Vid ett e-handelsköp finns det två alternativ för informationssamling om produkten som skall köpas, produktinformation från e-handlaren och kundomdömen från tidigare konsumenter. Postnords e-barometer har flera år visat att svenska konsumenter önskade att e-handlare utvecklade kundomdömen på sina plattformar vilket denna studie har intresserat sig för att undersöka. Arbetet är av kvantitativ karaktär och har som syfte att undersöka svenska konsumenters användning av kundomdömen inför ett köp och vilka faktorer som påverkar användningen. För detta används en teoretisk modell med tillhörande hypoteser som är en förläning på TAM-modellen. Undersökningen bestod av en surveyundersökning där enkät har använts som datainsamlingsmetod. Resultatet visar på att de flesta respondenter till underökningen är positivt inställda till kundomdömen. De tycker att det är användbart, användarvänligt, betydelsefullt och har även en avsikt att använda dem innan köp. Dock är det väldigt få som använder omdömessystemet efter köp för att dela med sig av sina åsikter eller på annat sätt använda omdömessystemet. Studien föreslår att svenska konsumenter är mycket mer tystlåtna när det gäller eWOM än var tidigare studier har visat. Kundomdömen upplevs inte som trovärdiga, vilket dock inte visade sig vara en faktor som har en påverkan på användandet av kundomdömen vid köp. De faktorer som visade sig ha en stark direkt påverkan på avsikten att använda kundomdömen vid ett köp är omdömessystemets användbarhet och betydelse. En indirekt påverkan visade det sig att användarvänligheten har vilket påverkar användbarheten. Detta resultat skiljer sig från den ursprungliga TAM-modellen som menar att även användarvänligheten direkt påverkar avsikten att använda. Vidare har det i studien även identifierats olika demografiska grupper med olika datorvanor vilket har en medelmåttig effekt på hur användarvänligt ett omdömessystem upplevs. Resultaten visar också att det finns statistisk signifikanta skillnader mellan demografiska grupper och deras förhållning till kundomdömen. Kvinnor har en mer positiv syn på omdömessystem och har dessutom ett större förtroende till dem än män. Vidare upplever de kunder som ofta eller aldrig returnerar varor efter ett köp att kundomdömen är mer betydelsefulla och användbara. / When purchasing online there are two alternatives to collect information about the product of interest, product information from the e-retailer and customer reviews from previous customers. Postnord’s e-barometer has several years shown that Swedish customers wish that e-commerce providers developed customer reviews on their platforms, which are the main topic for this study. This work is of a quantitative nature and aims to explore Swedish online customers use of customer reviews before making a purchase and factors that influence their use. For this, a theoretical model with associated hypotheses has been used which is an extension on the original TAM-model. The study is a survey study where a survey was used as a primary data collection to test the model and analyze about factors that influence each other. The result of this study shows that most of the study’s respondents have a positive attitude towards customer reviews, they believe it is useful, easy to use, important and have intentions to use it before a purchase online. However, very few respondents tend to use customer review systems after purchases to share their purchase experience or use it in other ways. The study proposes that Swedish customers are much more of a silent observer when it comes to eWOM than what previous studies have found. Customer reviews is not perceived to be trustworthy, which however this study shows is not a factor that influence the intention to use customer reviews, in other words, customer reviews are perceived useful even if they are not trustworthy. The factors that proved to have strong direct influence on the intention to use customer reviews is the usefulness of the customer reviews system and the perceived importance of it. Additionally, the ease of use has an indirect influence, which differs from the original TAM-model which means that the ease of use directly influences the intention to use. Furthermore, different demographic groups with different computer experience has been identified, which has a moderate effect on the perceived ease of use customer reviews systems. The result also shows that there are statistically significant differences between demographical groups, and their relation to customer reviews. Women has a more positive view of customer reviews and perceive them to be more trustworthy than men. Furthermore, customers with different product return behaviors has different perceptions of the importance of customer review systems and the ones who never or often return products after a purchase online tend to perceive customer reviews more important.

