FACTORS INFLUENCING ELECTRONIC WORD-OF-MOUTH ADOPTION BY CONSUMERS: AN INVESTIGATION

Abstract

With the emergence of web 2.0, internet and social media has become a part and parcel of our day to day lives. It has transformed the way in which we behave as consumers. Today we, as consumers, are significantly engaging in social media conversations to share our consumption related experiences, either knowingly or unknowingly. This has led to the emergence of a new form of word of-mouth (WOM) conversation namely, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). While the traditional WOM involves one-to-one personal conversations, eWOM involves one-to-many, many-to-one and many-to-many opinion sharing instances using online platforms. eWOM involves exchange of experiences, evaluation and opinions of products, brands and/ or services by consumers through various online platforms such as discussion forums, blogs, newsgroups, review sites, social networking sites etc. Research evidences show that such conversations can influence brand preferences and attitudes, positively or negatively. Consumers today are becoming more active, involved and informed than ever before. They seem to be increasingly relying on the referrals received through electronic communication, especially in uncertain situations. The purpose of this study is to understand the factors influencing the consumers in adopting eWOM via social media. The study draws from the Elaboration Likelihood Model and Information Adoption Model in analysing the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. The study focuses on college going students (Gen Z) as target consumer categories whose usage of internet and presence in social media is significant when compared to the earlier generations. Technology, internet and social media are essential aspects of their lives, hence their adoption of eWOM could be faster. They heavily spend their time online and seek immediate validation and acceptance of their choices and opinions through social media. The study analyses the impact of influencing factors such as information quality, quantity, source credibility and usefulness on eWOM adoption. The research will provide insights to marketers on the essential aspects of eWOM conversations so as to influence their adoption by the target audience.