• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.75-84
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• 2006

The internet has the capabilities of supporting and facilitating several forms of consumer interaction including one-to-one, one to many, or many-to-many interactions. Especially, previous studies revealed that the Online Word-of-Mouth communication is widely used as a source of customer's information seeking and purchase decision making. Even with this importance of the Online Word-of-Mouth communication on internet, few research has systematically addressed the issue. This study investigates the effect of interpersonal communication on consumers' information search activities and develops a model that depicts the key antecedents and mediating variables of interpersonal communication in internet shopping environment. The results are as follows: First, choice uncertainty, perceived risk, and knowledge uncertainty play an important role for perceived usefulness. Second, perceived usefulness has directly affected interactive communication of consumers' communication style. Thus, it is essential for internet companies to find ways to encourage their customers to engage in word-of-mouth communication.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.523-533
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• 2012

Website reputation is a key criteria for searches related to fashion product information and purchases. The greater the reputation of a website, then the greater the sense of community among its members; in addition, a stronger positive attitude towards the products influence subsequent purchases or WOM intention. This study reveals the influence website reputation and a sense of community for the WOM effect in regards to fashion products according to the type of the online shopping mall. The findings of this study are as follows. First, an increased website reputation produces a higher sense of community and perceived usefulness for WOM. The effect of the WOM was greater as the perceived usefulness of WOM increased. Second, the perceived usefulness of WOM had the greatest effect on the WOM effect. The reputation of a website had only an indirect effect on the WOM effect through the sense of community and the perceived usefulness of WOM. Third, the comprehensive mall had a greater reputation, but the WOM effect was greater with the fashion specialty mall. About the influence on the WOM effect, in the comprehensive mall the sense of community was more powerful than reputation of the website. In the fashion specialty mall the reputation of the website was more powerful than the sense of community.