E-WOM from e-commerce websites and social media: Which will consumers adopt?

The influence of user generated content on e-commerce websites and social media has been addressed in both practical and theoretical fields. Since most previous studies focus on either electronic word of mouth (eWOM) from e-commerce websites (EC-eWOM) or social media (SM-eWOM), little is known about the adoption process when consumers are presented EC-eWOM and SM-eWOM simultaneously. We focus on this problem by considering their adoption as an interactive process. It clarifies the mechanism of consumer's adoption for those from the perspective of cognitive cost theory. A conceptual model is proposed about the relationship between the adoptions of the two types of eWOM. The empirical analysis shows that EC-eWOM's usefulness and credibility positively influence the adoption of EC-eWOM, but negatively influence that of SM-eWOM. EC-eWOM adoption negatively impacts SM-eWOM adoption, and mediates the relationship between usefulness, credibility and SM-eWOM adoption. The moderating effects of consumers' cognitive level and degree of involvement are also discussed. This paper further explains the adoption of the two types of eWOM based on the cognitive cost theory and enriches the theoretical research about eWOM in the context of social commerce. Implications for practice, as well as suggestions for future research, are also discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.