Antecedents of word of mouth behaviour among female grocery shoppers in Iran

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on research on the antecedents of word of mouth (WOM) behaviour among Iranian women in the context of grocery shopping. Design/methodology/approach Using a survey instrument, the authors empirically test the conceptual model of De Matos and Rossi. Findings This paper finds support for the model and finds satisfaction, commitment, loyalty, trust, perceived value and quality to be significant antecedents of WOM. Commitment is found to be the most significant predictor of WOM. Research limitations/implications This paper examines only factors affecting the initiation of positive WOM; future research should examine also drivers of negative WOM. The study sample consists of female shoppers at Tehran branches of one grocery retailer. There is scope to extend the research to shoppers of other grocery retailers and to other parts of Iran. Practical implications The findings provide useful insight for practitioners in identifying the relative importance of drivers of WOM. This research suggests that satisfaction is the weakest predictor of WOM, and therefore, it is dangerous for grocery retail managers to rely on customer satisfaction metrics as indicators of WOM initiation. Originality/value This research appears to be the first study of WOM in the context of Iranian grocery retailing, a sector which is both fast growing and undergoing structural change.

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