Reciprocity and commitment in online travel communities
| Date | 11 March 2019 |
| Published date | 11 March 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-03-2018-0098 |
| Pages | 397-411 |
| Author | Daniel Belanche,Luis V. Casaló,Carlos Flavián,Miguel Guinalíu |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information systems,Data management systems,Knowledge management,Knowledge sharing,Management science & operations,Supply chain management,Supply chain information systems,Logistics,Quality management/systems |
Reciprocity and commitment in
online travel communities
Daniel Belanche, Luis V. Casaló, Carlos Flavián and Miguel Guinalíu
Department of Marketing Management and Marketing Research,
University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
Abstract
Purpose –With socialexchange theory as a basis, the purposeof this paper is to seek a betterunderstanding
of advice processes in online travel communities, which offer crucial advice for travelers’decisions. It also
predictsthat relational capital variables(commitment, reciprocityperceptions) moderate the mainrelationships.
Design/methodology/approach –Data from a web survey of 456 users of online travel communities affirm
the scale’s validity and provide the input for structural equation modeling and multisample analyses of
the hypotheses.
Findings –Higher levels of commitment reinforce the effect of following past advice on passive and active
participation intentions. Users’perceptions of reciprocity in the community strengthen the influence of
following past advice on active participation. However, a high level of reciprocity causes users following past
advice to reduce their intentions to continue following that advice.
Practical implications –Management tactics should specify active and passive participation in online
travel communities. Specifically, to encourage the creation of high-quality new content, community managers
should create interactive environments marked by high levels of reciprocity and commitment.
Originality/value –This research elucidates the role of relational capital variables in advice processes and
advances understanding of online travel communities.
Keywords Relational capital, Advice, Online community, Active participation, Moderation analysis,
Passive participation
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Online travel communities such as TripAdvisor are incomparable in their ability to facilitate
exchanges of knowledge among consumers (e.g. Casaló et al., 2011; Lee et al., 2014;
Sigala, 2012). Travelers share their travel experiences and offer advice and assistance
(Bilgihan et al., 2014); other consumers can readily read these contents using internal search
engines and effective content categorization (e.g. price category, kind of traveler), often for
free. Therefore, each visitor can read all others’comments, as well as participate in and
contribute to the community by creating new content and sharing experiences that may
guide other members’travel decisions.
Previous studies confirm that online review sites provide important information for
tourism product purchases and that advice shared within these communities increasingly
affects customer spending (Casaló et al., 2015; Hsiao et al., 2013; Liu and Park, 2015).
The online travel communities represent a helpful, interactive reference group that
consumers can turn to when they need to obtain and share valuable information (Guo and
Zhou, 2017; Malinen, 2015). Loyalty to online communities also influences members’travel
decisions (Casaló et al., 2011; Kim et al., 2004). Thus, online travel communities are critical for
both travel inspiration and planning (Google, 2016), and an astounding 95 percent of
consumers read reviews before booking (Travel Statistics for Tour Operators, 2017), while
59 percent of travelers say online sites exert the most influence over their decisions (Deloitte,
2015). In turn, research attention has centered on the role of technologies and social media in
the online travel and tourism sector (for reviews, see Law et al., 2014; Serra and Salvi, 2014;
Ukpabi and Karjaluoto, 2017).
Yet unlike brand communities –which establish structured relationships among the
admirers of a brand (Muñiz and O’Guinn, 2001) –or social commerce applications that rely
Industrial Management & Data
Systems
Vol. 119 No. 2, 2019
pp. 397-411
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0263-5577
DOI 10.1108/IMDS-03-2018-0098
Received 6 March 2018
Revised 25 June 2018
Accepted 14 August 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0263-5577.htm
397
Online travel
communities
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