E-WOM (Word of Mouth): A Technical Communication Tool

Abstract

Internet has reformed the behavior of customers as earlier they behaved. Traditionally customers were not aware about the products or services and awareness level of them was totally depending on companies’ perspectives but now-a-days customers are more informed and more curious. The widespread use of internet has extended customer’s options for collecting product information by considering others comments and reviews posted on online shopping portals. E-WOM has made online shopper’s purchase decisions easier. E-WOM reviews are seen by perspective customers of related products and services who want to know more information from those customers who have purchased and used the interested product or service. EWOM empowers customers by giving information, experience of other who are not known to One another. Consumers perceive online reviews are more trustworthy than other marketing communication element. E-WOM /Online reviews act like a salient salesman for those customers who shop through e-retailers. The wider acceptance and popularity of e-wom has received substantial attention from researchers and e-retailers. A questionnaire with variables taken from prior studies was framed to measure the responses of online customers. The questionnaire was distributed among customers from different demographics for collecting the data. The results show that consumer reviews have a causal impact on consumer purchase decision and they play a crucial role in selecting and evaluating the appropriate product. Finally, the conclusion and their implications are discussed. In management perspective, E-WOM helps the e-retailers to better capture consumer purchase decision, shopping experience and their expectations so that they can generate more revenue.