Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. Methodology and Results
4. Discussion and Conclusions
5. References
Abstract
This research explores the link between individual customers’ promoter scores
and their electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) behavior across different cultural
contexts. Two experimental studies were conducted to address key research
questions. The first study analyzed a dataset of 4,864 hotel guests, comparing
the intentions indicated by their individual promoter scores with their actual e-
WOM actions on various online platforms. The second study extended these
findings by collecting data from four countries (the U.S., U.K., China, and
Egypt) to examine how national culture influences the relationship between
promoter scores and e-WOM behavior. The results of the first study revealed
, that promoter scores significantly impact the valence of online messages. The
second study confirmed these findings and found that the influence of net
promoter scores on both positive and negative WOM is stronger in cultures
with higher levels of collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and
masculinity. These insights offer valuable theoretical and practical implications,
particularly for hotel managers aiming to effectively utilize customer feedback
in a globalized marketplace.
1. Introduction
In the current context, in which digital interactions between companies and
customers are becoming increasingly frequent, understanding consumer behavior in
the online environment is gaining major strategic importance. According to Reichheld
(2003), consumers can be categorised as “promoters”. An essential aspect of this
interaction is represented by e-word-of-mouth (e-WOM), that is, the transmission of
personal opinions and experiences in the digital environment, through reviews,
comments or ratings. E-WOM has the ability to significantly influence the perception
of other consumers and, implicitly, the purchase decision, which leads companies to
invest considerable resources in monitoring and analyzing this phenomenon. As a
synopsis metric, it has prognostic significance in evaluating an organisation’s growth
(Aguinis and Burgi-Tian, 2021, Rocks, 2016, Taheri et al., 2021).
One of the most popular methods of measuring customer satisfaction and loyalty is
the Net Promoter Score (NPS), introduced by Reichheld (2003). This simple but
powerful indicator classifies customers into three categories: promoters, passives
and detractors, depending on their answer to the question regarding the probability of
recommending the service or product to another person. Although NPS is widely
used in business, there is still debate about its real ability to predict concrete
consumer behaviors, such as generating positive or negative e-WOM.
This research aims to analyze to what extent the NPS score can be used to predict
customers’ e-WOM behavior, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Specifically, the
study investigates whether and how the promoter scores provided by customers are
correlated with the type of message subsequently transmitted online, over an
extended period of time (3 months, 6 months, 1 year). In addition, it explores how
variables such as the frequency and recency of brand interactions influence this
relationship.
1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. Methodology and Results
4. Discussion and Conclusions
5. References
Abstract
This research explores the link between individual customers’ promoter scores
and their electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) behavior across different cultural
contexts. Two experimental studies were conducted to address key research
questions. The first study analyzed a dataset of 4,864 hotel guests, comparing
the intentions indicated by their individual promoter scores with their actual e-
WOM actions on various online platforms. The second study extended these
findings by collecting data from four countries (the U.S., U.K., China, and
Egypt) to examine how national culture influences the relationship between
promoter scores and e-WOM behavior. The results of the first study revealed
, that promoter scores significantly impact the valence of online messages. The
second study confirmed these findings and found that the influence of net
promoter scores on both positive and negative WOM is stronger in cultures
with higher levels of collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and
masculinity. These insights offer valuable theoretical and practical implications,
particularly for hotel managers aiming to effectively utilize customer feedback
in a globalized marketplace.
1. Introduction
In the current context, in which digital interactions between companies and
customers are becoming increasingly frequent, understanding consumer behavior in
the online environment is gaining major strategic importance. According to Reichheld
(2003), consumers can be categorised as “promoters”. An essential aspect of this
interaction is represented by e-word-of-mouth (e-WOM), that is, the transmission of
personal opinions and experiences in the digital environment, through reviews,
comments or ratings. E-WOM has the ability to significantly influence the perception
of other consumers and, implicitly, the purchase decision, which leads companies to
invest considerable resources in monitoring and analyzing this phenomenon. As a
synopsis metric, it has prognostic significance in evaluating an organisation’s growth
(Aguinis and Burgi-Tian, 2021, Rocks, 2016, Taheri et al., 2021).
One of the most popular methods of measuring customer satisfaction and loyalty is
the Net Promoter Score (NPS), introduced by Reichheld (2003). This simple but
powerful indicator classifies customers into three categories: promoters, passives
and detractors, depending on their answer to the question regarding the probability of
recommending the service or product to another person. Although NPS is widely
used in business, there is still debate about its real ability to predict concrete
consumer behaviors, such as generating positive or negative e-WOM.
This research aims to analyze to what extent the NPS score can be used to predict
customers’ e-WOM behavior, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Specifically, the
study investigates whether and how the promoter scores provided by customers are
correlated with the type of message subsequently transmitted online, over an
extended period of time (3 months, 6 months, 1 year). In addition, it explores how
variables such as the frequency and recency of brand interactions influence this
relationship.
