Actions are more than just words: Relationships between word-of-mouth, personal interaction, and product attachment

While the impact of word-of-mouth (WOM) on receivers is widely recognized, less is known about how participation in WOM affects purchase behavior. To address this literature gap, this study aims to empirically investigate the connection between customers' positive WOM intentions and their actual consumption behavior by considering frontline employees' personal interactions with customers and customers' global product attachment. Using data from 521 Chinese consumers in a retail shopping mall, we employed a hierarchical multiple regression model to test our hypotheses. Our findings reveal that, while the direct effect of positive WOM on actual behavior is not significant, customers' active interactions with frontline employees enhances the influence of their positive WOM intention on both a) purchase amount and b) visit frequency. Furthermore, we suggest that customers with high (versus low) attachment to global products heighten the positive interaction effect of positive WOM intention and frontline employees' personal interaction on purchase amounts only. Therefore, this study has implications for domestic and global retail companies to effectively manage customer WOM.