Word of Mouth Communications

Este livro é destinado a estudantes, pesquisadores, profissionais e demais interessados em comércio eletrônico (e-commerce), e faz um resgate histórico do surgimento das compras on-line, sua evolução no decorrer dos anos, além de explanar sobre as vantagens e as desvantagens de se utilizar as ferramentas e os recursos do ambiente virtual. Um dos principais objetivos do autor é apresentar como se relacionam alguns aspectos que, via de regra, estão presentes em tal ambiente, como a privacidade, a segurança, a qualidade das informações, a confiança, a propaganda boca a boca eletrônica e a intenção de recompra. Trata-se de uma leitura envolvente, ilustrada com diversas evidências empíricas nacionais e internacionais, complementada por uma ampla pesquisa realizada entre consumidores brasileiros que costumam realizar compras no formato on-line.

Word of mouth (WOM) is an extraordinary mechanism with which to spread information and disinformation. There is an interaction between WOM and eWOM, creating different channels for the dissemination of information. However, this information cannot be controlled by marketers; at least this is seldom the case. Positive and negative comments are found in eWOM and they have a powerful influence on credibility, trust and persuasiveness, where influencers play a main role. Brand reputation is shaped by the flow of information and disinformation on the Internet. Social networks are a real tool with which to create and place information. A comment may greatly benefit consumers, preventing uncertainty and boosting sales. eWOM disseminates both information and disinformation, and so internet users and marketers are faced with the problem of how to turn this to their own benefit.

The jewellery market in India is anticipated to nurture at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15.95 per cent over the period 2014-2019, according to the findings of "Research and Markets". In India, gold jewellery is a hoard of value, a representation of wealth and position and an elementary part of numerous rituals. The World Gold Council (WGC) has composed data from various sources to disclose that the average weight of jewellery of the upper and middle class Kerala bride is as tall as 320 grams (worth around Rs 9 lakh at current prices, even excluding making charges that can diverge dramatically). According to business sources, Kerala occupies the foremost position in the country in gold spending with the major number of retailers, more than 5,000 matched up to the 1,000 retailers a decade ago. The benefit of branding is that it induces preference in the consumers mind towards that brand and it can lead to positive purchase intention. The present study attempts to calculate the consumers purchase intention and brand preference towards gold jewellery among the school teachers. The study make use of primary and secondary data. A sample of 120 school teachers from Kottayam city of Kerala is collected from five schools by using multistage random sampling method. The results explain that teachers are motivated to purchase gold jewellery because of the social status, variety, brand name, word of mouth publicity, advertisement, price, etc.

In the present day it is very much momentous to know the attitude of consumers and their intentions while selecting a product, especially FMCG products. Researches on purchasing behaviour will surely help out the companies to know more about the consumer's behaviour while choosing a product, so that they can spend their marketing efforts in an effective way. From the preceding researches it is obvious that bathing soap is among the highest penetrated category within the FMCG sector. The present study tries to calculate the factors behind the consumers purchasing behavior towards bathing soaps with special reference to Ernakulam District in Kerala. The study made use of primary and secondary data. A sample of 110 customers from Ernakulam city of Kerala is collected from four super markets by using judgment sampling method. The results explain that customers are motivated to purchase bathing soap because of the, awareness, brand image, word of mouth publicity, advertisement, celebrity, price etc.

Word of mouth (WOM) is an extraordinary mechanism with which to spread information and disinformation. There is an interaction between WOM and eWOM, creating different channels for the dissemination of information. However, this information cannot be controlled by marketers; at least this is seldom the case. Positive and negative comments are found in eWOM and they have a powerful influence on credibility, trust and persuasiveness, where influencers play a main role. Brand reputation is shaped by the flow of information and disinformation on the Internet. Social networks are a real tool with which to create and place information. A comment may greatly benefit consumers, preventing uncertainty and boosting sales. eWOM disseminates both information and disinformation, and so internet users and marketers are faced with the problem of how to turn this to their own benefit.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the level of service quality, which is express as a gap between customer’s expectation and perception of service quality in four stars Estrella hotel in Fatima. The additional goal of this research was an attempt of finding the answer to the question if the perceived service quality could result in word of mouth effect. Servqual method and Net Promoter Score were applied. The data analysis is based on a sample of 65 pairs (ex-ante and ex-post) valid questionnaires. The results indicate that Estrel`s hotel management should pay special attention to two aspects such as cleanliness and standard of meals. Additionally, the perceived service quality expressed in such attributes as cleanliness of guest room and bathroom, and standard of breakfast and dinner are important drivers of WOM effect.

