자아일치도가 온라인 구전의도에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

Abstract

Due to the advance of various social network system platform, consumers come to share lots of information about products and brands online, and it helps consumers obtain unbiased information and consume products wisely. By examining the influence of self-congruency on electronic word-of-mouth(which is known as e-WOM), At this point, this study suggests higher motives for e-WOM. Also, this study examines that perceived social enhancement can function as a mediating variable, and sets self-monitoring and tie strength on SNS as a moderating variable to find specific relationship between self-congruency and e-WOM intentions. In this study, self-congruency is measured by subdividing into 5 sets. The first self-congruency is measured by direct 5 questions about self-congruency, and other 4 types of self-congruency are measured by asking both self-image and brand personality and calculating the difference. The second self-congruency is actual self-congruency, the third one is ideal self-congruency, the fourth one is social self-congruency, and the last one is ideal social self-congruency. The followings are the findings of this study. First, the effect of self-congruency in e-WOM intentions is significant. The effect of directly measured self-congruency is positively significant. When self-congruency is measured by absolute difference model, all self-congruency is significant except the social self-congruency. Second, self-congruency has positively significant effect in perceived social enhancement. Except social self-congruency, the effect of actual, ideal and ideal social self-congruency in perceived social enhancement is positively significant. Third, ideal social self-congruency which is related to the desire to gain favor with others motivates the highest level of e-WOM among 4 types of self-congruency. This finding provides a basis that consumers spread the information about brand to express or enhance their self-image through online communication. Fourth, perceived social enhancement has positively significant influence on e-WOM intention. Knowing from this, both self-congruency and perceived social enhancement are motives for e-WOM. Also, perceived social enhancement mediates relationship between self-congruency and e-WOM intentions. This is also different according to how to measure self-congruency. In the case of measuring self-congruency directly, perceived social enhancement acts as a partial mediating variable, but in the case of actual, ideal, and ideal social self-congruency, it acts as a perfect mediating variable. Fifth, both tie strength on SNS and self-monitoring are not significant as a moderating variable, but high self-monitoring group shows higher R2 and β coefficient in the simple regression model than low self-monitoring group does.