Background: The development of social media brings traditional marketing into a newera - social media marketing - which offers new platforms through which brands cancarry out marketing activities and connect with their customers. Thus, social mediamarketing has become important for brands and marketers to reach their customers andsocial media marketing activities (SMMAs) include entertainment, trendiness,customisation, interaction, and word of mouth (WOM). Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explain the impact of social media marketingactivities (SMMAs) on customer satisfaction.  Methodology: A quantitative method and deductive research approach were adopted inthis research as a means of gathering data. Through a cross-sectional research design, anonline self-completion questionnaire was created and conducted with consideration ofethical and societal issues; as a result, 165 valid responses were collected. The collecteddata from the respondents were analysed through frequency analysis, descriptiveanalysis, explore analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis as well as multipleregression analysis. Findings: The results of this research revealed that both H3 and H4 were accepted,meaning that customisation and interaction have a significant positive impact oncustomer satisfaction. Conversely, H1, H2, and H3, i.e., entertainment, trendiness, andword of mouth (WOM), were rejected. Conclusion: This study concluded that customisation on social media (H3) positivelyinfluences customer satisfaction which can be understood as customised content isaimed in a way to suit the customers’ own preferences. Furthermore, interaction onsocial media (H4) was revealed to have a significant and positive impact on customersatisfaction. As firms and businesses interact with their customers on social media, theyallow for communication between a brand and the customer. Whereas, entertainment(H1), trendiness (H2) and WOM (H5) on social media do not significantly impactcustomer satisfaction.

Dagens digitala teknologi och sociala medier har alltmer satt sin prägel inom handeln och detta beror främst på att majoriteten människor idag har en smartphone där man ständigt är uppkopplad och aktiv inom sociala medier. Sociala medier används idag även av de flesta handelsföretag inom detaljhandeln och fungerar som en plattform där man kan nå ut till en större och bredare publik. Trenden växer och yttrar sig i att fler plattformar bildas och därav sätter press på småföretag för att kunna sticka ut bland mängden. I detta skede blir det därför allt viktigare för småföretag att vara aktiva på sociala medier för att väcka ett behov hos kunderna och fånga upp deras intresse vilket kan göras genom att publicera en variation av aktiviteter. Aktiviteterna kan inkludera marknadsföring med senaste nyheter och trender, tävlingar och även personliga inlägg. Detta engagemang ska fungera som en vägledning för att sedan locka och leda sina följare in till den fysiska butiken eftersom det är där köpet genomförs. Studien har utformats via en kvalitativ forskningsmetod med en abduktiv ansats som utgångspunkt. Studien innefattade totalt sex intervjuer varav fem av de var fysiskt på plats medan den sjätte var via telefon. Intervjuerna bidrog med det empiriska materialet i syfte att kunna få fram en analys där vi jämförde den teoretiska referensramen med det empiriska materialet. Ur analysen kunde vi se ett samband och resonerade fram vilka aspekter som sociala medier bidrog med för småföretag när de ska kommunicera sina aktiviteter och locka kunderna in till den fysiska butiken. Resultatet av studien yttrade sig i att sociala medier är ett viktigt hjälpmedel för småföretag då det inkluderar en gratis marknadsföring och att man kan nå ut till fler kunder och även utanför det geografiska området butiken befinner sig i. Kommunikation, interaktion och respons är viktiga faktorer för småföretag när de ska eller etablerar sig via sociala medieplattformar. Studiens resultat redogör även för småföretag vikten av att ständigt vara aktiv på sociala medier, publicera varierande aktiviteter, engagera sig i kunder genom att interagera och få feedback. När dessa aspekter interagerar ökar chansen för företagen att bygga långsiktiga kundrelationer. / Today's digital technology and social media have increasingly left their mark on commerce and this is mainly due to the fact that the majority of people today have a smartphone where they are constantly connected and active in social media. Today, social media is also used by most retail companies in the retail trade and acts as a platform where you can reach a larger and wider audience. The trend is growing and is reflected in the fact that more platforms are being formed and as a result put pressure on small companies to be able to stand out among the crowd. At this stage, it therefore becomes increasingly important for small companies to be active on social media in order to arouse a need in customers and capture their interest, which can be done by publishing a variety of activities. Activities can include marketing with the latest news and trends, contests and even personal posts. This commitment should serve as a guide to then attract and lead their followers into the physical store because that is where the purchase is made. The study has been designed via a qualitative research method with an abductive approach as a starting point. The study included a total of six interviews, five of which were physically in place while the sixth was by telephone. The interviews contributed with the empirical material in order to be able to obtain an analysis in which we compared the theoretical frame of reference with the empirical material. From the analysis, we could see a connection and reasoned out which aspects social media contributed to small companies when they have to communicate their activities and attract customers to the physical store. The result of the study was that social media is an important tool for small businesses as it includes free marketing and that you can reach more customers and also outside the geographical area the store is in. Communication, interaction and response are important factors for small businesses when they are going or establishing themselves via socialmedia platforms. The results of the study also explain to small companies the importance of being constantly active on social media, publishing various activities, engaging with customers by interacting and receiving feedback. When these aspects interact, companies' chances of building long-term customer relationships increase.

