What Mobilizes Electronic Word-of-Mouth? Explanations from a Dual-Process Goal Pursuit Model

Electronic word-of-mouth systems play an important facilitating role in electronic commerce. This study attempts to address a lack of systematic understanding of what may motivate consumers to engage in electronic word-of-mouth activities by constructing and testing a dual-process goal pursuit model underlying consumers' initial participation in electronic word-of-mouth activities. The consumer's participation is conceptualized as a joint behavioural product of both conscious and unconscious responses to electronic word-of-mouth systems to pursue some goals that are either embedded in the participation process itself or endowed by the consequences of the participation behaviour by devoting multiple resources such as effort, cognition, and time to the activity. The consumer's habitual dependence on online communication and opinion leadership behaviour are identified as intrinsic goals that the consumer pursues automatically. Additionally, the consumer would also perceive and derive extrinsic goals based on the incentives such as status and economic rewards offered by the system and on her past consumption experience.