How E-WOM motivations vary by hotel review website

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 2730-2751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Mapel Belarmino ◽  
Yoon Koh
Keyword(s):  
Service Recovery ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Travel Agency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Online Travel ◽  
Online Travel Agency ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Based on equity theory, this paper investigates if guests write on different review websites because of different internal motivations. Furthermore, it examines the moderating effect of service’ exceeds, neutral, negative, and service recovery–on the relationship between motivations and type of website to write reviews. Design/methodology/approach To exam if the star ratings of the same hotels were significantly different across hotel, online travel agency, and third-party review websites, this study collected 12,000 star ratings from 40 hotels across the US and conducted t-tests. A survey of 1,600 US travelers was administered to uncover the motivations for writing on different websites/website combinations. Four different scenarios were used to test the moderating effect of service: exceeds, neutral, negative, and service-recovery. These responses were analyzed using backwards stepwise regression. Findings Star ratings for the same hotel do differ among the three websites; hotel is the highest and third-party is the lowest. There are seven distinct groups of guests. Guests are motivated to write reviews to balance inequitable relationships. They decide which website/website combination best improves the equity relationship. This research indicates that guests’ choice of website is based on different internal motivations. The moderating effect of the service experience was significant. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature by examining different motivations to write online reviews by website. Prior research typically examined one website or aggregated results from multiple websites, ignoring website specific differences. This can help hoteliers to understand why initiatives to promote reviews on certain websites may be unsuccessful.

Asymmetric relationship between customer sentiment and online hotel ratings: the moderating effects of review characteristics

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofan Lai ◽  
Fan Wang ◽  
Xinrui Wang
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Sentiment Analysis ◽  
Travel Agency ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analysis Methods ◽  
Sentiment Score ◽  
Online Travel ◽  
Online Travel Agency ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose Online hotel ratings, a form of electronic word of mouth (eWOM), are becoming increasingly important to tourism and hospitality management. Using sentiment analysis based on the big data technique, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between customer sentiment and online hotel ratings from the perspective of customers’ motives in the context of eWOM, and to further identify the moderating effects of review characteristics. Design/methodology/approach The authors first retrieve 273,457 customer-generated reviews from a well-known online travel agency in China using automated data crawlers. Next, they exploit two different sentiment analysis methods to obtain sentiment scores. Finally, empirical studies based on threshold regressions are conducted to establish the asymmetric relationship between customer sentiment and online hotel ratings. Findings The results suggest that the relationship between customer sentiment and online hotel ratings is asymmetric, and a negative sentiment score will exert a larger decline in online hotel ratings, compared to a positive sentiment score. Meanwhile, the reviewer level and reviews with pictures have moderating effects on the relationship between customer sentiment and online hotel ratings. Moreover, two different types of sentiment scores output by different sentiment analysis methods verify the results of this study. Practical implications The moderating effects of reviewer level and reviews with pictures offer new insights for hotel managers to make different customer service policies and for customers to select a hotel based on reviews from the online travel agency. Originality/value This paper contributes to the literature by applying big data analysis to the issues in hotel management. Based on the eWOM communication theories, this study extends previous study by providing an analysis framework for the relationship between customer sentiment and online hotel ratings from the perspective of customers’ motives in the context of eWOM.

The moderating effect of movie production efficiency on the relationship between eWOM and review helpfulness

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sangjae Lee ◽  
Joon Yeon Choeh
Keyword(s):  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
K Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Word Of Mouth ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Review Helpfulness ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to intend to study the effect of movie production efficiency on eWOM and the moderating effect of efficiency on the relationship between eWOM and review helpfulness for movies. Design/methodology/approach Production efficiency is suggested by comparing the power of movie resources (e.g. the power of actors, directors, distributors, production companies) against box-office revenue through a data envelopment analysis (DEA). Findings The study results present that the number of reviews, the number of reviews by reviewers and review extremity are greater in an efficient subsample than in an inefficient subsample. For efficient movies, the review depth and the strength of the sentiments in the reviews are more positively related to review helpfulness. The prediction results for review helpfulness using the k-nearest neighbor method and automatic neural networks show that the efficient subsample provides a significantly lower prediction error rate than the inefficient subsample. The study results can support the effective facilitation of helpful online movie reviews. Originality/value As the numbers of online reviews are increasingly used to provide purchase decision support, it becomes crucial to understand which attributes represent average helpful reviews for movies. While previous studies have examined eWOM (online word-of-mouth) variables as predictors of helpfulness on movie websites, the role of the production efficiency of movies has not been examined considering the relationship between eWOM and review helpfulness for movies.

