Title: Predictors of deep electronic word-of-mouth providing behaviour of Indian consumers

Authors: Vaishnavi Balasubramanian; T. Frank Sunil Justus

Addresses: Department of Business Administration, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Chidambaram-608002, Tamil Nadu, India ' Department of Business Administration, Annamalai University, Annamalai Nagar, Chidambaram-608002, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract: Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) plays a pivotal role in consumer decision-making and purchase behaviour. Given the limited research on actual eWOM providing behaviour in eWOM literature, this study aimed at exploring the factors influencing consumers to provide deep eWOM (reviews/comments) about their recently purchased mobile phone. A structured questionnaire administered to a sample of consumers in Chennai, India, yielded 243 valid responses. The results showed that 27.2% of the respondents provided deep eWOM about their mobile phones. The logistic regression analysis identified that a mix of eWOM perception (online opinion seeking, trust in eWOM, perceived review writing effort), consumption-based (extreme consumption experience, product involvement, brand resonance), personal (altruism), social (online social life) and demographic (gender) factors influenced the respondents' deep eWOM providing behaviour. Overall, the study results are a value-addition to eWOM motivations literature, offering numerous theoretical and practical implications to encourage deep eWOM providing behaviour of consumers.

Keywords: deep eWOM; eWOM provision; eWOM platforms; mobile phone reviews.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEMR.2025.144761

International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 2025 Vol.16 No.2, pp.133 - 158

Received: 09 Aug 2022
Accepted: 18 Dec 2022
Published online: 03 Mar 2025 *

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