People's engagements in social communities online have over recent years proven to be of great importance on others' opinions when purchasing products. Word-of-Mouth (WOM) has been around since ancient times and is a concept about consumers communicating with each other about their experience about services and products. Over the last decades research on Word-of-Mouth has increased when it was discovered how it has the power to influence consumers' purchase behaviours. The modern era of the introduction of the internet gave Word-of-Mouth a new concept called Electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) that has given people the opportunity to share their negative and positive experiences online with others by leaving reviews. These reviews can be read by customers with access to the internet and could change their purchase intentions and therefore affect the company's sales and reputation. It has given the companies the opportunity to read about customers reviews and the chance to respond to the reviews by leaving comments online. This gave this study the opportunity to research if companies in Luleå are responding to negative reviews. As well, if the customers believe that their purchase intention is being affected by other users' reviews, and if the customers believe the companies can change the outcome of a review by responding to them.  In this study, quantitative research was used to collect data through surveys in Facebook groups with questions limited to Luleå. The questions were divided into three sections: Reading reviews, Responding to reviews, and Purchase intention. The study found that there was a relationship between the variables reading reviews, responding to reviews, and purchase intention. Previous literature has meant that people write more negative reviews when they have the ability to complain and write reviews through the Internet. However, for this study in Luleå, it was shown that this is not the case. It was found that few of the respondents gave negative reviews about the businesses in Luleå and that the businesses in Luleå did not respond to them. It was also found that respondents read reviews before buying, which affected their intention to buy, with negative reviews being more important than positive ones. People in Luleå consider negative reviews trustworthy and believe that businesses can change the outcome of negative reviews by responding to them. Therefore, it is of interest for local businesses in Luleå to review and respond to negative online reviews as they will impact their business.

Online word-of-mouth (WOM) platforms have been referred to by various terms such as online communities, feedback systems, peer reputation systems, or consumer generated media. Such systems provide a global platform for customers to share their experiences, and also rate service providers. WOM systems are burgeoning on the Internet for products such as music and books (Amazon.com), news (Slashdot.org), consumer electronics (shopping.com), tourism and travel (Tripadvisor.com; Hotels.com), and many other products and services. As with the traditional WOM, numerous studies have shown that these systems have a significant impact on customer decision making process, their satisfaction with goods and services, and the overall value of online economic transactions. In this study, the primary focus were the product review systems (PRS). These review systems are less personal but more ubiquitous platforms for online WOM wherein consumers post reviews about the products/services they have consumed. These reviews are widely accessible to other consumers but are disseminated only when other consumer consult these reviews during the purchasing process. However, there are still numerous problems associated with these systems. Recent studies have shown that there are numerous instances of deceptive information provided by service providers themselves or customers who have been paid by commercial parties. Added to this is the problem of anonymity in a computer mediated environment that adds to the already existing uncertainty for the consumer. Further, each review system consists of hundreds of consumer reviews associated with any given product or service. Given that consumers face these numerous problems, research is yet to examine the factors that drive the consumers develop trust in these reviews, and base their purchasing decisions on the information gleaned from the review systems. The main objective of this study was to explore this interesting phenomenon. To this end, this study applied uncertainty reduction theory and Social identity theory to delineate certain aspects of the online reviews that might have an impact on the