scholarly journals Research on the Influence of Emotional Intelligence and Emotional Labor on the Service Recovery Effect of Online Travel Agency

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiahua Wei ◽  
Zhiping Hou ◽  
Xiaorui Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Emotional Labor ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Travel Agency ◽  
Recovery Effect ◽  
Surface Behavior ◽  
Recovery Satisfaction ◽  
Online Travel ◽  
Online Travel Agency

At present, online travel agency (OTA) service failure events emerge continually, which makes the OTA service operation mode face new challenges. This study uses the situational experiment method to explore the effects of OTA employees’ emotional intelligence and emotional labor (surface behavior and deep behavior) on the effect of service recovery. The results show that the emotional intelligence of OTA employees has a positive impact on the surface behavior and deep behavior; the emotional intelligence and deep behavior of employees have a significant positive impact on service recovery satisfaction, but the positive impact of employees’ surface behavior on service recovery satisfaction is not statistically significant; finally, service recovery satisfaction has a positive impact on customer loyalty. This study helps to better explain the mechanism of OTA service recovery effect and provides a theoretical reference for improving the service recovery effect of OTA.

Jumia travel in Africa: expanding the boundaries of the online travel agency business model

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 1167-1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxime Weigert
Keyword(s):  
Emerging Markets ◽  
Business Model ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Travel Agency ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Side Constraints ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Online Travel ◽  
Online Travel Agency

Purpose This study aims to analyse the business model of Jumia Travel, an innovative online travel agency (OTA) that operates in African markets. Focusing on market conditions and consumer behaviour in sub-Saharan Africa, where barriers to e-commerce are strong and tourism is viewed as a non-essential activity, the study examines the ways in which Jumia Travel carries out its development objectives in Côte d’Ivoire and revamps the OTA business model in relation to market constraints. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a descriptive-qualitative method based on desk research analysis of corporate sources, including websites, annual reports, public interviews of managers and newspaper articles. It also draws on primary sources collected through interviews with the Jumia Travel Côte d’Ivoire country manager. Findings The research shows that the demand- and supply-side constraints of African markets compel Jumia Travel to acquire new skills and competencies to adapt to and capture the Ivorian travel market. In doing so, the company expands the boundaries of the traditional OTA business models found in developed markets, demonstrating the dynamic capabilities that drive OTA business model transformation when deployed in a technologically immature market. Research limitations/implications The Jumia Travel venture provides an insight into the constraints faced by an OTA at the bottom of the pyramid and in emerging markets and shows concretely what skills and competencies are required to overcome them. It is also a new experiment still in the early stages of development, and this limits the proper assessment of sustainability of its business model. Originality/value This study examines a unique experience: an unconventional OTA that concentrates exclusively on domestic and regional markets in sub-Saharan Africa. The business model lens brings into focus the operational limits and innovation opportunities of developing an e-travel business in the fast-growing markets of Africa, characterised by major supply-side constraints, the predominance of low-income consumers and a poorly structured travel industry. In this context, OTAs’ innovation challenge is no longer to disrupt the travel sector in differentiating from competitors, as was the case in the mature markets of the first world but to develop business processes suitable for operating in the constraint-based environment of emerging markets and capturing the rising demand for travel products. This involves co-creating value in linking African hotel providers and clients and increasing economic returns from this value through various business model adaptations designed for and with local consumers and partners.

