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Electronic word of mouth 2.0 (eWOM 2.0) – The evolution of eWOM research in the new age

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  • Liu, Hongfei
  • Jayawardhena, Chanaka
  • Shukla, Paurav
  • Osburg, Victoria-Sophie
  • Yoganathan, Vignesh

Abstract

Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) has evolved dramatically in the past 20 years, and is substantially shaping modern consumer behaviors and altering marketing management dynamics across both consumer and industry markets. We call this evolution “eWOM 2.0”, as captured in this Special Issue. Ten research articles advance our understanding in how eWOM drives the continued development of digital communication across B2B and B2C sectors. This Special Issue further contributes to understanding the constantly evolving landscape of eWOM research and practice, and points to the future directions for eWOM investigation and usage. In this editorial, we first outline the reasoning behind this special issue, followed by the summary of the articles, and the reflections on eWOM 2.0. We conclude by outlining future research opportunities that will propel the field further forward.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Hongfei & Jayawardhena, Chanaka & Shukla, Paurav & Osburg, Victoria-Sophie & Yoganathan, Vignesh, 2024. "Electronic word of mouth 2.0 (eWOM 2.0) – The evolution of eWOM research in the new age," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:176:y:2024:i:c:s0148296324000912
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114587
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bartschat, Maria & Cziehso, Gerrit & Hennig-Thurau, Thorsten, 2022. "Searching for word of mouth in the digital age: Determinants of consumers’ uses of face-to-face information, internet opinion sites, and social media," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 393-409.
    2. King, Robert Allen & Racherla, Pradeep & Bush, Victoria D., 2014. "What We Know and Don't Know About Online Word-of-Mouth: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 167-183.
    3. Victoria-Sophie Osburg & Vignesh Yoganathan & Boris Bartikowski & Hongfei Liu & Micha Strack, 2020. "Effects of Ethical Certification and Ethical eWoM on Talent Attraction," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 164(3), pages 535-548, July.
    4. Chen, Ruolan & Yuan, Ruizhi & Huang, Bo & Liu, Martin J., 2023. "Feeling warm or skeptical? An investigation into the effects of incentivized eWOM programs on customers’ eWOM sharing intentions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
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    22. Ana Babić Rosario & Kristine Valck & Francesca Sotgiu, 2020. "Conceptualizing the electronic word-of-mouth process: What we know and need to know about eWOM creation, exposure, and evaluation," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 422-448, May.
    23. Casaló, Luis V. & Flavián, Carlos & Ibáñez-Sánchez, Sergio, 2020. "Influencers on Instagram: Antecedents and consequences of opinion leadership," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 510-519.
    24. Lim, Weng Marc & Ahmed, Pervaiz Khalid & Ali, Md Yunus, 2022. "Giving electronic word of mouth (eWOM) as a prepurchase behavior: The case of online group buying," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 582-604.
    25. Delre, Sebastiano A. & Luffarelli, Jonathan, 2023. "Consumer reviews and product life cycle: On the temporal dynamics of electronic word of mouth on movie box office," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    26. Marchand, André & Hennig-Thurau, Thorsten & Wiertz, Caroline, 2017. "Not all digital word of mouth is created equal: Understanding the respective impact of consumer reviews and microblogs on new product success," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 336-354.
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    33. Donthu, Naveen & Kumar, Satish & Pandey, Neeraj & Pandey, Nitesh & Mishra, Akanksha, 2021. "Mapping the electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) research: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 758-773.
    34. Liu, Hongfei & Jayawardhena, Chanaka & Osburg, Victoria-Sophie & Yoganathan, Vignesh & Cartwright, Severina, 2021. "Social sharing of consumption emotion in electronic word of mouth (eWOM): A cross-media perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 208-220.
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    3. Mladenović, Dušan & Bruni, Roberto & Filieri, Raffaele & Ismagilova, Elvira & Kalia, Prateek & Jirásek, Michal, 2024. "The power of electronic Word of Mouth in inducing adoption of emerging technologies," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
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    5. Maruva Mumanyi & Shepherd Mupemhi & Johnson Masaka & Amos T Munzara, 2024. "Impact of electronic word-of-mouth metrics on service provider choice moderated by organizational image: Insights from Zimbabwean polytechnics," International Journal of Business and Management (IJBM), International Emerging Scholars Society (IESS), New Zealand, vol. 3(2), pages 37-56, August.
    6. Reiter, Alan & Yildiz, Hélène & Mouline, Jean-Pierre & Vrontis, Demetris & Al-Kwifi, Osama S., 2025. "Convergence of reality and Virtuality: How virtual realism transforms player experience and behavior in virtual reality massively multiplayer Online games," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    7. Naimah Khan & Shazia Faiz, 2025. "Beyond Linearity: A Moderated Mediated Model of Service Journey Quality with Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Approaches," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(4), pages 21582440251, December.

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