consumer's assessment of online product reviews. Based on these theories, it was hypothesized that the informational content of the review and social component of the review (individuals' identity information disclosure and the consumers' perceived similarity with this information) have a significant effect on the consumers' trust in a review and subsequently the purchase intention. Further, based on the elaboration likelihood model, it was also posited that consumers' use of these heuristics is more salient while evaluating high involvement products than low involvement products. To test the hypotheses, the study adopted a quasi-experimental design with 2x2 (2 levels each for information content and social component within-subjects) x 2 (2 involvement modes between-subjects) full factorial design. Based on two levels for each of these factors, four reviews similar to those found in sites such as tripadvisor.com were created. A total of 283 students (153 in high involvement mode and 130 in low involvement mode) evaluated these reviews and assigned trust scores as well purchase intention scores to each review. The data was analyzed using linear mixed models and structural equation modeling. The results showed that both the main effects, information content of the review, and the consumers' perceived social identity with the reviewer contribute to an increased trust in the reviews. The study data did not support the hypothesis that involvement of the activity moderates the above mentioned relationships. Within this, information content was found to be playing an important role in both the involvement modes whereas the social component explained more variance in the trust in the high involvement mode than low involvement mode. Some of the results concur with previous research in both traditional and online WOM. The significance of these results in the extant literature as well their implications for both product review system providers as well tourism and hospitality service providers are discussed in detail. / Business Administration

行銷業者對負面口碑的負面影響已有所共識，它可能直接影響消費者對其產品或服務的知覺價值判斷，進而影響產品評價及購買行為。過往研究將負面口碑區分為理由型和情感型兩類，同時，負面口碑中所包含的訊息可能為產品或服務的主要或次要因素，因而在重要程度上存在差異。此外，考慮到消費者決策情境的不同，本研究以為自己或他人做選擇的方式喚起個體的短期自我構念，探討個體特徵在負面口碑對消費者態度與行為傾向影響過程中的調節效果。另，消費者在處理負面口碑時，可能會對其產生原因進行歸納推理，且存在歸因於產品或服務和口碑產製者兩種認知路徑，不同的歸因模式進而又會影響消費者的產品評價、購買意願等面向。因此，本研究旨在探討負面口碑訊息類型如何影響消費者的態度與行為傾向，並考量負面口碑重要程度和自我構念的調節作用，以及在此過程中歸因模式的可能中介效果。 本研究通過內容分析法在實務場域觀察負面口碑訊息類型，初步探討負面口碑訊息類型與產品評價之間的關係。其後，以兩個實驗設計驗證研究假設，實驗一為2（負面口碑訊息類型：理由型vs.情感型）×2（負面口碑重要程度：主要因素vs.次要因素）的二因子受試者間設計，實驗二則為2（負面口碑訊息類型：理由型vs.情感型）×2（負面口碑重要程度：主要因素vs.次要因素）×2（自我構念：獨立型vs.互依型）的三因子組間設計。研究發現：（一）相較於情感型負面口碑，理由型負面口碑對消費者態度與行為傾向的影響更為顯著。（二）負面口碑重要程度具顯著干擾作用，亦即，當負面口碑重要程度為主要因素時，理由型評論所產生的訊息可信度顯著高於情感型評論。（三）在負面口碑訊息類型、負面口碑重要程度對訊息可信度的影響過程中，歸因模式具有顯著的中介效果。（四）自我構念與負面口碑訊息類型具有交互作用，並連同負面口碑重要程度存在三階交互效果。本研究期望通過負面口碑影響機制理論模型的提出與驗證，對負面口碑傳播效果研究有所貢獻，同時，在實務上為行銷業者管理負面口碑提供參考。

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<p>The social media are internet facilities where people can communicate and discuss through different websites or blogs. The social media has changed the world in many aspect and people are becoming more and more addicted to use these networks. People are fond of the social media because they can be social with a high number of individuals, both be real life friends, as well as strangers. Since the social media has grown to become so popular, companies have taken advantage of this as well. Their goal is to promote themselves through these networks as this can be very lucrative for the business. There are many different social media networks however this study will only be about Facebook. The aim of the study is to find out and describe how companies use Facebook for marketing purposes. An observation of how 34 fashion companies use Facebook for marketing purposes was carried out.</p>

The social media are internet facilities where people can communicate and discuss through different websites or blogs. The social media has changed the world in many aspect and people are becoming more and more addicted to use these networks. People are fond of the social media because they can be social with a high number of individuals, both be real life friends, as well as strangers. Since the social media has grown to become so popular, companies have taken advantage of this as well. Their goal is to promote themselves through these networks as this can be very lucrative for the business. There are many different social media networks however this study will only be about Facebook. The aim of the study is to find out and describe how companies use Facebook for marketing purposes. An observation of how 34 fashion companies use Facebook for marketing purposes was carried out.

