The Relationship between Online Trust and Consumer Generated Media

Case of Booking

Abstract

Companies have undergone significant transformations in the way they operate and promote their products and services, both online and offline. As a result of this evolution, the tourism sector has also had to adapt in order to differentiate itself and secure a competitive advantage. New and innovative platforms such as Booking and TripAdvisor have emerged, aggregating various services that tourism consumers increasingly use to plan and book accommodation. With the rise of these platforms and their growing use by consumers, Consumer Generated Media (CGM) has emerged in parallel, expanding rapidly and exerting considerable influence over the accommodation booking process. This research adopts a quantitative approach through a questionnaire survey, based on the Trust Building Model. This model is divided into three main categories: website-based, company-based, and customer-based antecedents. The study identifies the antecedents that influence online trust in CGM on the Booking platform and investigates whether this trust affects consumer behaviour, particularly the adoption of recommendations and engagement in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). The findings indicate that perceived source credibility, information quality, perceived website quality, user satisfaction with past experiences, and their experience and knowledge are the key antecedents affecting online trust in CGM.