WORD-OF-MOUTH EFFECTS ON SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM PRODUCT JUDGMENTS

In this article, the effect of word-of-mouth (WOM) communications on product judgments is investigated. Additionally, the moderating influence of several situational, personal, and source characteristics are studied in three experiments. These investigations show that WOM influences short-term and long-term judgments. This influence is greater when a consumer faces a disconfirmation experience and when the WOM communication is presented by an expert. Interestingly, personal characteristics such as susceptibility to interpersonal influence and product knowledge do not appear to moderate