• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.209-228
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• 2014

The explosive growth of social commerce engenders a new business model, that is, infomediary. In a social commerce environment, infomediary works as a personal agent who provides information about various web merchants to help consumers select appropriate merchants for their needs. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors influencing consumer attitudes towards infomediaries in social commerce and examine the relationship between intention to provide word of mouth and consumer attitudes. In total, 170 responses were collected from social commerce infomediary users. The results show that competence and integrity significantly influence user attitudes as trust dimensions. Infomediary reputation and two functional factors (information variety and navigation functionality) turn out to be significant antecedents for user attitudes toward infomediary in social commerce. User attitudes in turn significantly influence the intention to provide word of mouth. Future research and practical implications are also discussed.

• The Research Journal of the Costume Culture
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.260-286
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• 2024

This study investigates consumer experiences and word-of-mouth (WOM) intentions in luxury brand pop-up stores, including standalone and department store setups. Grounded in experience economy theory, this study examines the experiential elements based on the types of pop-up stores and the relationships among consumer experience, pop-up store image, and WOM intentions for each type. Data were collected from 300 visitors to luxury brand pop-up stores between January and July 2023 and analyzed using Smart PLS 4.0. The findings reveal several key insights. First, standalone pop-up stores offer educational and escapist experiences, while pop-ups within department stores have a single identified factor of consumer experience. Second, regardless of the store type, luxury pop-up store experiences significantly influence pop-up image perceptions. Third, luxury pop-up store image drives WOM intentions for both standalone and department store pop-ups. Notably, the unique image significantly impacts solely department store pop-ups and does not influence standalone pop-ups. Moreover, image perceptions in both pop-up store types do not significantly affect brand WOM intentions. Finally, WOM intentions for pop-up stores significantly influence WOM intentions for brands. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of consumer experiences in luxury pop-up stores, providing practical insights for stakeholders in the luxury brand industry to enhance pop-up store image perceptions and WOM intentions.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.805-822
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• 2015

Online communities are an important source of electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM). However, few studies have examined the use of such messages within the Middle Eastern context. This study focuses on Saudi women as members of an online beauty forum. Previous work suggested a mediating effect of gender, with women being more likely to trust word-of-mouth and follow it up with a purchase. A conceptual model with a theoretical underpinning from existing contributions in literature provides the basis of a coding framework for the message characteristics that influence members' e-WOM adoption. A total of 310 threads and 2200 messages coded into 5725 units were content analyzed to demonstrate cases where e-WOM was adopted and indicate further continuance intention with members returning to the forum. A new category of 'community bonding' was created from the content analysis given the prevalence of emotional aspects in messages. Emotion expressed in messages, often expressed in religious terms, is as influential and important as the cognitive aspects of community bonding.

• Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.3-14
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• 2014

Online communities are an important source of electronic-word-of-mouth (eWOM), however few studies have examined these types of messages within the Middle Eastern context. This study focuses on Kuwaiti women as members of an online beauty forum; previous work has suggested a mediating effect of gender with women being more likely to trust and follow-up word-of-mouth with a purchase. A conceptual model, based on existing theoretical contributions, provides the basis of a coding framework for the message characteristics that influence members' eWOM adoption. A sub-set of the analysis is presented: 218 threads (1820 messages, coded into 6702 units) illustrating cases where eWOM was adopted and thereby demonstrating continuance intention with members returning to the forum. Content analysis revealed the prevalence of emotional aspects in messages, coded into a new category of 'community bonding'. Findings show that emotion expressed in messages is as influential and important as cognitive aspects of argument quality.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.355-367
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• 2014

The purpose of this research is to find the specific structure with factors that affect online game users' positive word of mouth(WOM) for online game companies to maintain existing and new users. In previous studies the influence of characteristics of online games and attributes of users on intention to play online games is mainly focused on. However online games are products with communication on network, so that critical mass through diffusion as well as the use of product by individual consumers is important issues. Therefore, it is necessary to consider network externality effect that the more value can be obtained by more game users. The authors verified that the influence of the variables like social mass and critical mass, affecting consumers' attitude and WOM. According to the research results, social norm and critical mass have significant influence on positive attitude and WOM intention for online games. Another results verified that social norm and users' attitude affect positive WOM intention directly. These results suggest managerial implication regarding social norm and critical mass to online game companies that desire for WOM to get more online game users.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.419-428
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• 2020

SNS media is gaining its media share with the benefits of digital technology, such as the convenience of physical access and the entertainment and interactivity of contents, and are becoming a part of users' lives. As media contents consumers move from traditional media to SNS, marketing communication activities are rapidly adapting to leading SNS platforms such as Facebook. This study compares how users perceive four advertisement attributes in each SNS, focusing on Facebook, Instagram, Kakao Story, and Twitter, where the media content creation and consumption systems are relatively similar to each other. The impact on eWOM intention was identified. In addition, we discussed effective SNS operation.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.245-252
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• 2020

Recently, as the income level of consumers increases, interest in tourism products has increased, competition among tourist destinations has been fierce. Storytelling ads are drawing attracting attention as one of the ways to establish differentiated positioning for tourism products. This study investigates the role of the involvement of tourism activity in the storytelling ads effects, and examines the effects of the attitude toward storytelling ads on tourist destination commitments, visit intention and SNS WOM (word-of-mouth) intention. This study also empirically tests the role of mental simulation in the relationship between storytelling ads attitudes and visit intention. A total of 255 usable responses were obtained from a sample of 270 consumers aged 18 or older in South Korea. Following the two-stage approach of model validation, measurement validity of each construct appearing in the structural model and hypothesized structural paths were tested. The findings show that all hypotheses are supported except H3 that posits the impact of attitude toward the storytelling ads on visit intention and mental simulation showed a moderate effect on the relationship between ads attitude and visit intention in the case of rational appeal. This study suggests that the production of storytelling ads of tourist destinations can be effective strategy to improve regional competitiveness and increase visit and SNS WOM intention.

• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.475-483
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• 2021

COVID-19 pandemic has affected the lives of people and has forced businesses to develop different ways of doing businesses. Several businesses have implemented social responsibility activities. With social distancing keeping many people at home, online and digital platforms have become one of the most important mechanisms for businesses undertakings and implementing those social responsibility initiatives and activities - digital social responsibility (DSR). The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) intentions and customer engagement with DSR in social media with attitude toward DSR as the antecedent during COVID-19 social distancing situation in Thailand. The study employs a quantitative research method where sampling method is followed by convenience sampling technique, and study data is collected through survey questionnaire with social media users who have experiences with firms' online social responsibility initiatives. Based the samples of 123 respondents, Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) has been used for analysis. The results show that attitudes toward DSR in social media significantly influence electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) intentions and have a significant effect on customer engagement with DSR in social media. The mediation analysis also revealed that eWOM intention partially mediated the relation between attitudes toward DSR in social media and customer engagement.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.223-233
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• 2024

This study investigates the impact of personalization recommendation systems on customer loyalty in e-commerce, focusing on the role of information presentation, system interaction, and social community functions. It examines how these elements influence flow state, word of mouth (WOM), and repurchase intention (RPI). Using structural equation modeling (SEM) and data collected from 500 respondents in SPSS and AMOS, the study finds that all three personalization aspects significantly enhance flow state, which, in turn, positively affects WOM and RPI. System interaction directly boosts both WOM and RPI, while information presentation and social community functions influence only one of these loyalty measures. Flow state mediates the relationship between personalization factors and loyalty outcomes. These findings suggest e-commerce platforms should enhance system interaction and embed social community features to foster customer loyalty.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.131-154
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• 2013

New internet technologies have created a revolutionary new platform which allows consumers to make decision about product price and quality quickly and provides information about themselves through the transcript of online reviews. By expressing their feelings toward products or services on virtual opinion platforms, users extend their influence into cyberspace as electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM). Existing research indicates that an impact of eWOM on the consumer decision process is influential. For both academic researchers and practitioners, investigating this phenomenon of information sharing in online website is essential given the increasing number of consumers using them as sources of purchase decisions. It is worthwhile to examine the extent to which opinion seekers are willing to accept and adopt online reviews and which factors encourage adoption. Discerning the most motivating aspects of information adoption in particular, could help electronic marketers better promote their brand and presence on the internet. The objectives of this study are to investigate how online WOM influences a persons' purchase decision by discovering which factors encourage information adoption. Especially focused on the self-efficacy, this research investigates how self-efficacy affects on information usefulness and adoption of online information. Although people are exposed to same review or comment about product or service, some accept the reviews while others do not. We notice that accepting online reviews mainly depends on the person's preference or personal characteristics. This study empirically examines this issue by using cognitive dissonance theory. Specifically, in the movie industry, we address few questions-is always positive WOM generating positive effect? What if the movie isn't the person's favorite genre? What if the person who is very self-assertive so doesn't take other's opinion easily? In these cases of cognitive dissonance, is always WOM generating same result? While many studies have focused on one direct of WOM which indicates positive (or negative) informative reviews or comments generate positive (or negative) results and more (or less) profits, this study investigates not only directional properties of WOM but also how people change their opinion towards product or service positive to negative, negative to positive through the online WOM. An experiment was conducted quantitatively by using a sample of 168 users who have experience within the online movie review site, 'Naver Movie'. Users were required to complete a survey regarding reviews and comments taken from the real movie page. The data reflected user's perceptions of online WOM information that determined users' adoption level. Analysis results provide empirical support for the proposed theoretical perspective. When user can't agree with the opinion of online WOM information, in other words, when cognitive dissonance between online WOM information and users' preference occurs, perceived self-efficacy significantly decreases customers' perception of usefulness. And this perception of usefulness plays an important role in determining users' intention to adopt online WOM information. Most of researches have been concentrated on characteristics of online WOM itself such as quality or vividness of information, credibility of source and direction of online WOM, etc. for describing effect of online WOM, but our results suggest that users' personal character (e.g., self-efficacy) plays decisive role for acceptance of online WOM information. Higher self-efficacy means lower possibility to accept the information that represents counter opinion because of cognitive dissonance, whereas the people that have lower self-efficacy are willing to accept the online WOM information as true and refer to purchase decision. This study suggests a model for understanding role of direction of online WOM information. Also, our result implicates the importance of online review supervision and personalized information service by confirming switching opinion negative to positive is more difficult than positive to negative through the online WOM information. This implication would help marketers to manage online reviews of their products or services.