Abstract

Given that consumers’ Word of Mouth (WOM) communication is influenced by demographic and social background this study investigates (1) to what extent consumers’ WOM engagement is influenced by social relationship variables, (2) in what capacity demographic factors affects preferences to engage in WOM and (3) the preferred WOM environment. Our findings indicate that offline context is preferred, trust and social ties are positively related to WOM, whilst homophily has reportedly negative impact. Age, gender, and education are reported to influence consumers’ propensity to engage in WOM. Based on the results, several practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

摘要

鉴于消费者的口碑 (WOM) 传播受人口统计和社会背景的影响，本研究调查 (1) 消费者的 WOM 参与程度受社会关系变量的影响，(2) 人口因素以何种能力影响参与偏好在 WOM 和 (3) 首选 WOM 环境。我们的研究结果表明，线下环境是首选，信任和社会关系与口碑呈正相关，而同质性据报道具有负面影响。据报道，年龄、性别和教育程度会影响消费者参与 WOM 的倾向。基于结果，讨论了几个实际和理论意义。