Word of mouth vs word of mouse: Who wins?

Abstract

Word of Mouth has been one of the most trusted mode of marketing that has been most effective in establishing a brand. Brands can create Word of Mouth by getting a large number of people to try their brand, this can be done by giving free trials or by introducing small trial packs. Sometimes products are a topic of conversation because of celebrity endorsements or great advertisements this should always be backed by a great product which creates value for its customers. For example – Pulse Candy saw huge growth in sales because of its exceptional taste and people giving it a positive feedback But with the increasing number of people with internet access and surfing social media on a daily basis, there is another mode of marketing that has gained popularity which is the Word of Mouse. In this, people discuss a product on social media, forums, ecommerce site. Ecommerce websites’ rating are major influencers while buying a product nowadays. In a customer’s decision-making process, evaluating all the information available or getting influenced by external factors is an important part. Hence our study was formulated around the fact that a customer gets affected differently in the case of Hedonic and Utilitarian products. Since Word of Mouth is a more trusted source so, when a customer buys Utilitarian products, he likes to be well-informed and asks his family members or friends for feedbacks. While when it comes to buying hedonic products, which are bought for pleasure customer is equally affected by suggestions from friends and family as well as on something that has a high rating on ecommerce websites. We floated a survey to get response from people and then used the statistical tools available on SPSS to analyze the data. Based on the analysis we were able to conclude that Word of Mouth has more weightage while purchasing a Utilitarian product but when it comes to Hedonic products, people are equally willing to try something that has a higher rating and is recommended by people they don’t know.