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The use of various forms of ICTs (information communication technology) such as mobile telephones can foster the socioeconomic progression of developing countries. Contextually appropriate design and use are needed for ICTs to deliver value to various parties within the socioeconomic spheres of developing countries who have different needs and wants compared to those of the developed world. There is however scant empirical evidence of how various stakeholders symbiotically interact and create value in developing countries where large multinationals have limited access and engagement. Drawing on the theoretical lens of co-creation of value our paper examines how technology upgrading is achieved in the context of the Bangladeshi mobile telephone industry. In doing so this paper suggests technology upgrading can be achieved even without some of the key prerequisites such as financial, institutional, infrastructural facilities cited in existing literature. The findings offer useful theoretical and policy implications by providing deeper understanding of the interactions and interrelationships of those who have involvement in the value creation for mobile telephony and contribute to the development of effective business models and technological innovations for these marketplaces.

Purpose The influence of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) information, such as online reviews, on consumers’ decision making is well documented, but it is unclear if online reviews still matter in post-purchase evaluation and behaviours. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which online reviews (aggregate rating (AR) and individual reviews (IR)) influence consumers’ evaluation and post-purchase behaviour by considering the valence congruence of online reviews and consumption experience (CE). Design/methodology/approach Following social comparison theory and relevant literature, the authors conduct an online experiment (pre-test: n=180; main study: n=347). The authors rely on a 2 (CE valence) ×2 (AR valence) ×2 (IR valence) between-subjects design. Findings Congruence/incongruence between the valences of CE, AR and IR affects consumers’ post-purchase evaluation at the emotional, brand and media levels and review-writing behaviour. In comparison to aggregated rating, IR are more important in the post-purchase stage. Similarly, consumers have a higher eWOM-writing intention when there is congruence between the valences of CE, AR and IR. Practical implications The authors demonstrate the importance of service providers continually monitoring their business profiles on review sites to ensure consistency of review information, as these influence consumers’ post-purchase evaluation and behaviours. For this reason, the authors illustrate the utility of why media owners of review sites should support the monitoring process to facilitate the engagement of both businesses and customers. Originality/value The authors break new ground by empirically testing the impact of online review information post-purchase seen through the theoretical lens of social comparison. The approach is novel in breaking down and testing the dimensions of post-purchase evaluation and behavioural intentions in understanding the social comparison elicited by online reviews in the post-purchase phase.