eWOM: the Trusted Online Assistant? A Mediated Moderated Model

Recent trends in technology and hypermedia has resulted in the increased use of internet as source of information by consumers. Electronic-word of-mouth (eWOM) is a non verbal form of communication about product and/or services posted and accessed on websites by consumers around the globe. eWOM platforms are places where the actual non-verbal statements are shared which includes consumer-to-consumer sites (C2C), forums, blogs and social sites; typical examples are eBay, gittigidiyor.com and berbathoca.com. Nowadays eWOM is consider as the most trusted and influential source of information for consumers; because consumers like to hear the opinion of others especially those who had experiences with the product and/or service before purchase. This study attempts to analyze the three W’s (Who, Why and what). Who post/seek the eWOM? Why they post/seek eWOM? What kind of eWOM they post/seek? And the influence on consumer purchase intentions. Personal interview approach was used to collect data from a sample of 130 respondents, with varying levels of expertise with eWOM platforms and online communities. eWOM is a powerful marketing tool that allows marketing managers to reach and listen to customers. The main aim of this thesis is to help marketing managers develop strategies for their organizations to benefit effectively from eWOM platform opinions. Keywords: Hypermedia, Electronic-word-of-mouth, Platforms, Online reviews, Poster, lurkers.