Determinants of Customer Engagement in Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) Communication

Abstract

The technological advancement in the usage of social networking sites (SNSs) has grown beyond boundaries. This expansion helps organizations to capture the attention of online customers towards their products and services. The primary purpose of the study is to list the drivers of eWOM credibility and explore its role in customer engagement at SNSs. A conceptual model that categorizes source credibility, trustability, knowledge, tie strength, and homophily are identified as the drivers of eWOM source credibility in SNSs. Similarly, valence, volume, consistency, emotions, quality, and rating are listed as the drivers of eWOM message credibility. This study suggested that drivers of eWOM will impact on customer engagement and that will, in turn, result in building a positive attitude, brand image, and behaviour towards the product or service listed in the SNSs. Further, the study discusses the theoretical and managerial implications in engaging customers through eWOM.