Electronic word of mouth (eWOM)

TLDR

The study investigates how the platform on which electronic word‑of‑mouth reviews are posted and the review’s valence affect consumers’ product judgments and recommendation intentions. Results show that reviews posted on personal blogs lead consumers to attribute them to circumstances and reduce recommendation likelihood compared to independent review sites or brand sites, and that platform effects on willingness to recommend appear only for positive reviews, while negative reviews diminish recommendation across all platforms.

Abstract

This study explores whether and how different online platforms to which electronic word of mouth (eWOM) communication is posted influence consumers' judgements of reviewed products. Additionally, this study examines the moderating role of the valence of eWOM on the platforms–consumer product judgement relationship. Our findings indicated that, other things being equal, participants exposed to the review posted on the personal blog were more likely to attribute the review to circumstances and less likely to recommend the product to friends than those who were exposed to the review either on the independent review website or the brand's website. The effect of the eWOM platforms on consumer willingness to recommend the product to friends was found only when the review was positive. When the review was negative, however, there were detrimental effects on consumer willingness to recommend the product to friends regardless of the eWOM platform. Practical and theoretical implications of the findings were discussed.