Abstract:
Purpose: Word-of-Mouth is a strong communication tool which is perceived as a credible source
by consumers. With the internet penetration now WOM is occurring in e-platforms such as blogs,
social network sites etc. This has given birth to electronic Word-of-Mouth or e-WOM. Though
WOM may occur from various recommendation sources based on various factors the choice of the
WOM recommendation source may vary. The research focuses on three objectives. They are to
identify the relationship between the perceived task difficulty and the tie-strength of the
recommendation source when making an online purchase decision, to identify the relationship
between consumer knowledge and perceived task difficulty and to identify the relationship between
internet experience and perceived task difficulty.
Design/methodology/approach: Data was collected through a questionnaire. A sample of
140 respondents was used to collect information and convenience sampling method was used.
Findings: Results revealed that consumers tend to reach out to both strong ties and weak ties
irrespective of the perceived task difficulty. Further as consumer subjective knowledge and internet
experience increases perceived task difficulty reduces.
Originality: Although studies have been conducted regarding WOM, no studies have been
conducted to understand the role of recommendation sources when making an online
purchase decision in the hospitality and tourism industry in the Sri Lankan context.
Implications: Thus word -of -mouth communication should be considered as a part of the
communication mix and organizations in the tourism and hospitality industry should focus on using
opinion leaders to promote products.
