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INVESTIGATING DEMOGRAPHIC AND PATRONAGE DIFFERENCES WITH REGARD TO THE SPREADING OF ONLINE WORD-OF-MOUTH COMMUNICATION ABOUT CELLPHONES
13 ABSTRACT
This paper provides insight into consumers' demographic and patronage differences (referring to cellphone networks service providers and general cellphone usage) and the impact these have regarding the spread of online messages through word-of- mouth about cellphones. Data collection was conducted through convenience sampling amongst consumers who have access to the Internet and who share opinions online. A total of 269 usable questionnaires were retained for data analysis. The results indicate that respondents do not spread information through word-of- mouth online, unless they know about the topic or unless their friends are talking about a specific topic. The results also reveal that respondents who speak an indigenous language (African languages) spread online word-of-mouth more than the respondents who speak the European (English and Afrikaans) languages. The study further reveals which online platforms consumers are using. All of the above provides marketers of cellphones with the necessary insight as to which online platforms they should monitor and how they can encourage customers to spread positive information online through word-of-mouth.
KEYWORDS
Online word-of-mouth, Cellphones, Cellphone industry, Cellphone network service providers