Intentions to use travel eWOM: mediating role of Indian urban millennials’ attitude

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) on behavioural intentions of Indian urban millennials to use it when they book travel. The eWOM has been measured on the basis of four dimensions, namely, perceived credibility, quality, quantity and completeness. eWOM attitude is studied as a mediator. Design/methodology/approach The study first applies a confirmatory factor analysis to gauge validity and reliability. Then structural equation modelling was applied to test the research hypotheses after collecting responses from 288 Indian millennials from six North Indian cities. Mediation has also been examined using the bootstrapping method. The quality of the data was assured by Harman’s single-factor test. Findings The study reveals that millennials’ eWOM attitude fully mediates its perceived quality and its usage intentions at the time of booking travel. However, this mediation effect is partial with respect to other components of eWOM, namely, perceived credibility, perceived quantity and perceived completeness. Practical implications India has the largest millennial population (440 million) in the world out of which 33% live in urban cities. Hence, it becomes imperative for travel marketers to understand the attitude of millennials’ towards eWOM, shared on social media. They should understand that millennials prefer eWOM in social media over traditional advertising for fulfilling their informational needs. Therefore, by apprehending the impact of recipients’ perception towards various components of eWOM on their behavioural intentions to use it, market practitioners can design superior marketing campaigns that will help them to gain maximum in the changing business landscape. Originality/value The study is unique in the sense that to date no study to the limited knowledge of the researchers has investigated the attitude of Indian millennials towards eWOM on social media as a mediator to comprehend their behavioural intentions to use travel reviews when they book travel.