Samsung Electronics entered the mobile device market on the back of their successes in other
markets for electronic devices. The mobile device space in South Africa was dominated by
Nokia and Blackberry and in a short space of time Samsung stormed into a tie for the top spot
alongside Blackberry with a market share of 23%. In 2013 Samsung’s market share dropped 5%,
moving down to 18%, placing them second to Blackberry as they entered 2014. Samsung’s IMC
strategy for their mobile devices has been consistent and well-thought throughout the years.
The influence of WOM suggests a greater need for Samsung to determine the effectiveness of
WOM as part of their IMC strategy for mobile devices in South Africa. It is important for
Samsung to understand how WOM shapes South African consumer purchasing decisions, what
causes WOM, and what types of marketing are available to drive WOM for their mobile devices
in South Africa. This study therefore attempts to investigate WOM as advertising tool in an IMC
campaign, with a focus on Samsung and the South African market for mobile devices.
The research indicates that 94% of South African consumers trust WOM from family and friends
more than any other form of advertising. This statistic clearly indicates that South African
consumers trust WOM from family and friends more than any other form of advertising. It can
be deduced that if 87% of consumers actively seek WOM when purchasing a mobile device, and
94% of consumers trust WOM, then WOM is indeed powerful. In conclusion, it is clear that for
Samsung, WOM is effective as part of an IMC strategy for its mobile devices in South Africa.

This study aimed at to investigate the impact of electronic word of mouth communication on new product adoption; three social network sites (Facebook, twitter, and linkldn) were chosen to find out their contributions in new product adoption. The targeted sample of this study was students. Total sample size for this study was 200 (n=200) respondents of Shah Abdul Latif University main campus, Shikarpur campus, Sukkur IBA, and SZABIST Larkana. Regression analysis technique was performed to analyze the data. The Results revealed that there is the significant Positive impact of electronic word of mouth communication on new product adoption. Word of mouth communication plays a vital role in shaping consumer behavior and it is considered as an interesting and important topic by the marketing and communication researchers (De Bruyn & Lilien, 2004). Sun et al., (2006) reported the importance of word of mouth communication and suggested that word of mouth communication is free of cost source of information amongst the customers as compare to the advertising. The influence of word of mouth communication on consumer behavior via the web is one of the most attractive topics for the marketing researchers and it is essential for the companies (Jansen et al., 2009; Riegner, 2007). The use of the Electronic word of mouth communication such as Facebook, tweeter, and LinkedIn are at the peak, millions of users in all over the world are connected worldwide through this fastest medium of communication (Bausch & McGiboney, 2008). Raacke & Bonds, (2008) cited that social networking sites are now becoming means of communication internationally and increasing the number of population throughout the world are spending their time on SNS. Users are getting ideas of adopting new product through the social networking sites, internet chat and electronic word of mouth communication (Chu & Kim, 2011). Access to the internet and social networking sites have created a platform where opinion leaders share the information about the brands, services and consumers are suggesting buying a particular product to other consumers which are saved in their contact list as a friend. These friends are highly trusted and their suggestions have a positive impact on the adoption of the new product (Chu & Kim, 2011). Companies all around the world are creating their own brand pages on the social networking site and encouraging consumers to have friends or being followed by the other consumers as a friend through positive electronic WOM communication (Jansen, et al., 2009). Engel et al., (1969); Lazarsfeld & Katz, (1955) reported that word of mouth communication has a more strong impact on the consumer behavior than the conventional promotional methods like print advertisements, personal selling, and radio advertising. Electronic word of mouth communication also includes peer to peer communication system where one user at social networking sites share different things of his interest to other users like the clips, documentaries, and comments through blogs, emails, and newsgroup (Dellarocas, 2003). In Past, media did not have the facility of two-way communication but this is present in the social networking sites and users are getting feedback quickly on the spot (Dellarocas, 2003). Therefore, the main objective of this

"The research studied the factors that affect consumers’ behavioural intention towards apparel stores. Three different aspects of behavioural intention were examined: consumers’ purchase intention (PI), willingness to pay more (WPAY), and brand recommendation (RECM). Specifically the authors propose a model in which consumer satisfaction with the store brand mediates the effects of attitude towards sales personnel and the convenience of the store’s payment conditions or options on PI, WPAY, and RECM. The relationships hypothesized in the model were tested using two apparel store brands familiar to consumers in the city of Istanbul, Turkey. All findings were in favour of the model proposed for both apparel store brands studied, which were either a sample of men or women.

