Factors correlated with the perceived usefulness of online reviews for consumers: a meta-analysis of the moderating effects of product type

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhangxiang Zhu ◽  
Jiapei Liu ◽  
Wei Dong
Keyword(s):  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Source Credibility ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Product Type ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Review Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Perspectives

PurposeThe conclusions of studies on the factors correlated with the perceived usefulness of online reviews are inconsistent due to differences in research perspectives, research objects, research methods and data types. This study conducted a meta-analysis to verify a proposed model of perceived usefulness to obtain general conclusions.Design/methodology/approachA meta-analysis was conducted to study the factors correlated with the perceived usefulness of online reviews based on 51 studies.FindingsThe results indicate that, with the exception of negative reviews, the order of relevance for the perceived usefulness of online reviews is as follows: the trust tendency of review readers, review replies, review depth, review pictures, reviewer trustworthiness, positive reviews, reviewer expertise, review time and reviewer information disclosure. Perceived usefulness was significantly positively correlated with purchase intention. Review time, positive reviews and negative reviews were also more significantly correlated with perceived usefulness for search products than for experiential products. Review depth, reviewer trustworthiness, reviewer expertise and purchase intention had greater positive correlations with perceived usefulness for experiential products than for search products.Originality/valueThis study proposes an extended information adoption model based on argument quality and source credibility. The model includes personal factors such as the trust tendency of review readers, constructs a theoretical model of the factors correlated with the perceived usefulness of online reviews and considers the moderating effects of product type.

Moderating effects of age, income and internet usage on Online Brand Community (OBC)-induced purchase intention

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 367-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anurag Tiruwa ◽  
Rajan Yadav ◽  
Pradeep Kumar Suri
Keyword(s):  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Internet Usage ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Moderating Variables

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand the customer attitude and perception towards the online brand communities (OBCs) and purchase intention (PI). The paper also analyses the moderating effects of age, income and internet usage on the relationship among the proposed variables. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a multi-analytical approach through the use of structural equation modelling and neural networks to test the proposed framework. The information was obtained from 236 respondents using a web-based questionnaire survey. Further, moderation analysis, with age, annual family income and weekly internet usage as moderating variables, was conducted on the structural model. Findings The results of the analysis demonstrate that the multi-group moderating effect for different groups within age, income and internet usage have significant differences for the relationships between the independent variables content perception, perceived usefulness, critical mass, brand attachment and attitude towards brand and the dependent variable, PI. Originality/value The study is one of its kind to understand and analyse the role of moderating variables (age, income and internet usage) on OBC-induced PI.

The impact of source credible online reviews on purchase intention

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 142-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uttam Chakraborty
Keyword(s):  
Brand Equity ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Source Credibility ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Credibility Theory ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Mediating Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to highlight the importance of brand equity dimensions which act as a mediator between online reviews and consumer’s purchase intention. In particular, the present study tries to determine which the Aaker’s (1991) brand equity dimensions have the mediating roles between source credible online reviews and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from select e-commerce site’s brand community on Facebook social media platform through Google form application. The present study first determines the reliability of the variables. To check the unidimensionality of the variables, exploratory factor analysis has been performed. This study makes use of structural equation modeling bootstrapping method to examine the mediating effects of brand equity dimensions between source credible online reviews and purchase intention. Findings Data analysis reveals that marketers should concentrate more on brand awareness and perceived value, which ultimately influence the purchase intention of the consumers. Originality/value This paper is one of the first that examines the mediating effects of consumer-based brand equity dimensions between source credible online reviews and consumer’s purchase intention. Further, the present study integrates source credibility theory and attribution theory to develop the research model.

