网络口碑影响机制:信任的中介和性别及涉入度的调节

Effect Mechanism of Internet Word of Mouth: The Mediation of Trust and the Moderation of Gender and Involvement

网络口碑和在线评论已经成为网上消费者获取产品信息的最重要来源,也是影响其做出购买决策的最关键因素。但是,现有的研究缺乏对网络口碑的影响机制和作用路径的深入探索。开拓性地引入消费者信任作为中介变量,并将性别和涉入度等消费者特征作为调节变量,构建研究模型。采用在线实践后进行问卷调查的方法收集数据,并用结构方程模型软件进行模型验证与假设检验。研究结果表明:①在线评论的理性强度、评论数量以及消费者的信任倾向,显著影响其对在线评论的感知可信度,而感知可信度进而通过消费者对商家的认知信任和情感信任的中介作用,最终影响其在线购买意愿。②相比女性消费者,评论数量对男性感知评论可信度的影响更大,并且感知可信度对男性情感信任的影响也更大;但是女性感知评论理性强度对其感知评论可信度的作用更强。③与高涉入度消费者相比,在线评论的理性强度对低涉入者感知评论可信度的影响更大,认知信任对低涉入者购买意愿的影响也更大。然而,评论数量对高涉入者感知评论可信度的作用更强。上述研究结果蕴含着丰富的管理启示。

As the most important source, the Internet word of mouth and online review, from which Internet consumers get product information, have become the key factors influencing consumers’ purchase decision. But extant researches lack in-depth exploration of the effect mechanism and impact path of the Internet word of mouth. In this paper, a research model was established, taking pioneering consumer trust as a mediator and gender and involvement as moderators. The data were gathered by the method of questionnaire after online practice, and the model and hypotheses were tested by the Structured Equation Model software. The research results show that the rationality strength, the quantity of online reviews, and the trust propensity of consumers significantly strengthen their perceived review credibility, which finally influences their intention to purchase online, by the mediation of consumers’ cognitive and emotional trust to online retailers. Compared with female consumers, review quantity has a more positive effect on males’ perceived review credibility, which further has a stronger effect on males’ emotional trust. But female consumers’ perceived review rationality strength has a stronger impact on their perceived review credibility. However, compared with highly-involved consumers, the rationality strength of online reviews has a more positive effect on lowly-involved consumers’ perceived review credibility, and cognitive trust has also a stronger effect on their purchase intention, but the quantity of reviews has a more positive impact on highly-involved consumers’ perceived review credibility. The above research results have a rich managerial implication.