Keywords: satisfaction, willingness to pay more, purchase intention, recommendation, payment conditions, attitude towards sales personnel."

This paper explores the relationship between customer-generated word-of-mouth and corporate reputation. After a concise literature review, we present several insights from a multiple case study of 3 organizations. Our main finding is that customer dissatisfaction and negative word-of-mouth (NWOM) are thought to have strong downside consequences for corporate reputation. Positive WOM does not appear to have equivalent upside significance for corporate reputation. NWOM often occurs as customers express dissatisfaction because of substandard customer service. However, it is when these issues or other negatively connoted stories find their way into the public domain that reputation suffers. Fear of reputational damage causes great anxiety to the organisations' senior management. Reputations are shown to be fragile. Damage limitation strategies are implemented in all three organisations.

Word of mouth (WOM) is becoming recognized as an important form of promotion and an important source of information influencing consumer's purchase behavior. The purpose is to survey the effect of WOM on touristcustomers' decision for purchasing Trade Offices of Mica Mall in Kish Island. Data was collected through a field research among 145 customers who have invested in Mika Mall offices, and the data were analyzed using correlation and structural equation modeling. The survey period was from Jun 2 to Jun 29, 2015. A questionnaire was provided for theories test by researcher. The validity and reliability of questionnaire was confirmed consequently by experts and Cronbach's Alpha by SPSS software. SEM was used for hypotheses testing. Two findings have been concluded in this survey. First, tie strength, source expertise, and reference group are the main antecedents of WOM seeking behavior. Second, WOM seeking behavior is the main determinant of purchase intention of Mika Mall trade offices. Managers should develop the completely understanding of WOM and try to stimulate WOM about trade offices among potential customers, because most customers are influenced by information which achieved from informal resources.

Political actors aim at persuading voters, who are the key elements of target market in order to win election by gaining a higher vote potential than their opponents. Whether voter preferences are shaped by political elements or by the effects of social environment has become the focus of the studies within the relevant literature. The main purpose of this study is to determine the effect of political marketing activities and word of mouth communication and to determine mediator role WOM communication on voter behaviours. The study is conducted in Konya on a sample consisting of 432 voters and the size of which is determined by convenience sampling method by using face-to-face survey method. Political marketing, word of mouth communication and voter behaviours are confirmed by structural equation modelling through confirmatory factor analysis. As a result of the study, political marketing activities and word of mouth communication are found to have a positive effect on voter behaviour. Furthermore, it is determined that word of mouth communication have mediator role in the effect of political marketing activities on voter behaviours.

The  main  research  objective  of  the  research  is  to  investigate  the influence  of  religious  tourism motivation  and  electronic  word  of  mouth  on  theory  planned  behavior  and  revisit  intention.  Sample  of  the research are tourists who have experienced in Buddhist Temples in PathumThani Province from 400 samples. This  research  used  AMOS  structural  model  for  data  analyzing  and  hypothesis  testing.  Confirmatory  factors analysis  (CFA)  technique  and  path  analysis  were  used  in  this  research.  The  structural  modeling  results indicated  religious  tourism  motivation  and  electronic  word  of  mouth  have  significant  influence  on  attitude, subjective  norms  and  perceived  behavioral  control.  In  addition,  religious  tourism  motivation  was  found  the significance  relationship  on  revisit  intention.  However,  there  are  no  significance  impact  between  electronic word of mouth and revisit intention. The results were discussed further for developing sustainable tourism in PathumThani Province Thailand. 

(PDF) A Study of Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) on Tourism Destination Choice: In Context of Religious Tourism Motivation in Pathum Thani Province Thailand. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322714498_A_Study_of_Electronic_Word_of_Mouth_eWOM_on_Tourism_Destination_Choice_In_Context_of_Religious_Tourism_Motivation_in_Pathum_Thani_Province_Thailand [accessed Apr 05 2020].