Identifying, segmenting and profiling online communicators in an internet music context

The internet increases the importance of information dissemination, which can enhance the success of online and offline products. Indeed, in certain markets, online communicators can play a central role in influencing others' purchase decisions. Previous research has identified e-Mavens as one such group, but has not profiled them and has treated them as a homogenous group. From an online sample of some 2500 consumers, we identify e-Mavens and systematically examine their demographic, socio-economic and psychographic characteristics as well as their motives for visiting websites and disseminating information in a music context. In addition, cluster analysis identified four meaningful and distinct e-Mavens groups, which have implications for e-marketing research, e-practitioners targeting online music communities and the market maven concept.