A Study on e-WOM about Product Information Diffusion

Abstract

The growth of the Internet and industry has led to more interest in online marketing communication and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM). Opinions transmitted via the texts in virtual social networks become more persuasive to consumers than promotion information provided by firms and thus importance of e-WOM is growing in marketing research. This research examines factors which have a significant impact on e-WOM information diffusion and consider both characteristics of e-WOM senders and receivers, and perceived credibility of e-WOM as moderating variable. An online survey collected 543 usable responses. Both characteristics are found to significantly influence e-WOM information diffusion. They are associated with the perceived credibility of e-WOM information. The perceived credibility of e-WOM has an impact on e-WOM information diffusion. This research will contribute to the e-WOM research field by considering both roles of e-WOM participants and their effects. Practitioners can gain a better perspective of an advertising strategy by encouraging influential individuals as promoters and providing various communication tools.