Hung-Chang Chiu

The Determinants of Email Receivers' Disseminating Behaviors on the Internet

ABSTRACT To investigate the determinants of the effects of a viral campaign, we employ the classical framework of a persuasive communication model, designated as “Who says what to whom in which channel and with what effect?” We also consider theories of consumer value, personality, word-of-mouth communication, and source credibility. On the basis of an experiment conducted in Taiwan, we find four main results. First, message recipients who receive emails from close interpersonal sources are more willing to forward them than messages from unfamiliar interpersonal or commercial sources. Second, those who receive more utilitarian or more hedonic messages are more willing to forward them. Third, those who score high on extraversion and openness and low on conscientiousness traits are more willing to forward a marketing message to others. Fourth, those who access the internet via a broadband connection are more willing to forward the message than are those who use dial-up modems.

All for one but does one strategy work for all

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how multichannel customers evaluate overall satisfaction across distribution channels and what the antecedents are of such satisfaction.Design/methodology/approach – A survey of bank customers in Taiwan was conducted. The total number of valid questionnaires was 479. Reliability and validity were tested. Maximum likelihood procedure of LISREL 8.8 was used to test the hypothesized structural equation model.Findings – The findings indicate that the overall satisfaction in the multichannel environment is a critical determinant of customer retention and participation. The present study also develops the antecedents of multichannel satisfaction. In the multichannel environment, perceived multichannel service quality is positively related to satisfaction, while perceived channel switching difficulty is negatively related to satisfaction.Originality/value – The present study employs the stimulus‐organism‐response (S‐O‐R) paradigm and the channel loyalty framework...

Viral Marketing: A Study of E-Mail Spreading Behavior Across Gender

ABSTRACT Businesses use viral marketing to build traffic and website awareness. Despite the fact that there are some successful examples, it is not clear how viral marketing works. This study examines the drivers of e-mail spreading behavior, such as message sources, message content, and network connection speed. Gender is used as a moderator in this study. After constructing an experimental design, 384 undergraduate students were asked to read a simulated e-mail and answer a corresponding questionnaire. The results provide evidence that partially supports the hypotheses. Managerial implications and future directions are then discussed.

Purchase decision: does too much choice leave us unhappy?

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine how and when choice variety influences consumers’ willingness to purchase, according to a personal emotion perspective. The choice paradox indicates that although having many choices can be beneficial, it can also cause customer decision paralysis and unhappiness. This article proposes that the desire and motivation to process information vary from person to person, and emotional factors are relevant. Design/methodology/approach With a 2 × 2 experimental design, this study examines the influence of the interaction of choice variety with need for cognition (NFC) on positive and negative emotions, and then tests the mediating effects on purchase intentions. The sample includes 214 college students, assigned randomly to self-assessment questionnaires. Findings Both high NFC respondents in the high variety condition and low NFC respondents in the low variety condition exhibit more positive emotions than low NFC respondents in the high variety condition but not more than high NFC respondents in the low variety condition. Positive (negative) emotions increase (decrease) consumers’ purchase intentions. Research limitations/implications The experiment was conducted in a virtual store, which may not match real-life store environments or reflect participants’ actual purchase behaviours, so additional research should consider the influence of involvement further. Practical implications The results offer suggestions for developing more effective communication with emotions, increasing involvement to maintain consumers’ positive emotions and relieve their confusion, and managing product variety. Originality/value This article meets the identified need to study how choice variety influences consumers’ willingness to purchase from a personal emotion perspective.

Snowball to avalanche: : understanding the different predictors of the intention to propagate online marketing messages

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the determinants of successful online viral marketing. More companies in recent years have reduced their advertising expenditures on traditional media. Instead, they focus more on word-of-mouth marketing to reach their potential customers. Design/methodology/approach – A 2 (high/low utilitarian message context) × 2 (high/low hedonic message context) × 2 (message source: strong/weak tie strength) × 2 (channel: e-mail/blog) between-subjects experiment was conducted. A total of 363 completed questionnaires were collected in Taiwan. Findings – The findings are fourfold. First, the greater the tie strength between the sender and the receiver, the more actively they share information. Second, an audience is more willing to share a message with others when the message contains higher degrees of utilitarian or hedonic values. Third, those who are highly involved with the products are more willing to share information than those who are less involved. Fourth, those who acce...