Usefulness, funniness, and coolness votes of viewers

2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 700-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
In Lee
Keyword(s):  
Source Credibility ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dependent Variables

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships between five characteristics of social shoppers’ online reviews (the number of all reviews made by a reviewer, the number of friends of a reviewer, the review score, the number of review words, and images/photos) and the usefulness, funniness, and coolness to viewers for the restaurant businesses and the health and wellness businesses.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 1,114 online reviews of social shoppers was collected from Yelp.com. A zero-inflated Poisson regression was used due to a high number of zero votes in the dependent variables for usefulness, funniness, and coolness. The regression identified the review characteristics that are strongly associated with the number of usefulness, funniness, and coolness votes made by viewers.FindingsThe analysis shows that for the health and wellness businesses, all three dependent variables (usefulness, funniness, and coolness) have the number of reviews, the number of friends, and the number of words as significant independent variables. The results indicate that a reviewer who has more friends and is more experienced in giving reviews is likely to be more influential in generating a perceived value of the online review. The analysis also shows that all three dependent variables of the restaurant businesses have the number of words as a significant independent variable. It is found that there is a negative relationship between the review score and the usefulness votes for both restaurant businesses and health and wellness businesses. The effect of the review score on the coolness votes was not consistent.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is the first research attempt in understanding social shoppers’ online reviews and their usefulness, funniness, and coolness to viewers, and therefore makes significant contributions to research and practice. The comparison was made between restaurant businesses and health and wellness businesses. The result indicates that for the health and wellness businesses, managers need to pay attention to social shoppers with a high number of friends and high number of words in a review. It is also noted that it is necessary to analyze review characteristics separately for each business type. However, as is typical in many empirical studies, this study is not without limitations. While the author limited the analysis of social shoppers’ online reviews to the five characteristics, additional variables may influence the number of votes, too. This study is limited to social shoppers’ reviews and the findings may not be generalized to regular customers’ online reviews. Future research should also examine whether similar results can be obtained at other review sites such as TripAdvisor and Zagat.Originality/valueDespite the potential significance of social shoppers’ online reviews, the critical mass of empirical studies still lacks in this area. For a more comprehensive interpretation of review characteristics, this study develops hypotheses based on the literature review on electronic word of mouth and source credibility models and investigates the effect of the five review characteristics on the viewers’ perceived usefulness, funniness, and coolness. Unlike previous studies focused on a single business type, this study compares the results obtained for restaurant businesses and health and wellness businesses and demonstrates that viewers in each business type respond differently to social shoppers’ online reviews.

Should I suggest this YouTube clip? The impact of UGC source credibility on eWOM and purchase intention

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mazzini Muda ◽  
Muhammad Iskandar Hamzah
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Structural Equation Modeling ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Source Credibility ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

PurposeIn spite of the increasing organic and interactive marketing activities over social media, a general understanding of the source credibility of voluntary user-generated content (UGC) is still limited. In line with the social identity theory, this paper examines the effects of consumers' perceived source credibility of UGC in YouTube videos on their attitudes and behavioral intentions. Additionally, source homophily theory is included to predict the antecedent of source credibility.Design/methodology/approachThree hundred and seventy two Generation Y respondents were interviewed using snowball sampling. Data were analyzed with component-based structural equation modeling technique of partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsFindings confirmed that perceived source credibility indirectly affects purchase intention (PI) and electronic word-of-mouth via attitude toward UGC. Besides, perceived source credibility mediates the effect of perceived source homophily on attitude toward UGC.Practical implicationsSince today's consumers have begun to trust and rely more on UGC than company-generated content on social media when making purchase decisions, companies may reconsider democratizing certain aspects of their branding strategies. Firms may fine-tune their marketing communication budgets – not only just by sponsoring public figures and celebrities but also by nurturing coproductive engagements with independent content creators who are ordinary consumers. Endowed with their imposing credibility, these micro-influencers and prosumers have high potentials to be uplifted to brand ambassadors.Originality/valueWhile consumers' purchase outcome can be measured easily using metrics and analytics, the roles of source homophily in stages leading up to the purchase is still elusive. Drawing on the rich theoretical basis of source homophily may help researchers to understand not only how credibility and attitude are related to PI but also how this nexus generates positive word of mouth among UGC followers within the social media circles.

scholarly journals Which cues influence the perceived usefulness and credibility of an online review? A conjoint analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Isabel Lopes ◽  
Nathalie Dens ◽  
Patrick De Pelsmacker ◽  
Freya De Keyzer
Keyword(s):  
Conjoint Analysis ◽  
Product Category ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Online Review ◽  
Large Set ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Argument Strength

