What influences people's willingness to share their customer experiences(word of mouth) via social media?

Abstract

Electronic word of mouth is a growing phenomenon within social media marketing. There is no lack of research on the topic, and the literature review presented in the thesis gives an overview of the most relevant studies. Six hypotheses related to eWOM intentions were created based on these studies. A survey was conducted among 179 users of Facebook and a multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the result from the survey. Three out of six independent variables was identified to have an impact on the willingness to share customer experiences; sense of belonging, reciprocity and gender. None of the previous studies had been conducted in Norway, so this thesis gives us a better understanding of eWOM intentions in the Norwegian context. The result from the thesis could provide marketing divisions with information about the sharing patterns of their existing and potential customers, which they can utilize in their best interest.