Is negative eWOM more influential than negative pWOM?

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of various sources of negative electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and negative personal word-of-mouth (pWOM) on trust in the Word-of-mouth (WOM), attitude toward the service provider and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach – Data were gathered from 336 Moroccan workers who responded to an online survey. Findings – Results show that negative pWOM is more influential than negative eWOM in the form of written Facebook testimonials, written review site testimonials and written testimonials on a corporate website. However, there is a relative ranking of importance among eWOM sources, with review site testimonials found to be more influential than either Facebook or corporate website testimonials. Research limitations/implications – This work responds to a call for research on differences and similarities between pWOM and eWOM. The findings extend understanding of the relative influence of negative pWOM and negative eWOM. Practical implications – The results of this study provide guidance to service marketers in terms of strategies for deflecting negative WOM and allocating service recovery resources. Originality/value – This study is the first to compare the relative influence of negative pWOM and eWOM in service consumption.