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Marketing Consumer Behavior

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Added on  2020-05-16

Marketing Consumer Behavior

   Added on 2020-05-16

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Running head: MARKETING CONSUMER BEHAVIORBlogs and Customer Reviews and Their Influence on Purchase Decision ProcessName of the Student:Name of the University:Author’s Note:
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1MARKETING CONSUMER BEHAVIORIntroductionOnline blogs and consumer reviews play an increasingly important role in the consumerdecision making process. Today’s consumers spend significant time on reading online reviewsand blogs before purchasing any certain product and service (Zhang, Cheung and Lee 2014).Different online review and recommendation platforms have different functions, objectives andcharacteristics. The interactive online review and blogging platforms have facilitated thecustomers to compare the market offerings and search product related advice through onlineblogs and customer reviews. The study will discuss the influence of online blogs and customerreviews on the purchasing decision of the customers. Apart from that, the study will also discussdifferent customer review platforms, which have significant impact on consumer decisionmaking process. The study will assess the ways in which blog readers’ perception influence ontheir purchasing decision. DiscussionThe new generation of online applications, tools and approaches like online blogs, onlinecommunities, social networking sites and customer review sites have transformed internet fromjust a broadcasting medium to interactive channels. Such online approaches allow widetechnology-mediated social participation. Internet has become an effective online platform,which facilitates “social” customer electronic word of mouth (e-WOM). According to Yoo, Kim and Sanders (2015), online reviews and blogs have become a keysource of customer information and empowerment. The fundamental factor of social e-WOM isCustomer Generated Content (CGC). In the age of online purchasing, customers are more likelyto share their experiences and options on the brands, companies and products and services. It
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2MARKETING CONSUMER BEHAVIORultimately creates large scale e-WOM in the online channels. In this way, customers make theirpersonal experience easily accessible to the global customer community. Online reviews andblogs provide effective information the customers, which act as extrafactor for supporting thepurchasingdecision of the customers. On the other hand, King, Racherla and Bush (2014)opined that negative opinions on the online reviews and rating often hamper the purchasingdecision of the customers. Moreover, negative online reviews and blogs create a negativeperception in the mind of the customers regarding a specific product or service. It actuallyhampers the purchasing intension of the customers. Easy and free access to the information of online review and blogs has even weakenedthe power of marketing communication. Such information influences the perception, preferenceand decision of the customers much more than the information provided by the organizations.According to Filieri (2015), the interactive web has made it possible for the customers tocompare the market offerings of a specific product. It also facilitates the customers to look forthe purchasing related advice provided by another consumer as effective product review.Traditional ways of information search are being replaced by the internet based e-WOM. Thechanging nature of the customers always presents the business with its risks as well asopportunities. Organizations are forced to enhance its monitoring capabilities and quick responseto different review platforms for saving their market reputation. On the other hand, Chen et al.(2016) opined that online reviews and blogs seem to be more authentic source of informationthan those of information provided by organizations. The information on online reviews andblogs has a touch of personal experience, which gives authentic feelings to the customers. Suchauthentic online reviews and alternatives help the customers to evaluate the alternative products
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3MARKETING CONSUMER BEHAVIORand services in the market. In this way, it helps the customers in choosing the best alternativeand taking effective purchasing decision. Online consumer reviews are being increasingly popular to the customers, as it seems tobe a low cost means of making more purchased decision. According to Zhao et al. (2015), almost81% customers read customer reviews and ratings of the products and services before they makeany purchase. Furthermore, around 1 in 3 customers contribute in online comment and forum onblogs. As per Cheng and Ho (2015), the intension of the consumers towards achieving specificends like product information motivates them to seek for online reviews in the online forum. Theonline customer reviews and online blogs have reduced the time and effort level of the customerstowards seeking information about the specific product and service. Moreover, the customers canmake their purchasing decision within very less time through reading online reviews and blogs.On the other hand, Moore (2015) opined that customers often show uncertainty in theirpurchasing decision. Online rating and reviews facilitate the customers to realize the fitness ofthe products and services with their specific requirements. Hence, consumers are more likely tospendmoretime in reading the online reviews and blogs before purchasing any specificproduct or service. Apart from relying on the brand image of the company, customers are more likely to seekfor information from former customers. It actually reduces the anonymous risks associated withthe purchasing actions of the customers. The customers always perceive the information ofonline reviews and blogs as more trustworthy and reliable than the company information.Customer reviews can give a reassurance to the customers that they have made right and risk freechoice of products and services. As per Hennig-Thurau, Wiertz and Feldhaus (2015), 87% ofpeople want a business to reach at 3-5 stars rating in order to use them. Hence, they always check
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