Purpose: The nature of digital media channels are important factors in explaining consumers’ behavior over the Web, and specifically on social network sites (SNS). The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework explaining consumer engagement with electronic word of mouth (eWOM) communication via SNS, based on key attributes of this media channel.Design/methodology/approach: Based on the expectancy value theory (EVT), a conceptual framework is proposed to model the effect of eWOM channel attributes on eWOM engagement process. Consumer eWOM engagement is conceptualized as a second-order construct. A structural equation modeling procedure was employed to empirically test the model using data collected from two social media communication channels.Findings: First, results suggest that engagement with eWOM can be conceptualized as a second-order construct based on user tendency to receive or share eWOM with other network members. Second, the path analysis model supports the employment of EVT and shows that two key attributes of eWOM channels, social capital and credibility, significantly affect consumer attitude toward eWOM via SNS. Attitude toward eWOM, in turn, affects eWOM engagement. Third, SNS channel type moderates the effect on attitude.Practical implications: Marketing communication practitioners should note that the strength of social ties plays a key role in spreading eWOM on SNS effectively. This insight should be employed a part of social media marketing strategy.Originality/value: This is first research that models the effect of social media attributes on eWOM engagement and demonstrates the moderating role of channel type. The model is highly valuable in light of the importance of the concept of engagement in internet research.

Social commerce facilitates conversations among buyers across the world and enhances eWOM sharing. This paper investigates the key roles of online shoppers’ culture (collectivism vs. individualism) and past experience as drivers of engagement with brand-related information sharing. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and consumer culture theory (CCT), a conceptual framework was developed and tested empirically. Data collected from a representative sample of online shoppers (N = 559) was analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. Findings reveal that shoppers’ experience is indirectly related to brand-related information sharing, and mediated by three TPB beliefs (attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavior control). These relationships were moderated by customer culture. The impact of attitude on information sharing was greater for collectivist shoppers, whereas the influence of subjective norms was stronger for individualist shoppers. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.

The strategy of inviting online shoppers to negotiate product prices has been employed by numerous online sellers due to its benefits for buyers and sellers. Social media facilitates sharing information regarding such economic benefits among shoppers, thereby generating eWOM, which boosts online social commerce. Yet not all buyers choose to embrace sellers' offers to negotiate product price. In the current paper, we employ consumer culture theory and the elaboration likelihood model to theorize the effects of culture and involvement on consumer engagement in price negotiation. Two studies were designed to test the proposed conceptual framework. Based on eBay transaction data (N = 498), Study 1 supported the hypothesized positive main effects of collectivism and involvement on shoppers’ engagement in price negotiation. Study 2 demonstrated, in a controlled laboratory setting (N = 468), the moderating effect of eWOM on these relationships. When other buyers shared information regarding price negotiation, the positive effect of collectivism on negotiation was mitigated, and the effect of involvement was strengthened. These findings have significant theoretical, practical, and social implications.

Social network sites (SNS) facilitate eWOM communication among consumers of different cultures. Building on contact theory and the theory of planned behavior, we propose a conceptual framework that integrates intercultural factors as predictors of minority consumers’ engagement with eWOM communicated by and to individuals of the dominant culture on social media. A partial least squares (PLS) analysis on data collected from the Israeli-Arab minority shows that intercultural factors (i.e., acculturation, social interaction, and language proficiency) are antecedents of minority consumer engagement with eWOM. However, this relationship is mediated by consumer beliefs (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control) concerning this behavior, and moderated by the cultural distance between minority and dominant culture consumers. The findings help marketers plan marketing communications that engage audiences meaningfully and generate positive eWOM when targeting ethnic-cultural minorities. The current study contributes to our understanding of minority consumers’ engagement with eWOM communicated by and to members of the hegemonic culture. It further contributes to consumer engagement theory and acculturation research by supporting the post-assimilationist view. The proposed model is highly valuable in light of the importance of the concept of consumer engagement in marketing research.