The Effects of Product Involvement and Prior Experience on Chinese Consumers' Responses to Online Word of Mouth

The current study examined online word-of-mouth (WOM) communication in a different cultural setting (People's Republic of China). The impact of negative and positive WOM information was tested in relation to message credibility, brand interest, purchase intention, and forwarding intention. Consistent with previous research in Western countries, Chinese participants were found to be more likely to trust and pass along negative product reviews while they tended to develop stronger brand interests and purchase intention for products with positive reviews. Moreover, product involvement and previous WOM experience appeared to have significant effects on participants' responses to online WOM. Implications of the results and future research directions were also discussed.