온라인 구전효과에 영향을 미치는 요인에 관한 비교문화적 실증연구
A Cross-Cultural Study on the Determinants of eWOM Effect
박철(고려대학교); 이태민(충북대학교)
35권 6호, 1617~1647쪽
초록
인터넷쇼핑이 활성화되면서 소비자에게 비치는 온라인 구전의 영향력은 점차 커지고 있다. 그러나 온라인 구전효과에 영향을 미치는 요인에 관한 인과적인 연구는 미미한 편이다. 본 연구에서는 온라인 구전효과에 영향을 미치는 요인을 소비자 특성변수(사회적 수용성, 인터넷 사용시간, 인터넷 쇼핑횟수)와 온라인 리뷰 관련 변수(온라인 리뷰 사용경험, 온라인리뷰 유용성, 온라인 리뷰 신뢰성)로 구분하여 제시하고, 이러한 영향요인이 온라인 구전효과에 미치는 영향력이 문화권(한국과 미국)에 따라 어떻게 달라지는지를 검증하였다. 실증분석 결과 사회적 수용성, 인터넷 쇼핑횟수, 온라인 리뷰 사용경험, 온라인 리뷰 유용성, 온라인 리뷰 신뢰성이 온라인 구전효과에 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났으며, 미국보다는 한국의 경우가 온라인 구전효과가 더 크게 나타났다. 또한, 인터넷 쇼핑횟수와 온라인 리뷰 사용경험의 경우 한국보다는 미국의 경우 온라인 구전효과에 더 큰 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났으며, 온라인 리뷰 유용성은 미국보다는 한국의경우 온라인 구전효과에 더 크게 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 실증결과를 바탕으로 하여 온라인 소비자 행동 및 국제마케팅 전략에 대한 전략적 시사점을 제시하였다.
Abstract
The Internet is changing the nature and power of WOM(word-of-mouth) communications. The advent of the Internet has extended consumers’ options for gathering unbiased product information from other consumers and provides the opportunity for consumers to offer consumption-related advice by engaging in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). In this study, the determinants of eWOM effect were investigated and empirically validated on a cross-cultural basis. The model contains consumer characteristic variables (consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence, Internet shopping experience, Internet usage time), online review variables (perceived usefulness of eWOM, usage experience of eWOM, trust to eWOM), and the eWOM effect. This research attempted to examine differences in consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence (CSII), Internet shopping experience, Internet usage time, perceived usefulness of eWOM, usage experience of eWOM and trust to eWOM between Korea and America, and to identify model for factors influencing eWOM effect explained by consumer characteristics and variables relating to eWOM on a cross-cultural basis. The empirical results demonstrated that CSII, Internet shopping experience, perceived usefulness of eWOM, usage experience of eWOM and trust to eWOM had a positive impact on the eWOM effect. However, the Internet usage time did not have a significant effect on the eWOM effect. The moderating regression analysis supported the moderating effects of national culture in several paths. Specifically, the effects of Internet shopping experience and usage experience of eWOM on eWOM effect were higher for the U.S. sample than for the Korea sample. In contrast, the impact of perceived usefulness on the eWOM effect is higher for the Korea sample than for the U.S. sample. <Table 1> shows the empirical results. This study contributes to the understanding of the eWOM effect. The main contribution is the specification, justification, and empirical validation of a set of interrelationships among consumer characteristics (CSII, Internet shopping experience, Internet usage time), online review variables (perceived usefulness of eWOM, usage experience of eWOM, trust to eWOM), and the eWOM effect. Most importantly, this study integrates a cultural effect that significantly moderates key relationships in the proposed model, reflecting the growing importance of Internet marketing in a global setting. The integration of cross-cultural differences as moderators of key antecedents of the eWOM effect is the key contribution of this study to emerging cross-cultural Internet marketing literature. This research is among the first to investigate the eWOM effect model in the context of cross-cultural comparison.
- 발행기관:
- 한국경영학회
- 분류:
- 경영학