Satisfaction with service recovery: moderating effect of age in word-of-mouth

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 470-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Moliner-Velázquez ◽  
María-Eugenia Ruiz-Molina ◽  
Teresa Fayos-Gardó
Keyword(s):  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Causal Attributions ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
Direct Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Multigroup Analysis ◽  
Online Word Of Mouth ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Effect Of Age

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is, first, to analyze the direct effects of the relationship chain “causal attributions and recovery efforts → satisfaction with service recovery → conventional and online word-of-mouth intentions” and, second, to study the moderating role of age in the relationship between satisfaction and subsequent word-of-mouth. Consumer assessment and behavior associated with service recovery is a topic of considerable interest for both academics and practitioners. Design/methodology/approach – From an empirical perspective, this paper uses a sample of 336 individuals who experienced service failure at a retail store to estimate a structural equation model. Additionally, a multigroup analysis allows testing the existence of a moderating effect of age on the hypothesized relations. Findings – Results allow to confirm the direct effects of causal attributions and recovery efforts on satisfaction with service recovery, and the impact of the latter, in turn, on conventional and online word-of-mouth intentions. Furthermore, the multigroup analysis reveals that age moderates the relationship between satisfaction and online word-of-mouth. Practical implications – In service recovery situations, retailers should concentrate their efforts at providing evidence of the failure as temporary and inevitable as well as offering material or economic compensation. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the identification of the most relevant variables influencing customer satisfaction with service recovery in a retail context. In addition to this, these results provide support to the importance of age on online word-of-mouth behavior.

Examining moderating role of personal identifying information in travel related decisions

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 621-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prerna Garg ◽  
Anoop Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Information Quality ◽  
Behavioural Intention ◽  
Travel Agency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effective Strategies ◽  
Online Travel ◽  
Online Travel Agency ◽  
Personal Identifying Information

Purpose The purpose of this study is to empirically verify the role of determinants of information quality in shaping attitudes and intention of respondents from major metro cities of India towards electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) using personal identifying information (PII) as a moderator. Design/methodology/approach For the purpose of measuring the role of information quality in predicting attitude towards e-WOM (moderated by PII), the study proposes and validates the research framework by collecting responses from 375 respondents with diverse demographics, belonging to select metro cities of India. Findings All the constructs of information quality have a significantly positive effect on attitude of travellers towards e-WOM. Attitude further impacts the behavioural intention to book via an online travel agency/agent (OTA). PII successfully moderated all the hypothesized relationships with attitude except review sidedness. Research implications The study offers a rationale to fill the gap between information quality and attitude as well as exploring new relationships using PII as a moderating variable. It further opens new avenues in researching the behavioural intention of travellers from metro cities of India with the disruptions created by Web 2.0. Practical implications OTAs in this competitive time must try to harmonize their systems to create content that is timely updated, unique, convincing and useful to build long-term relationships and generate continued revenues. Originality/value In the context of OTAs in India, this study has successfully identified the most relevant constructs of information quality and examined their effectiveness in creating a positive attitude towards e-WOM. The use of contemporary construct “PII” as a moderator will help marketers develop effective strategies for reducing anonymity in reviews and capturing the intention of experience-oriented travellers from the metro cities of India.

Does interest alignment between hotels and online travel agencies intensify review manipulations?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Chen ◽  
Tianwei Tang ◽  
Yongjian Li ◽  
Di Fan
Keyword(s):  
Search Engine ◽  
Travel Agency ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Travel Agencies ◽  
Interest Alignment ◽  
Customer Trust ◽  
Online Travel ◽  
Online Travel Agency ◽  
Online Travel Agencies

PurposeThis study examines whether a higher interest alignment between online travel agencies (OTAs; hosting platform) and hotels (business owners) will intensify review manipulation activities.Design/methodology/approachWith a panel data set collected from a Chinese online travel agency and a travel search engine, the authors develop a matching-based difference-indifference approach to examine the presence of partnership-intensified review manipulation.FindingsThe authors find that the ratings of agency's partner hotels (with a higher interest alignment) are abnormally higher than those of matched non-partner hotels (with a lower interest alignment), after they are benchmarked with their ratings on the search engine (without a partnership business model). Further, the analysis results indicate that this partnership-intensified manipulation deteriorates the hotel's sales performance because of damaged customer trust and satisfaction.Originality/valuePrevious studies implicitly assume that review manipulator is independent from the hosting platform. This is the first study examining the role of the hosting platform in review manipulations.

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