Empirical Research About The Impact Of Automobiles’ Online Word-of-mouth On Consumer Purchasing Behavior

With the development of information technology and the popularity of theInternet, online word of mouth plays an increasingly important role in the process ofconsumer purchasing decision, and it is one of the most important basis ofconsumer purchasing behavior. Since automobile is a kind of high-priced,infrequently purchased commodity, consumers need to invest more time and effortto search relevant information, and thus automobiles’ online word-of-mouth have amore important influence on consumer purchasing behaviors.This article uses empirical analysis to study the influence of the automobiles’online word-of-mouth in Sina Automobile Website on consumer purchasingbehavior. Firstly, by drawing on previous theoretical and empirical analysis, thisarticle puts forward the theoretical assumptions of automobiles’ onlineword-of-mouth on consumer purchasing behavior and quantifies the varioussubjects through the establishment of cross-sectional data and panel data model.Then, this article do the empirical analysis of cross-sectional data models and paneldata model using the information of automobile online word-of-mouth to verify thetheoretical assumptions. Finally, this article analyzes the empirical results toexplore the psychology and behavior of consumers who want to buy an automobileand study the factors of online word-of-mouth that influnce consumer purchasingbehavior.The empirical results of this article show that the volume and the valence ofonline customers’ reviews have a significant positive impact on consumerpurchasing behavior. The valence of the word-of-mouth in automobile’s fiveattributes (appearance, interior, property, service and quality) have different effectson consumer purchasing behavior: the valence of the word-of-mouth inautomobile’s interior and quality have a significant positive impact. Finally, thisarticle makes the empirical analysis of panel data model and validates that onlineword-of-mouth of automobiles has a long-term significant effect on consumerpurchasing behavior. The research of this article enriches the theories of onlineword-of-mouth and automotive marketing research, and provides advertisingadvices for the automotive industry enterprises.