The Internet is changing the nature and power of WOM(word-of-mouth) communications. The advent of the Internet has extended consumers’ options for gathering unbiased product information from other consumers and provides the opportunity for consumers to offer consumption-related advice by engaging in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). In this study, the determinants of eWOM effect were investigated and empirically validated on a cross-cultural basis. The model contains consumer characteristic variables (consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence, Internet shopping experience, Internet usage time), online review variables (perceived usefulness of eWOM, usage experience of eWOM, trust to eWOM), and the eWOM effect. This research attempted to examine differences in consumer susceptibility to interpersonal influence (CSII), Internet shopping experience, Internet usage time, perceived usefulness of eWOM, usage experience of eWOM and trust to eWOM between Korea and America, and to identify model for factors influencing eWOM effect explained by consumer characteristics and variables relating to eWOM on a cross-cultural basis. The empirical results demonstrated that CSII, Internet shopping experience, perceived usefulness of eWOM, usage experience of eWOM and trust to eWOM had a positive impact on the eWOM effect. However, the Internet usage time did not have a significant effect on the eWOM effect. The moderating regression analysis supported the moderating effects of national culture in several paths. Specifically, the effects of Internet shopping experience and usage experience of eWOM on eWOM effect were higher for the U.S. sample than for the Korea sample. In contrast, the impact of perceived usefulness on the eWOM effect is higher for the Korea sample than for the U.S. sample. shows the empirical results. This study contributes to the understanding of the eWOM effect. The main contribution is the specification, justification, and empirical validation of a set of interrelationships among consumer characteristics (CSII, Internet shopping experience, Internet usage time), online review variables (perceived usefulness of eWOM, usage experience of eWOM, trust to eWOM), and the eWOM effect. Most importantly, this study integrates a cultural effect that significantly moderates key relationships in the proposed model, reflecting the growing importance of Internet marketing in a global setting. The integration of cross-cultural differences as moderators of key antecedents of the eWOM effect is the key contribution of this study to emerging cross-cultural Internet marketing literature. This research is among the first to investigate the eWOM effect model in the context of cross-cultural comparison.

Keywords: 국제마케팅문화미국온라인 구전온라인 소비자리뷰인터넷마케팅한국