Abstract:
The main purpose of the study was to examine the role of word-of-mouth
communication in the purchasing decision of customers of digital decoders or
set boxes in Ghana using the customers of GoTV service providers of the
Cape Coast Metropolis as a case study. The mixed method strategy was used
to allow for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of the issue. The
structured questionnaire was the main tool for data collection. Both descriptive
and inferential statistics were used for the analysis. The inferential tools were
non-parametric test such chi-square, Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The
qualitative responses were analysis using content analysis based on four
themes. The results indicated that both traditional face-to-face and the
electronic word-of-mouth are actively used in the digital television market to
share information about digital TV decoders in the study area. The outcome
suggested that the face-to-face word-of-mouth dominates the electronic wordof-
mouth in the market. It was further observed that word-of-mouth, both
face-to-face and electronic, have positive effect on purchasing decisions of
digital TV decoders in the Cape Coast Metropolis. Face-to-face
communication had strong effects on purchasing decisions than electronic
word-of-mouth in the study area. The study recommends that marketing
department must encourage the customer service department to ensure good
customer service since it is complementary to their work. Also, the technical
team must improve upon the signal quality and also train more installers to
ensure proper installations to generate positive word-of-mouth.
