The Influence of Word-of-web on Customers’ Purchasing Process: The Case of Xiaohongshu

ABSTRACT Word-of-web (WOW) today has become crucial to exchange marketing information between customers via online platforms. However, there is a lack of research on the marketing potency of WOW on customer purchasing process. This study employed expectancy-confirmation theory (ECT) and trust factors to understand consumers’ purchasing process using WOW on Xiaohongshu, a Chinese social media and e-commerce platform. Due to its popularity and representativeness among digital marketing platforms, it was chosen as a case study. The process is studied in three periods: pre-purchase, transaction, and post-purchase. In pre-purchase period, users are suspicious of WOW, though it can trigger high expectations with appealing display. During transaction period, people generally have a positive expectation confirmation of using Xiaohongshu to purchase F&B services and it was further discovered that moment-of-truth can contribute to overall satisfaction. Nonetheless, at post-purchase period, the intention of re-visiting restaurants is low while the continuity with Xiaohongshu is affirmative. The strong perceived usefulness leads to users’ loyalty to the app even with a negative catering experience. This paper contributes to revising and extending the application of the ECT model in explaining customers’ purchasing process based on WOW. It also helps marketers make adaptive management decisions regarding online marketing with WOW.