eWOM: The impact of customer-to-customer online know-how exchange on customer value and loyalty

This paper investigates the effects of a specific form of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) communication, customer-to-customer know-how exchange. on customer perceptions of value and customer loyalty intentions. In addition, the paper explores the antecedents of customer-to-customer know-how exchange overlooked in prior research: motivation, opportunity, and ability. The survey results from 616 participants of an online forum suggest that customer know-how exchange impacts customer perceptions of product value and likelihood to recommend the product, but does not influence customer repurchase intentions. Interestingly, opportunity did not impact know-how exchange, whereas motivation and ability did have a significant effect. Implications for managers and future research directions are discussed. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.