eWOM a jeho vliv při nákupním rozhodování v oblasti gastronomie

This bachelor’s thesis focuses on digital review platforms in the gastronomy industry and their impact on consumer behavior. In the gastronomy industry, online reviews are a key factor in reducing consumer purchase risk. This thesis aims to describe how this feedback affects consumers and to what extent it influences their purchasing decisions. Understanding this topic provides practical value for both restaurant owners and potential patrons. The thesis is divided into a theoretical and a practical section. The theoretical section, based on a literature review of relevant sources, defines eWOM in the context of digital marketing. It further examines aspects influencing customer trust and decision-making, including the ELM model and selected cognitive biases, from which it synthesizes the current state of knowledge on the subject; and, last but not least, it describes the functioning of algorithms that detect and eliminate fake reviews. The theoretical part also includes a typology and description of how review platforms operate. The practical section is aimed at fulfilling the research objective of the thesis. The main objective of this bachelor’s thesis is to analyze the influence of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in the gastronomy sector on students at the University of Economics and Business in Prague (hereinafter referred to as VŠE).The following sub-objectives will help achieve the main objective: analyzing unstructured data from reviews of selected businesses downloaded from Google Reviews; comparing the UX/UI of the most widely used review platforms in the restaurant industry among VŠE students; and, based on the data obtained, formulating recommendations for restaurants regarding online communication with customers. The research results demonstrated a significant influence of eWOM on VŠE students, with Google Reviews having the greatest impact. Businesses should therefore focus on building positive reviews primarily on this platform and prevent negative reviews, which requires investment in friendly and well-trained staff. Limitations of the research include the homogeneous sample of VŠE students and the focus on only three selected restaurants in Prague. For future research, it would be appropriate to focus on the perception of restaurant quality based on their presentation on online review platforms or social media.