Study On The Structure Of Customer Word-of-Mouth Communication Network

Through the research concerning with the word-of-mouth(WOM), the importance of interpersonal communication in consumer decision processes has been found by the scholars,word-of-mouth communication plays an important role in shaping consumers'attitudes and behaviors. Although word-of-mouth has received significant attention from marketing academics and practitioners, traditional researches on WOM are suffering from lack of suitable method to explore the complex, dynamic nature of WOM.In this dissertation, the structure of customer word-of-mouth communication is analyzed by taking under graduated students as research object in using the tools of social network analysis. Firstly, the overall structure of customer word-of-mouth communication network is analyzed from density, correlation and centrality in using the data obtained by the questionnaire survey. Secondly, the sub-structure of customer word-of-mouth communication network and the WOM diffusion mode are found by subgroup analysis. Thirdly, according to the WOM diffusion mode, the important actors in WOM network are identified according to the analysis of the point centrality, the betweenness centrality and the structural holes of actors on the basis of directed graph, the structural feature and characteristics of opinion leaders in customer word-of-mouth communication network is analyzed. Finally, according to the result of study, countermeasures of word-of-mouth marketing are promoted.This dissertation is an empirical research of customer word-of-mouth communication network, the results of this study reveals the word-of-mouth diffusion mode, and it could be applied to provide references for word-of-mouth marketing decision.