Acceptance and forwarding of electronic word of mouth

The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of source credibility, message credibility and tie strength, on acceptance and subsequent forwarding of electronic word of mouth (EWOM). Forwarding EWOM (FEWOM) also depends on personality traits, which this work investigates in form of moderation effect of individual regulatory focus.

Hypotheses are developed using social exchange theory and the elaboration likelihood model and tested using structural equation modelling. Data were collected online, using a random sample of 324 respondents in India.

Findings indicate that source credibility and tie strength are instrumental in influencing acceptance of EWOM. A strong mediation role of acceptance of EWOM, confirms that people tend to forward information online only if they accept it.

This study represents a unique effort to focus on the combined effects of message credibility, source credibility and tie strength on acceptance and subsequent forwarding of EWOM.

This study provides original insights about antecedents of FEWOM as well as the role of individual regulatory focus as a moderator in the process.