![]() However, consumers’ use of technology to share opinions about products or services (eWOM) can be a liability for companies, as it can become a factor they do not control ( Yang, 2017). Individuals who share their opinions with others online are active consumers those who simply search for information in the comments or opinions posted by other customers are passive consumers ( Wang and Fesenmaier, 2004).Įlectronic word of mouth also provides companies with an advantage over traditional WOM insofar as it allows them both to try to understand what factors motivate consumers to post their opinions online and to gauge the impact of those comments on other people ( Cantallops and Salvi, 2014). Both active and passive consumers use this information medium (eWOM). Where once consumers trusted WOM from friends and family, today they look to online comments (eWOM) for information about a product or service ( Nieto et al., 2014).Īs a result of ICT, today consumers from all over the world can leave comments that other users can use to easily obtain information about goods and services. The advantage of this tool is that it is available to all consumers, who can use online platforms to share their opinions and reviews with other users. (2008), who described it as all informal communication via the Internet addressed to consumers and related to the use or characteristics of goods or services or the sellers thereof. One of the most comprehensive conceptions of eWOM was proposed by Litvin et al. As a result of technological advances, these new means of communication have led to changes in consumer behavior ( Cantallops and Salvi, 2014 Gómez-Suárez et al., 2017), because of the influence they enable consumers to exert on each other ( Jalilvand and Samiei, 2012) by allowing them to obtain or share information about companies, products, or brands ( Gómez-Suárez et al., 2017). This form of communication has taken on special importance with the emergence of online platforms, which have made it one of the most influential information sources on the Web ( Abubakar and Ilkan, 2016), for instance, in the tourism industry ( Sotiriadis and Van Zyl, 2013). Today’s new form of online WOM communication is known as electronic word-of-mouth or eWOM ( Yang, 2017). This independence makes WOM a more reliable and credible medium ( Arndt, 1967 Lee and Youn, 2009). As a result, WOM can influence many receivers ( Lau and Ng, 2001) and is viewed as a consumer-dominated marketing channel in which the senders are independent of the market, which lends them credibility ( Brown et al., 2007). ![]() Users generally trust other consumers more than sellers ( Nieto et al., 2014). It is thus considered one of the most influential sources of information about products and services ( Lee and Youn, 2009). Similarly, previous research indicates that consumers regard WOM as a much more reliable medium than traditional media (e.g., television, radio, print advertisements, etc.) ( Cheung and Thadani, 2012). In other words, overall satisfaction leads to the possibility of revisiting and recommending the destination ( Sotiriadis and Van Zyl, 2013). For example, tourist satisfaction is of utmost importance because of its influence on behavioral intentions, WOM and purchasing decisions. ![]() Consequently, WOM is considered the most important information source in consumers’ buying decisions ( Litvin et al., 2008 Jalilvand and Samiei, 2012) and intended behavior. This influence is especially important with intangible products that are difficult to evaluate prior to consumption, such as tourism or hospitality. WOM is widely regarded as one of the most influential factors affecting consumer behavior ( Daugherty and Hoffman, 2014). These interpersonal exchanges provide access to information related to the consumption of that product or service over and above formal advertising, i.e., that goes beyond the messages provided by the companies and involuntarily influences the individual’s decision-making ( Brown et al., 2007). Likewise, WOM has been defined as communication between consumers about a product, service, or company in which the sources are considered independent of commercial influence ( Litvin et al., 2008). Other authors (e.g., Arndt, 1967) have suggested that WOM is a person-to-person communication tool, between a communicator and a receiver, who perceives the information received about a brand, product, or service as non-commercial. One of the earliest definitions was that put forward by Katz and Lazarsfeld (1966), who described it as the exchanging of marketing information between consumers in such a way that it plays a fundamental role in shaping their behavior and in changing attitudes toward products and services. Word of mouth is one of the oldest ways of conveying information ( Dellarocas, 2003), and it has been defined in many ways.
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