The Effect of Message Valence on e-WoM Spread: A Moderated Mediation Analysis

Edin Guclu Sozer
Additional contact information
Edin Guclu Sozer: Okan University

Business and Economics Research Journal, 2019, vol. 10, issue 2, 541-555

Abstract: This study aims to examine the effect of e-WoM message on the intention level of consumers to spread the word to other consumers in the presence of a moderated mediation interaction effect between risk perception and uncertainty avoidance levels of consumers. An experimental design was implemented, and the manipulated experimental condition was e-WoM message represented in two levels, negative and positive. The results indicate that, compared to negative ones, positive e-WoM messages lead to higher intention to share the message with other consumers. However, in the presence of perceived risk, the positive direct effect of positive messages turns into a negative indirect effect when perceived risk mediates this relationship. Moreover, this negative indirect effect stabilizes with the uncertainty avoidance moderated relationship between e-WoM message and perceived risk. In the light of these findings, a two levels e-WoM communication strategy was proposed to maximize the benefits of positive customer feedbacks: Construction of a strong pool of positive e-WoM messages generated by existing satisfied customers and the use of negative framing in the marketing communication messages targeted to prospect customers.

Keywords: e-WoM; Message Valence; Perceived Risk; Uncertainty Avoidance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M30 M31 M37 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.berjournal.com/the-effect-of-message-v ... d-mediation-analysis Full text (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ris:buecrj:0406

Access Statistics for this article

Business and Economics Research Journal is currently edited by Adem Anbar

More articles in Business and Economics Research Journal from Uludag University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Adem Anbar ().