Aim: The purpose of the study is to gain an understanding of the most effective factors in service recovery that companies apply when managing negative eWOM.  Method: With the help of a qualitative cross-sectional study based on a deductive research approach, five semi-structured interviews were conducted with marketing managers.  Conclusion: The results show that companies in this study use several components in the theory of service recovery to deal with negative eWOM. The most popular and advantageous methods that the majority of respondents use, to manage negative eWOM in the most optimal way, are done primarily by responding to criticism and preferably at an early stage, as well as an application of psychological recovery methods such as apologizing and showing empathy. Less popular factors in service recovery that companies in the study do not experience are as effective , but which some respondents use are concrete compensations, systems similar to web care, to maintain a continuous dialogue with their consumers and ensure that the same problems do not arise. / Syfte: Syftet med studien är att få en förståelse för de effektivaste faktorerna inom service recovery som företag tillämpar vid hantering av negativ eWOM. Metod: Med hjälp av en kvalitativ tvärsnittsstudie baserad på en deduktiv forskningsansats har fem semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med marknadsföringsansvariga. Slutsats: Resultatet visar att företag i studien använder sig av flera komponenter i teorin om service recovery för att hantera negativ eWOM. De populäraste och fördelaktigaste metoderna som majoriteten av respondenterna använder, för att hantera negativ eWOM på det mest optimala sättet, sker främst genom att bemöta kritik och helst i ett tidigt skede, samt en tillämpning av psykologiska återhämtningsmetoder såsom att be om ursäkt och visa empati. Mindre populära faktorer inom service recovery som företag i studien inte upplever är lika effektiva, men som vissa respondenter använder, är konkreta kompensationer, system som liknar webbvård, att upprätthålla en kontinuerlig dialog med sina konsumenter och se till att samma problem inte uppstår.

Titel: Electronic Word of Mouth’s påverkan på Generation Z - En studie om hur trovärdighet, kvalitet och kvantitet av information påverkar köpintentionen av träningskläder. Nivå: Examensarbete på Grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Matilda Haglund Bratt & Fredrik SondellHandledare: Katarina Arbin Datum: 2022 – Januari Syfte: Syftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap om Electronic Word of Mouth’s(eWOM:s) påverkan på Generation Z:s köpintention. Mer specifikt att undersöka hur trovärdighets-, kvalitets-, och kvantitetsfaktorer inom Electronic Word of Mouthpåverkar köpintentionen vid köp av träningskläder. Metod: Denna studie tar sin utgångspunkt i en kvantitativ forskningsansats med ett deduktivt tillvägagångssätt. Datainsamlingen skedde i form av en enkätundersökning som besvarades av personer födda mellan år 1995–2009. Resultat och slutsats: Det finns ett positivt samband mellan variablerna trovärdighet, kvalitet och kvantitet samt Generation Z:s köpintention. Detta visar på att Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) har en betydelse för Generation Z när det ska fatta ett köpbeslut. Examensarbetets bidrag: Den här studien bidrar med ny kunskap om eWOM:s påverkan på Generation Z:s köpintention genom att studien visar att faktorerna trovärdighet, kvalitet och kvantitet har en inverkan på de kommentarer som läses och delas på sociala medier. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Utifrån studiens resultat är några förslag till framtida forskning att undersöka andra generationer, göra en jämförelse mellan generationer eller att genomföra en kvalitativ studie och undersöka vad en målgrupp anser att trovärdiga kommentarer innebär. Nyckelord: Marknadsföring, Generation Z, Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM), Trovärdighet, Kvalitet, Kvantitet, Köpintention. / Title: Electronic Word of Mouth's impact on Generation Z – A study of how credibility, quality and quantity of information influence the purchase intention of fitness apparel. Level: Student thesis, final assignment for Bachelor's Degree in BusinessAdministration Authors: Matilda Haglund Bratt & Fredrik SondellSupervisor: Katarina Arbin Date: 2022 – January Aim: The aim of the study is to contribute to knowledge about the impact of Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) on Generation Z's purchase intention. More specifically, to investigate how credibility, quality, and quantity factors in Electronic Word of Mouth influence purchase intention when purchasing fitness apparel. Method: This study is based on a quantitative research approach with a deductive approach. Data collection was done through a questionnaire survey completed by individuals born between 1995-2009. Result and Conclusions: There is a positive relationship between the variable’scredibility, quality and quantity and the purchase intention of Generation Z. This indicates that Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM) has an impact on Generation Z when making a purchase decision. Contribution of the thesis: This study contributes with new knowledge on theinfluence of eWOM on Generation Z's purchase intention by showing that the factors credibility, quality and quantity have an impact on the comments that are read and shared on social media. Suggestions for future research: Based on the results of the study, some suggestions for future research are to investigate other generations, do a comparison between generations or do a qualitative study and investigate what a target audience considers credible comments means to them. Key words: Marketing, Generation Z, Electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM), Credibility, Quality, Quantity, Purchase intention.