The social network services (SNS) on the Internet are becoming more common, and are starting to have a higher range of users, which is affecting Internet marketing. We (the authors) have a feeling that a growing online marketing within social networks could interrupt the order of social standards. That is why we in this paper have tried to figure out what position marketing has – and might have – within SNS, and what impact it will have on social relations. During qualitative interviews along with both representatives of public relation offices as well as with SNS users, we became aware of the occurring strategies of online marketing, and the users understanding of it. In the information from the interviews, we found some interesting contradictions on which this paper underlies. As a tool to try to sort the information from the interviews out, we had a closer look on what networking really is, and its significance for both relations as well as marketing, since networking is a keyword for both PR offices and SNS users. We also needed to find out more about client relations since it to companies is very much important to manage to keep their clients and create a trust among themselves. They have to know how and where to find their target group and learn their language, otherwise they will easily be seen through. The PR offices stress sincerity and honesty, so do the users. The difference, however, is the definition of its meaning. The offices say that it is most important to be sincere in the first contact, and as soon as the word-of-mouth (WOM) takes form it is no longer in their hands. This WOM method creates a ripple effect which gives the main message a push. The users, on the other hand, want sincerity by being given the opportunity to choose what commercial message they would want to take part of. But they have no idea that the recommendation from the friend really is a well-laid marketing plan. The fact that the SNS users really don’t know how it all works is something we see as an ethical problem. Mostly because the rules of friendship is changing, and that the social life of the human being is becoming a part of marketing. Something that can be prevented – through awareness. / De sociala nätverken på Internet blir allt fler och får allt fler användare, något som i sin tur även påverkar marknadsföringen på Internet. Genom att marknadsföringen tar allt större plats på de sociala nätverken, anar vi att det kan störa relationers sociala ordning. Därför undersöker vi i den här uppsatsen vilken roll marknadsföring har, och kan få, inom sociala nätverk på Internet, och vilken konsekvens det kan få för sociala relationer. Genom kvalitativa intervjuer med representanter från PR-byråer och användare av sociala forum på Internet, tog vi del av de förekommande strategierna och användarnas uppfattning av dessa. I intervjumaterialet hittade vi intressanta motsägelser, och det är det som uppsatsen är byggd på. Som verktyg för att reda ut intervjumaterialet har vi tittat närmre på vad nätverk egentligen är och vad det har för betydelse för både relationer och marknadsföring, eftersom det är lite av ett nyckelord båda parter. Gemensamt är bland annat att olika roller är något som vi människor klär i oss varje dag, hela tiden, för att fungera i relationer. Och företagens kundrelationer är a och o för att lyckas bevara kunderna och skapa förtroende sinsemellan. I kapitlet om just kundrelationer får vi veta att det primära för företagen gällande Internetmarknadsföring är att hitta målgruppen och lära sig deras språk, annars kan de lätt bli genomskådade. PR-byråerna betonar öppenhet och ärlighet, lika så användarna. Skillnaden är däremot att de har olika definitioner på vad det egentligen innebär. Från byråernas sida menar man att öppenhet i det första steget är det viktigaste och att då mun-till-mun-metoden tar fart är det inte längre i deras händer. Denna mun-till-mun-metod blir en ”ringar på vattnet”-effekt och budskapet får sig en rejäl skjuts. Användarna å andra sidan vill ha öppenhet och ärlighet genom att få möjlighet att välja vilket reklambudskap de tar till sig. Att tipset från vännen är en del av en genomarbetad marknadsföring har de ingen aning om. Att användarna inte har riktigt koll på hur det hela funkar är något som vi ser som ett etiskt problem. Främst för att vänskapens regler ändras, och att människans sociala liv blir en del av marknadsföringen. Något som kanske kan förhindras – genom medvetenhet.