| Abstract [eng] |
There is a steady increase in studies on consumer behavior and intention to buy in the marketing field. This demonstrates the importance of consumer behavior in research and the management of corporate organizations. Increasing digitalization creates a global marketplace where different companies and brands present their products and services. Besides that, consumers increasingly share their personal experiences through various online reviews. As a result, E-WOM communication is gaining ground and is increasingly used to express personal experiences and opinions, which are considered even more effective than traditional WOM communication. For this reason, to further research in this area, this thesis aims to empirically determine whether online feedback from influencers and consumers when purchasing hedonistic or utilitarian goods impacts consumers' cognitive dissonance and repurchase intention. The main object of the study is online reviews by opinion leaders and consumers. In order to ensure the quality and reliability of the research work, the objectives of the study are to analyze the scientific literature and to identify cognitive dissonance as the dependent variable and intention to purchase in the future as the outcome variable in the context of opinion leaders' and consumers' feedback. Also, based on the objectives of the research work, the concept of utilitarian goods and consumer knowledge and involvement in consumer behavior was identified. Research methodology and a conceptual research model have been developed to ensure the consistency of the empirical research and to be used as a basis for the empirical part of the Master's thesis. Based on the objectives of the thesis, the study also empirically identifies the influence of influencers’ and consumers’ feedback on consumers' cognitive dissonance and future purchase intention. Based on the structured results of the empirical study, conclusions and recommendations are presented. The chosen type of research is a structured, remote, pre-designed survey with a closed-ended questionnaire as the main research instrument to obtain qualitative and reliable results. The structure of the study is consistently structured in the three related parts. The first theoretical part analyses the information sources and scientific literature to examine the relevance of the topic, the issues, and the broader scope of the research area. The second part of the thesis develops the research methodology. The third part conducts an empirical study that examines the influence of opinion leaders and consumer feedback on consumers' cognitive dissonance and future purchase intention. The empirical study and the results of its statistical analysis lead to the conclusion that influencers’ and consumers’ reviews can influence consumers' cognitive dissonance and purchase intention. The study also shows that consumers’ involvement and knowledge of the product category may also affect these variables, trust in the source and message and hedonistic and utilitarian product categories. The empirical analysis enables the aim and objectives of the study to be achieved. The study also provides conclusions and recommendations to be drawn for companies, brands, and marketers. The suggestions and recommendations encourage attention to key aspects of the topic, which would allow for more effective and better marketing decisions. |