The full text will be available at the end of the embargo: 15th Dec 2026

In recent years, social networking sites have become a prevailing communication technology in the evolution of the digital era for today’s Internet users (Ipsos Insight 2007). As more and more marketers attempt to harness the power of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in social networking sites (Williamson 2006), rigorous investigation of determinants that lead to consumers’ engagement in eWOM via the social networks is becoming critical. A central question to answer is what factors influence eWOM behavior in social networking sites and what are the underlying processes of eWOM communications in this new social medium. This study focuses on five social relationship variables: social capital, tie strength, homophily, trust, and consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence that are all related to eWOM behavior in social networking sites. An online survey with a sample drawn from a large southwestern university was conducted to examine predictors of eWOM in social networking sites. Results from a series of multiple regression analyses indicate that certain social relationship variables are significant predictors that relate to social networking site users’ eWOM behavior. Out of the five relationship variables, social capital, homophily, trust, and interpersonal influence were found to significantly relate to users’ engagement in eWOM communications, whereas no effect was found with regard to tie strength. My dissertation research provides a theoretical understanding of consumers’ use of social networking sites as a vehicle for eWOM and contributes to the literature on computer-mediated communication with specific emphasis on online social media. Managerially, findings from this research could provide marketers with valuable information to establish their long-term relationships with consumers and use beneficial eWOM to promote selected brands. In conclusion, examining social relationships in social networking sites could contribute to our understanding of the determinants of consumer engagement in eWOM, which in turn influences the extent and pattern of eWOM and enables companies to deliberate their product diffusion strategies. / text

We live in a world where social media allows everyone to have a voice regardless of their expertise on any subject. With so many anonymous voices giving their opinions are the expert reviews of film critics no longer as useful? Some may believe there is a disconnect between what critics like and what people like. With this in mind, this research puts the usefulness of expert movie reviews and word of mouth against each other as can be seen through the need for cognition scale and social media affinity scale. / text

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Word-of-mouth har länge varit ett intressant och viktigt fenomen inom marknadsföringen. Med introduktionen av Internet och den växande populariteten av sociala medier, så har word-of-mouth förändrats och är nu tillgänglig för många fler konsumenter online och världen över. Word-of-mouth som sker över Internet har fått namnet elektronisk word-of-mouth (förkortat eWOM). Denna studie har undersökt skillnader i inflytandet av olika word-of-mouth-källor, specifikt traditionell muntlig WOM och eWOM. Detta för att se om det finns några skillnader i hur konsumenter söker och tar del av WOM-information inför köpbeslut av nya produkter eller tjänster. Denna studie har också perspektivet att endast kolla på inflytandet av negativa WOM-källor och hur dessa påverkar konsumenters köpbeslut. Studien har genomförts med hjälp utav ett elektroniskt frågeformulär som distribuerats genom Högskolan i Borås studenter samt genom Facebook. Frågeformuläret består av frågor och avsnitt gällande hur viktigt WOM är för konsumenter innan köp av en tidigare oprövad produkt eller tjänst, trovärdigheten av WOM informationen, hur WOM kan ändra ens attityd samt sannolikheten att man avstår köp på grund av negativ WOM.Resultatet från frågeformuläret visar på att traditionell muntlig WOM fortfarande anses vara den bästa WOM-källan, den som används mest och anses vara den mest trovärdiga källan för WOM och fick högst poäng i alla kategorier från frågeformuläret. eWOM från ratingsidor rankades som näst bäst medan eWOM från ens Facebookvänner ansåg vara det sämsta alternativet för eWOM i alla kategorier. Slutsatsen dras därför att negativ WOM-information influerar konsumenter på olika vis beroende på vilken WOM-källa det kommer ifrån. Traditionell muntlig WOM anses vara det bästa, även om eWOM används mycket så anses det inte vara lika trovärdigt och informativt. / Word-of-mouth has been an important phenomenon in marketing for a very long time. With the introduction of the Internet and the growing popularity of social media, word-of-mouth communication has changed and is now available for consumers from all over the world with just the click of a mouse on your computer. This phenomenon has been given the name electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). This study has examined the influence of different WOM-sources, specifically traditional oral WOM and electronic WOM to see if there are any differences in how consumers search and use different WOM-information in their purchase decision. This study has also taken an approach to only look at the influence of negative word-of-mouth from different WOM-sources and their influence. To research this an electronic questionnaire has been used and distributed to student at the University of Borås and also over Facebook. The questionnaire consists of questions regarding how important looking for WOM information before a purchase it, trustworthiness of WOM, how WOM can change your attitude to a product or service and the possibility of not going through with a purchase based on information from WOM-sources.Results from the questionnaire shows that traditional oral WOM is still considered to be the best, most used and trustworthy source of WOM as it scored highest in all categories of the questionnaire. eWOM from rating sites scored second in all categories, and eWOM from Facebook friends scored lowest in all categories. It can therefore be concluded that negative WOM-information can influence consumer purchase decision in different ways, and even though eWOM is widely used it is considered to be less informative and trustworthy than traditional oral WOM.

