In eWOM we trust: Using naive theories to understand consumer trust in a complex eWOM marketspace

The relationship between trust and outcome-related responses to electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) is well -established in research. However, researchers' consideration and measurement of trust are rooted in, and limited by, the field's origins in studying offline, interpersonal word-of-mouth, a perspective that does not align with the reality of the eWOM marketspace. In this paper, we conceptualize, and offer evidence of, the eWOM marketspace as a multi-level, interconnected system shaped by multiple persuasion agents with overt and covert agendas. Analyzing data from 27 in-depth interviews, we explain how consumers develop networked, multidimensional assessments of trust and manage skepticism in this contemporary environment by drawing on naive theories and learning from experience. We contribute to a more refined, fluid, and experientially-rooted understanding of consumer trust, and trust assessments in the eWOM marketspace, and offer practical implications for review platforms and marketers.

Automated summary

This study introduces the concept of a multi-level, interconnected system in the eWOM marketspace and analyzes how consumers develop trust assessments in this contemporary environment. Through in-depth interview data, it explains how consumers manage skepticism and learn from experience in this context.