An Empirical Study: Factors Of Online Word-of-Mouth Influencing Users' Information Usefulness Perception

With the Internet providing more access to information, the users are able to use search engines freely for their interested things. They share their consumption experience in the virtual communities and disseminate information related the products or service, which is the online word-of-mouth (WOM). Although the WOM help the users improve the information asymmetry, the mass information has brought more uncertainty and risk for decision making. Information utilitarian means reducing uncertain information when users facing problems, and how much the provided information solve the problem. The eWOM present the network-oriented product information, which affect users' attitude and decision. Since the eWOM generates information content, it refers to the evaluation of information usefulness. In the Internet environment, the thesis explores the factors influencing information usefulness perception of users based on the dimension of the WOM sender, WOM receivers and information feature.Thereby, by review the general body of word-of-mouth communication literature, the author constructs the research framework of this article, mainly on the assumption that users take the initiative to search online information about electronic products and discuss the influences of the characteristics of participators of WOM such as senders, receivers, information content and negative WOM. This thesis employs the method of questionnaire survey and use the SPSS software to statistically analyze the data and verify the study hypotheses.The conclusions through the empirical study are as follows:(1):the expertise of senders and the tie-strength of the relationship between senders and receivers both have significantly positive influences on the users' information usefulness perception. (2):The WOM information from non-commercial websites is more easily perceived information usefulness by users. (3):Compared to the factual WOM, the effects of subjective WOM is more significant in affecting users' information usefulness perception. The more amounts the WOM is, the more significance the users get information utilitarian. However, the length of every single WOM doesn't help increase users' information usefulness perception. (4):Compared to the positive WOM, the negative WOM is more helpful in increasing information usefulness perception of users.(5):The negative WOM has positive effect on the WOM receivers'perceived risk, yet there is no significant relation between the expertise of WOM senders and negative WOM impact. The WOM receivers' involvement is not affected by the negative WOM.