The influence of online customer reviews (OCRs) on consumer behaviour has recently gained considerable attention, from both academic and business communities. Technology allows customers to freely and easily post their comments and opinions online about any product or service. These types of customer reviews can have a significant effect on customers’ purchase decisions and have become an essential part of the experience when shopping online. However, knowledge of the role of the perceived derived attributes of OCRs on consumer behaviour remains vague. Previous studies have mainly focused on the influence of the virtual attributes of OCRs, such as volume and valence, on consumers’ intentions, while limited attention has been paid to understanding the effects of the derived attributes. This study, thus, aims to understand the effects of the social and functional perceived derived attributes of OCRs on customer trust and intention to shop online. Hence, we develop a research model - Perceived Derived Attributes (PDA) -, based on the integration of social support with functional support derived from OCRs. The PDA model provides an in-depth understanding of the role of the social support of OCRs by applying and utilising theories of social support, social presence and a sense of belonging. The PDA model also investigates the influence of the functional support arising from OCRs through the inclusion of perceived control, from the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The PDA model characterises perceived social support through informational and emotional supports, social presence, and a sense of belonging; whereas, functional supports are characterised by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived enjoyment, and perceived control. A total of 489 responses to a survey were collected from users of amazon.com. The results from this study suggest that customer trust in an e-vendor and their intention to shop online are significantly affected by social and functional supports derived from OCRs. In particular, informational support, social presence and a sense of belonging, derived from OCRs were found to positively and significantly affect both customer trust in the online vendor and consumer behavioural intention. However, emotional support was only found to affect customers’ intentions and not their trust in the e-vendor. Additionally, customer trust in an e-vendor and their intention to shop online are significantly affected by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and perceived enjoyment of OCRs. Furthermore, the sense of control derived from OCRs significantly affects customer intention and significantly affects customer trust in e-vendors but only for customers who frequently check OCRs before making a purchase. This study is the first to introduce and empirically test the effects of perceived derived attributes of OCRs on customer trust and behavioural intention. Understanding the effects of such influencing factors is of utmost importance for both theoretical development and business practices. Clearly, these attributes of OCRs are linked to the development of the shopping environment, representing a promising marketing tool that positively affects customers’ behaviour.

The aim with this study was to answer the question “What components in Nike’s viral ads on Youtube trigger emotions?”. The data was collected through a qualitative and descriptive research approach and the method was a combination of a poetic film analysis and Ducoffe’s Model of Advertising Value. The model includes three components that were to be analyzed: informativeness, entertainment and irritation. The video ads were analyzed together with the comments posted. The comments were seen as electronic word of mouth and they were analyzed in order to understand if the viewer felt positive or negative emotions towards the ads. The findings showed that Ducoffe’s Model of Advertising Value was applicable on social media networks such as Youtube. Informativeness and entertainment were the most important components triggering emotions. Since marketing events nowadays are digitalized, it is important to adapt previous models and research to new platforms.

Social media is a big part of a millennial's life. It is where they communicate with their friends and share experiences. Companies know this and are subsequently trying to reach consumers on social media with their advertising. However, millennials are not highly affected by advertising but care a lot about what other people think and feel about products. The millennial generation is the adult generation that is using social media the most and is also one of the biggest consumer bases in e-commerce. This means that companies need to adapt and try new ways to reach these consumers. This thesis will therefore explore and describe if advertising on social media influences millennials purchasing behavior via Electronic Word Of Mouth (EWOM) rather than having a direct effect on their purchasing behavior. The research question that will fulfill the purpose is "Does advertising on social media influence millennials purchasing behavior via EWOM?". To achieve results and answer the research question, a literature review was conducted and complemented with a self-administered, internet questionnaire. The results show that there seems to be a correlation between millennials seeing advertising on social media and starting to search for more information about the product through EWOM before making a purchasing decision