The Correlation Study Between Online Comments' Credibility,Perceived Risk,and Consumer Behavior On OTAs:A Case Of Ukrainian Travel-planning Website

With the fast development of the modern technology,the impact of the electronic"word of mouth"(eWOM)surpasses a much more important role for the influencing of WOM's traditional personal communication on consumer decision-making.As hotel and tourist products and services contain more interpersonal interactions that consumers usually experience,eWOM's influence in the hospitality industry is more significant than in other industries.The "herd mentality" of the "social group sense demand" offered by Maslow's demand level shows that the credibility of the "opinion leader" of the OTA contains a great influence on the consumers' perception of the product.In this study,we examine the relationship between the authority of the source of eWOM,the perceived risk of customers and their intentions regarding the use of consumer media.The result of this study shows that:(1)eWOM source credibility has a great influence on the overall perceived risk of the review readers;(2)OTA enterprises can enhance consumer decision-making by advanced eWOM management;(3)eWOM rational management can reduce the overall potential risk in the consumer market.The study illustrates that consumers who use eWOM could well manage and reduce potential risks when making decisions.Academically the study confirms the significance of the eWOM effect and links the gap in previous literature sources between the credibility of the eWOM source and the alleged risk studies.In practice,hoteliers can establish their own marketing strategies that are tailored to the needs of consumers,and can create a good reputation through the OTAs,online forums and sites for reviewing hotels.