The Impact of Restaurant Service Experience Valence and Purchase Involvement on Consumer Motivation and Intention to Engage in eWOM

ABSTRACT

This study examines how different service experiences lead to different motives and intention to spread eWOM (electronic word-of-mouth), focusing on the antecedent roles of restaurant service experience valence and purchase involvement. The findings reveal that consumers are motivated to spread eWOM for self-, other-, and company-focused reasons, and that experience valence and purchase involvement significantly impact such motives. Our findings suggest that highly involved customers have more intentions to provide eWOM following negative experiences and that customers receiving negative experience hope to influence companies through eWOM. This article adds to the body of scholarly research related to eWOM by identifying purchase involvement and service experience as significant antecedents of motivation to provide online reviews.

Keywords:

• Electronic word of mouth (eWOM)
• service experience
• purchase involvement
• consumer motivation