Purpose

This research focuses on the role of product acquisition cues in positive word-of-mouth (PWOM) content on social media, comparing the characteristics of different sources of product acquisition (purchased vs. gifted) and exploring whether and how they affect consumers' reliance on word-of-mouth (WOM).

Design/methodology/approach

The research model was developed based on the mental imagery theory. Two offline experiments and two online experiments were used to test the proposed hypotheses.

Findings

The results show that, compared to the purchased source, the gifted source evokes more positive mental imagery and greater emotional attachment to the product, resulting in greater consumer reliance on PWOM. In addition, the effect of the source of product acquisition on reliance on PWOM was stronger for experiential (vs. material) products and for consumers with higher interdependent (vs. independent) self-construal.

Originality/value

This research highlights the role of product acquisition cues in PWOM in influencing consumers' evaluation of WOM, while also revealing the processes inherent in how consumers process information through mental imagery. The findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of the antecedents of reliance on WOM and offer new insights and recommendations for management practitioners.

中文翻译：

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产品购买来源如何影响消费者对正面口碑的依赖：心理意象视角

目的

本研究重点关注产品获取线索在社交媒体上积极口碑 (PWOM) 内容中的作用，比较不同产品获取来源（购买与赠送）的特征，并探讨它们是否以及如何影响消费者的依赖口碑（WOM）。

设计/方法论/途径

该研究模型是基于心理意象理论开发的。使用两个离线实验和两个在线实验来检验所提出的假设。

发现

结果表明，与购买的来源相比，有天赋的来源会唤起更积极的心理意象和对产品更大的情感依恋，从而导致消费者对 PWOM 的更大依赖。此外，对于体验性（相对于物质）产品和具有较高相互依赖（相对于独立）自我构念的消费者来说，产品获取来源对 PWOM 依赖的影响更大。

原创性/价值

这项研究强调了 PWOM 中产品获取线索在影响消费者对 WOM 评价中的作用，同时也揭示了消费者如何通过心理意象处理信息的固有过程。研究结果让人们更全面地了解依赖口碑的前因，并为管理从业者提供新的见解和建议。