Coffee, Tea or me?

Coffee is the new tea! And, the credit for this paradigm shift can be given to eWOM (electronic word of mouth) - the latest talk of the town (literally). With the advancement of online technologies, the new form of word of mouth (WOM) is online WOM communication and is referred to as electronic word of mouth (eWOM). The new form of eWOM is different from the traditional WOM says Huete-Alcocer as eWOM offers a faster message conveying speed between the users, in which the messages are available online and are retrievable at any time. 

And the rise of Coffee in status is not a perceived thought but indeed proven by Samoggia and Riedel in their paper, 'the case of Coffee and health: Twitter data' published in 2018. The research studies the rise of the ubiquitous coffee from a humble commodity to a specialized snob value asset. By orchestrating a series of tweets, the researchers reveal the effect spread onto a larger audience and the sentiment analysis showcasing the influence the tweets have on changing perceptions of the audience. Thus from a purely utilitarian value perception, the modest coffee is raised to an exalted position by the sheer power of online WOM.

The tourism industry had taken the cue early and was perhaps one of the earliest to employ information and communication technology (ICT) to promote their offerings. Testimonials when backed with inviting locale shots grab the audience's attention positively impacting purchasing behavior. Much specific research has been carried out in the last decade that validates the impact of this new wave. Recently it has been found that eWOM has a significant and positive effect on purchase intention in the food and beverage industry.

Research in the last decade on the topic has laid out some major trends:

• Social media website is widely accepted as a suitable platform for EWOM by businesses
• Social media platforms are thronged by consumers for information seeking
• Social media website has successfully transformed consumers from passive observers to active participants

Peer opinion and experience on the social media website has become one of the most useful information sources for the consumers, as compared to company-generated information

• Social media website allows Internet users to communicate with their networks, share their thoughts using written text, pictures or videos easily through forwarding posts or sharing them through other mobile applications

eWOM has always been considered as one of the most influential factors in affecting consumer decision-making. Similarly, the increased number of consumers sharing their thoughts on social media has given eWOM the ability to influence consumers' purchase intentions. Not all eWOM is intentional. Simple likes, comments, shares of posts could boost up brand value unintentionally as well. Advertising information can also be posted and shared on the brand's official accounts via social media websites. In general, the content on social media websites can be generated by either marketer or consumer, and both can spread rapidly among users.

So the next time you head out for a coffee date and post the smiling picture on the wall, rest assured you have joined the rank of influencers driving further footfall to the café.