Online social influence: new technologies in hospitality communication

Article Sidebar

Imagen de portada del número Las comunicaciones en el nuevo paradigma de marketing.
PDF (Spanish) HTML (Spanish)
Published: 01-07-2017
Accepted: 19-06-2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7195/ri14.v15i2.1065
Keywords:
Ratings, Reviews, Customer decisions, Online communication, Social influence, Hospitality
Dimensions

Main Article Content

Diana Gavilan
(ES)
Complutense University of Madrid image/svg+xml
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5293-779X (unauthenticated)
Gema Martínez-Navarro
(ES)
Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9047-8010 (unauthenticated)
Susana Fernández-Lores
(ES)
ESIC, Business & Marketing School
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1164-0703 (unauthenticated)

Abstract

Internet has shaken up the tourism sector from the point of view of the consumer and of the company. Information is currently abundant and accessible; the traveler is more technological and has become an influencer. Thereby, ratings and reviews made by anonymous users on hospitality websites represent a form of influence with great impact on decision making that has transformed companies´ traditional communication models. This paper studies the mechanisms of social influence, specifically the role played by ratings and reviews in the choice of a tourist accommodation, taking into account the susceptibility of the user to the information that comes from others. An experiment was carried out. Conclusions reveal that ratings do constitute a critical factor in the decision, but are contingent upon the volume of reviews and that individual susceptibility to social influence moderated this process.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 2 (2017): Communications in the new marketing paradigm. Experiences, relevance, engagement and personalization

Section

Monograph

Author Biographies

Diana Gavilan, Complutense University of Madrid

Profesor Contratado Doctor Departamento de Comercialización
e Investigación de Mercados
(Universidad Complutense de Madrid)

Gema Martínez-Navarro, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)

Profesor Ayudante Doctor Departamento de Comercialización
e Investigación de Mercados
(Universidad Complutense de Madrid)

Susana Fernández-Lores, ESIC, Business & Marketing School

Profesor Asociado Departamentos de Comunicación e Investigación de Mercados y Métodos Cuantitativos
(ESIC, Business & Marketing School)

How to Cite

Gavilan, D., Martínez-Navarro, G., & Fernández-Lores, S. (2017). Online social influence: new technologies in hospitality communication. Journal ICONO 14, 15(2), 138-167. https://doi.org/10.7195/ri14.v15i2.1065

References

Amblee, N. y Bui, T. (2011). Harnessing the influence of social proof in online shopping: The effect of electronic word of mouth on sales of digital microproducts. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 16(2), 91-114. doi: 10.2753/JEC1086-4415160205 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2753/JEC1086-4415160205

Anderson, E.W. (1998). Customer satisfaction and word of mouth. Journal of Service Research, 1(1), 5-17. doi: 10.1177/109467059800100102 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/109467059800100102

Bearden, W.O., Netemeyer, R.G. y Teel, J.E. (1989). Measurement of Consumer Susceptibility to Interpersonal Influence. Journal of Consumer Research, 15(4), 473-48. doi: 10.1086/209186 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/209186

BrightLocal (2014): Local Consumer Reviewer. Recuperado de: https://www.brightlocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Local-Consumer-Review-Survey-20141.pdf.

Burnkrant, R.E. y Cousineau, A. (1975). Informational and normative social influence in buyer behavior. Journal of Consumer research, 2(3), 206-215. doi: 10.1086/208633 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/208633

Chevalier, J. y Mayzlin, D. (2006). The Effect of Word of Mouth on Sales: Online Book Reviews. Journal of Marketing Research, 43(3), 345-354. doi: 10.1509/jmkr.43.3.345 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.43.3.345

Cialdini, R. (2009). Influence: Science and Practice . Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

ComScore (2007): Online Consumer-Generated Reviews Have Significant Impact on Offline Purchase Behavior. Recuperado de: https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Press-Releases/2007/11/Online-Consumer-Reviews-Impact-Offline-Purchasing-Behavior.

Dellarocas, C. y Narayan, R. (2006). A statistical measure of a population‟s propensity to engage in post-purchase online word-of-mouth. Statistical Science, 21 (2), 277-285. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.393042 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1214/088342306000000169

Dichter, E. (1966). How word-of-mouth advertising works. Harvard Business Review, November, 131-44.

Duan, W., Gu, B. y Whinston, A.B. (2008). The dynamics of online word-of-mouth and product sales-An empirical investigation of the movie industry. Journal of retailing, 84(2), 233-242. doi: 10.1016/j.jretai.2008.04.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2008.04.005

Foro Económico Mundial (2015): The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015. Recuperado de: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/TT15/WEF_Global_Travel&Tourism_Report_2015.pdf.

