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Opinion leader recommendations (OL’ eWOM) and Online Consumer Reviews (OCR) are the two most important ways to know about new brands on the Internet. This research analyzed which source provides more credible information: OL' eWOM or OCR. A sample of 146 university students was randomly divided into three groups (OL, OCR, Control Group) in an online experiment field. A Nonparametric Analysis of Variance (N par Test) with the Omnibus Kruskal-Wallis Test was conducted between groups with OL' eWOM, OCR, and CG. The results evidenced that OCRs are a more useful source of information than OL’ eWOM and when the consumer shopping experience was included, this influence is even stronger. As more online shopping experience a consumer has, the less they are influenced by OLs.

Opinion leaders and eWOM are becoming two of the most effective ways to launch a brand on social media by creating viral marketing. However, how much influence does an opinion leader’s eWOM (OL eWOM) have on consumer purchasing decisions? This research looks at the role of OL eWOM as well as the effect of its valence and product type on the decision to buy or not buy from a realistic experimental online store design. In total, 300 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of five scenarios in a 22 experimental arrangement. Results show that OL eWOM influences consumer online decisions when purchasing experience-type goods and the valence of eWOM is positive. However, if we compare the OL eWOM with a control group, then OL eWOM does not have a significant influence. This research provides novel empirical evidence for the limited influence of OL in modeling shopping behaviors in e-commerce contexts.

La lealtad de marca se define como la compra sistemática de una misma marca en distintas instancias de compra y la discriminación de estímulos como la capacidad de los individuos de diferenciar un estímulo de un conjunto con características similares. Esta investigación evalúa el papel de la discriminación de marca/producto por parte de consumidores con historias diferenciales de consumo de un producto de consumo masivo respecto de las distintas opciones en una categoría. Los resultados permiten concluir que la discriminación no es una condición necesaria para la lealtad de marca, de forma el hecho de que el consumidor pueda diferenciar una marca, ya sea por los atributos del producto o las características simbólicas de la marca, no garantiza la compra o consumo exclusiva de la misma. Los resultados se analizaron a la luz de las teorías del mercadeo y psicológicas del consumo y sus implicaciones en ambas áreas del conocimiento.