The Impact of Social Factors on e-WOM Behavior: Evidence from Five Asian Countries

Abstract

This study examines how social factors embedded in online communities shape electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) behavior across national contexts. Extending prior research on Japan and China, the study analyzes survey data from 278 online community users in five Asian countries: Japan, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. The research model links five social factors (bridging and bonding social capital, customer brand identification, normative and informational social influence) to three e-WOM dimensions: opinion seeking, opinion giving, and opinion passing. Structural equation modeling indicates that the effects of these social factors differ significantly across countries and e-WOM dimensions. The findings suggest that online community engagement is driven by both universal consumer motivations and country-specific socio-cultural conditions. This cross-national comparison contributes to e-WOM literature and offers practical insights for multinational enterprises developing e-commerce strategies in Asian markets.