attitude toward positive social media reviews directly contributes to the intention to visit restaurants. Besides, attitude toward social media reviews fully mediates the relationship of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and trustworthiness with restaurant visit intention, whereas it partially mediates the relationship between information quality and restaurant visit intention. Besides, results from focus group discussion revealed that customers typically trust negative reviews which reduce their intent to visit restaurants.

Research limitations/implications

The samples chosen for this study belong only to a particular stratum of the population (students from a specific institution/university). Hence, the outcomes should be generalized with caution.

Practical implications

This study provides practical guidelines for the restaurant marketers to formulate improved strategic decisions by tracking the restaurant customers' attitudes, behavioral intentions, sentiments and share of voice on social media platforms. The results of this study will encourage the restaurant marketers to build sustainable relationships with influential food bloggers to spawn positive electronic word of mouth (e-WOM).

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies in Bangladesh that have covered up a timely and untouched research area, providing empirical evidence regarding the effects of attitude toward social media reviews on restaurant visit intent in the context of a South Asian country like Bangladesh.

Details

South Asian Journal of Business Studies, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-628X

Keywords

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