“Don't Fail With Me. I Will Complain”! A Study on Consumer Negative Emotions and Behaviours

Abstract

This paper aims to understand the motivations of consumers in emerging countries to express negativity on social media, respect e-commerce service failures, and identify the most prevalent negative emotions revealed. In Study 1, 54 semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals who had recently complained about online stores on the X platform, and the data were analysed using content analysis. Study 2 employed structural equation modelling (N = 520) and drew on consumers who had complained on the X social media platform. The results show personal, social and consumer-to-company-oriented motivations for negative eWOM on X. The most recurrent negative emotions were anger and dissatisfaction. The results also revealed that gender influences consumer emotions and behaviours. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this study demonstrates for the first time that, from the perspective of emerging countries, a low level of negativity, that is, dissatisfaction, is a sufficient motivation trigger for consumer complaints and even to avoid new purchases from the company.