BOOSTING THAI RAILWAY'S REPUTATION: HOW INNOVATION DRIVES WORD-OF-MOUTH MARKETING: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IN THE THAI RAILWAY INDUSTRY
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Abstract
This study examines the relationships between product innovation, customer satisfaction, and word-of-mouth (WOM) in Thailand's railway industry through a survey of 401 passengers analyzed via SEM. The findings demonstrate that product innovation significantly enhances customer satisfaction score (β = 0.851, p < 0.001), which in turn strongly predicts WOM (β = 1.654, p < 0.001). While product innovation initially shows a positive direct effect on WOM (β = 0.844, p < 0.001), this reverses to negative (β = -0.546, p < 0.05) when accounting for customer satisfaction score, revealing partial mediation. Our research uncovers a precise 10:9 product innovation-to-WOM ratio - every 10% increase in adopted product innovation generates a 9% boost in positive word-of-mouth, through customer satisfaction score (mediated β = 1.408), with the model explaining 94% of WOM variance (R² = 0.944). Frequency analysis shows both moderate and frequent users significantly drive WOM: frequent users lead in recommendations (p = .011), while moderate users exhibit stronger positive emotions (p = .046) and referrals (p = .011). Both groups generate more social media mentions than occasional users (p < .05). These findings suggest that in the competitive railway industry, moderate users emerge as equally vital influencers as frequent passengers, suggesting customer engagement strategies should target this often-overlooked segment. Moreover, these product innovation collectively enhance service quality and customer experience by blending the practical (digital systems) with the emotional (sustainable design) in mobile ticketing systems, train cleanliness, and on-time performance, not only enhancing customer satisfaction but also organically generating WOM, which serves as cost-effective marketing.
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บทความที่ได้รับการตีพิมพ์เป็นลิขสิทธิ์ของคณะวิทยาการจัดการ มหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏอุดรธานี
ข้อความที่ปรากฏในบทความแต่ละเรื่องในวารสารวิชาการเล่มนี้ ไม่ใช่ความคิดเห็นและความรับผิดชอบของผู้จัดทำ บรรณาธิการ กองบรรณาธิการ และคณะวิทยาการจัดการ มหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏอุดรธานี ความรับผิดชอบด้านเนื้อหาและการตรวจร่างบทความแต่ละเรื่องเป็นความคิดเห็นของผู้เขียนบทความแต่ละท่าน
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