Purpose – The most important challenge for the Egyptian laboratories is to enhance their relationship with the customers and to increase their brand trust. Nowadays, marketers try to avoid the negative impact of NWOM and rumors on the customer behaviour and many investigations are done to avoid such outcome. The emerging of the social media helps customers to learn more and share information and interact with each other as such platforms are a dominant digital communication channel.
The purpose of this research is to measure the effect of NWOM and rumors on the relationship between the customer and the brand using this mediating variable (brand trust) to give satisfaction and to reduce the negative effect of NWOM and rumors.
Design/methodology/approach – The design of this research is descriptive and quantitative, primary data were collected through the E-Questionnaire method introduced by Google forms for applying the questionnaire through the Internet and filling it out by different respondents. Data were gathered from 340 laboratories customers. Hypotheses were tested using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS V26) for basic descriptive statistics, and (Smart PLS 3.2.7) for SEM-PLS modelling.
Findings – The results revealed that when using brand trust (BT) as a mediating variable, a significant negative impact on the customer brand relationship (Commitment, Intimacy and Interdependence) was found with respect to NWOM whether directly or indirectly but surprisingly rumours do not have such effect directly but have a weak negative indirect effect. The brand trust mediator the relationship between NWOM and the customer brand relationship. Also, from the interesting findings where that there is a significant relationship between independent variable and the mediator (BT).
Originality/value – This research examines empirically the effect of online/offline NWOM and rumours on the relationship between Egyptian customers and laboratories. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed for researchers, practitioners and marketers to use effective and efficient marketing strategies to reduce the negative impact of NWOM and rumours and to increase brand trust in customers' mind and so decreasing the negative impact of independent variables.