Gutiérrez-Taño, D., Bulchand, J., Díaz, R.J., y Parra, E. (2013). Antecedentes del uso de los medios sociales por el turista: motivación, oportunidad y capacidad. Cuadernos de Turismo, 31, 153-173.

Hair, J.F. Jr., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L. y Black, W. C. (1999). Análisis multivariante (5a Ed.). Nueva York: Prentice Hall.

Lee, M. Shi, N. Cheung, C., K Lim, K. y Sia, C. (2011). Consumer's Decision to Shop Online: The Moderating Role of Positive Informational Social Influence. Information & Management, 48(6), 185-191. doi: 10.1016/j.im.2010.08.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2010.08.005

Litvin, S.W., Goldsmith, R. y Pan, B. (2008). Electronic word-of-mouth in hospitality and tourism management. Tourism Management, 29, 458–468. doi: 10.1016/j.procs.2010.12.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2007.05.011

Moe, W. y Schweidel, D. (2011). Online Product Opinions: Incidence, Evaluation and Evolution. Marketing Science, 31(3), 372-386. doi: 10.1287/mksc.1110.0662. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.1110.0662

Nielsen (2012): State of the Media: The Social Media Report. Recuperado de: https://postmediavancouversun.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/nielsen-social-media-report-20122.pdf.

Olabarri, M.E., Monge, S. y Usín, S. (2015). Cómo evalúan los jóvenes las opiniones de otros consumidores en Internet. El caso de la UPV/EHU. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, 70, 703-725. doi: 10.4185/RLCS-2015-1067. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2015-1067

Parra, E., Bulchandl, J., Gutiérrez, D. y Díaz, R. (2010). Intentions to use social media in organizing and taking vacation trips. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(2), 640-654. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2010.05.022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.05.022

Peterson, R. A. y Merino, M. C. (2003). Consumer information search behavior and the Internet. Psychology and Marketing, 29 (2), 99-121. doi: 10.1002/mar.10062 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.10062

PhoCusWright (2013): Travel Tech Trends. Recuperado de http://www.phocuswright.com/Free-Travel-Research/Travel-Tech-Trends-2013.

Rao, H., Greve, H.R. y Davis, G.F. (2001). Fool's gold: Social proof in the initiation and abandonment of coverage by Wall Street analysts. Administrative Science Quarterly, 46(3), 502-526. doi: 10.2307/3094873 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3094873

Reinstein, D. A. y Snyder, C. M. (2005). The influence of expert reviews on consumer demand for experience goods: A case study of movie critics. The Journal of Industrial Economics, 53(1), 27-51. doi: 10.1111/j.0022-1821.2005.00244.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-1821.2005.00244.x

Salmon, S. J., De Vet, E., Adriaanse, M. A., Fennis, B. M., Veltkamp, M. y De Ridder, D. T. (2015). Social proof in the supermarket: Promoting healthy choices under low self-control conditions. Food Quality and Preference, 45, 113-120. doi: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.06.004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2015.06.004

Serra, A. y Salvi, F. (2014). New consumer behavior: A review of research on eWOM and hotels. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 36, 41–51. doi: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2013.08.007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2013.08.007

Shim, S., Eastlick, M. A., Lotz, S. L. and Warrington, P. (2001). An online prepurchase intentions model: The role of intention to search. Journal of Retailing, 77, 397-416. doi: 10.1016/S0022-4359(01)00051-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4359(01)00051-3

Tuominen, P. (2011). The Influence of TripAdvisor Consumer-Generated Travel Reviews on Hotel Performance. 19th annual Frontiers in Service Conference. University of Hertfordshire. Recuperado de: https://uhra.herts.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/2299/7612/S128.pdf?sequence=1.

Vermeulen, I.E. y Seegers, D. (2009). Tried and tested: The impact of online hotel reviews on consumer consideration. Tourism Management, 30, 23-127. doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2008.04.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2008.04.008

Yacouel, N. y Fleischer, A. (2010). The Role of Cybermediaries in the Hotel Market. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Ye, Q., Law, R. and Gu, B. (2009). The impact of online user reviews on hotel room sales. International Journal of Hospitality Management, (28), 180-182. doi: 10.1016/j.ijhm.2008.06.011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2008.06.011

Zhu, F. y Zhang, X. (2010). Impact of online consumer reviews on sales: The moderating role of product and consumer characteristics. Journal of Marketing, 74 (2), 133-148. doi: 10.1509/jmkg.74.2.133 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.74.2.133