호텔 소비자의 불평 리뷰 유형에 따른 공감 피드백 효과

This study empirically investigates the impact of empathic feedback from hotels on customers’ behavioral intentions, specifically purchase intention and word-of-mouth intention, in response to negative hotel reviews. In the service industry, empathy plays a pivotal role in building customer relationships and is particularly influential on third-party evaluations in online review platforms. To examine the differential effects of empathic feedback based on review type emotional, informational, and mixed the study employed a 3×2 factorial design (review type × feedback type) and conducted an experiment with university students in Seoul. The results demonstrated that, consistent with prior research on the effects of empathy, empathic feedback had a significantly positive influence on both purchase and word-of-mouth intentions. Notably, however, the effect was marginal when the customer review was primarily emotional in nature. Since numerous marketing studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of empathy and it is increasingly applied to consumer responses, identifying when empathy may lead to adverse outcomes is critical for improving consumer satisfaction. These experment findings suggest that empathy in service recovery functions as more than a mechanical response—it serves as a strategic asset. As online engagement continues to expand, managing the perceptions of third-party customers becomes increasingly critical. Accordingly, this study offers practical insights into the development of effective customer management strategies within the hotel industry.