Danczné Bundság Éva (2025): A társas befolyás ereje: A hordamagatartás és az e-WOM hatása az online szállásfoglalási szándékra. In: Szalkai Zsuzsanna – Bíró-Szigeti Szilvia – Iványi Tamás – Kelemen-Erdős Anikó (eds.): Tudományágak kaleidoszkópja – a marketing, mint transzdiszciplináris terület. Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem, Gazdaság- és Társadalomtudományi Kar: Budapest. ISBN: 978-615-112-035-4 pp. 262–263.

Authors

• Éva Szabina, Danczné Bundság. Szegedi Tudományegyetem.

Abstract

The Power of Social Influence: The Impact of Herd Behavior and e-WOM on Online Hotel Booking Intention

Electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) has opened new horizons in information sharing with the rise of digital technologies and social media, particularly in the context of consumer decision-making. Online reviews play a prominent role in shaping purchase intentions, as they allow consumers to evaluate decisions based on the experiences of others, thereby reducing uncertainty. However, the credibility of information sources and the quality of argumentation are crucial factors influencing the effectiveness of e-WOM, given that reviews often originate from unknown users, which may call their authenticity into question.
Drawing on the theoretical framework of the Information Adoption Model (IAM), this study aims to explore in depth the mechanisms underlying the acceptance of e-WOM, with particular attention to how consumers evaluate and apply online reviews during their decision-making processes. While the IAM primarily emphasizes source credibility and information quality, the present research extends this structure by incorporating the dimensions of herd behavior to better understand social influence. Herd behavior plays a role when individuals align their preferences with the majority opinion, especially in situations where their own knowledge is limited.
To empirically examine these theoretical relationships, a primary research study was conducted using a questionnaire-based survey. The data collection explored travel and accommodation booking habits, perceptions and use of online consumer reviews, as well as the characteristics of herd behavior. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how social influence modifies the impact of e-WOM in online accommodation booking decisions, offering a new perspective for research on online consumer behavior.

Herd behavior Electronic word-of-mouth Information adoption Travel decision-making Tourism marketing

Language

hungarian

Details of publishing collection

Szalkai Zsuzsanna – Bíró-Szigeti Szilvia – Iványi Tamás – Kelemen-Erdős Anikó (eds.) (2025): Tudományágak kaleidoszkópja – a marketing, mint transzdiszciplináris terület. Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem, Gazdaság- és Társadalomtudományi Kar: Budapest. ISBN: 978-615-112-035-4 DOI:10.62561/EMOK-2025

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