PurposeThis study aims to assess the relative importance of the argument strength, argument sidedness, writing quality, number of arguments, rated review usefulness, summary review rating and number of reviews in determining the perceived usefulness and credibility of an online review. Additionally, the authors use insights from the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) to explore the effect of consumers' product category involvement on the cues' relative importance.Design/methodology/approachA conjoint analysis (N = 287) is used to study the relative importance of the seven previously mentioned attributes. A balanced orthogonal design generated eight cards that correspond to individual reviews. Respondents scored all eight cards in a random order for perceived usefulness and credibility.FindingsOverall, argument strength is the most important cue, while summary review rating and the number of reviews are the least important for perceived review usefulness and credibility. The number of arguments is more important for people who are more highly involved with the product, while writing quality and rated review usefulness are relatively more important for the low-involvement group.Originality/valueThis study provides a comprehensive test of how consumers perceive online reviews, as it the first to the authors’ knowledge to simultaneously investigate a large set of cues using conjoint analysis. This method allows for the implicit valuation (utility) of the individual cues, revealing the cues' relative importance, in a setting that comes close to a real-life context. Besides, insights of the ELM are used to understand how the relative importance of cues differs depending on the level of review readers' product category involvement.

Attractiveness, trustworthiness and expertise – social influencers’ winning formula?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus-Peter Wiedmann ◽  
Walter von Mettenheim
Keyword(s):  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Source Credibility ◽  
Brand Image ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Price Premium ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Brand Trust ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Satisfaction

Purpose The importance of influencer marketing is constantly growing. However, little empirical research has examined influencers’ success requirements. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring whether the requirements of influencers’ attractiveness, expertise and trustworthiness are relevant for online influencer campaigns. An entry-level luxury fashion brand is the focus of the experiment. Design/methodology/approach A total of 288 participants completed an online survey evaluating the profiles of influencers who varied in terms of the three abovementioned requirements. The impacts of these requirements on brand image, brand satisfaction and brand trust as well as purchase intention and price premium were tested via structural equation modeling. Findings The results show that the most important requirement is trustworthiness, followed by attractiveness; surprisingly, the relevance of expertise is virtually nil. Research limitations/implications To date, practitioners are still struggling with the success requirements of influencer marketing. They have focused on traditional advertising models and numeric requirements such as the amount of followers. However, regarding merely these requirements can result in wrong decisions. Considering the two requirements, attractiveness and trustworthiness, in a stronger way can provide a remedy to this struggle. In future research, the relevance of the requirements in different involvement conditions and for non-attractiveness-related products might be investigated. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to explore the success requirements that are directly related to influencers (e.g. attractiveness) rather than numeric requirements of their profiles (e.g. page rank) and the impacts of those requirements on brand image, brand satisfaction and brand trust as well as purchase intention and price premium. It adapts the Source-Credibility Model for influencers and shows that its requirements interact in a unique way that is counterintuitive and different from other endorser types such as celebrities or salespersons.

Effects of cause-related marketing campaigns on consumer purchase behavior among French millennials

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 923-943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Partouche ◽  
Saeedeh Vessal ◽  
Insaf Khelladi ◽  
Sylvaine Castellano ◽  
Georgia Sakka
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Regulatory Focus ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Product Type ◽  
Purchase Behavior ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cause Related Marketing ◽  
Behavior Study ◽  
Hedonic Products

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of cause-related marketing (CRM) campaigns on consumer purchase behavior among French millennials contrasted with their international counterparts. Based on the regulatory-focus theory, the influence of the types of arguments and products is tested on French millennials’ attitudes, intentions and behaviors in the context of CRM campaigns. Design/methodology/approach Three experimental studies among French millennials examine the effects of a CRM campaign vs non-CRM one on purchase behavior (study 1) through varying the formulation of the argument (promotion or prevention – study 2) and the nature of the advertised product (utilitarian or hedonic – study 3). Findings The results reveal French millennials’ favorable attitude and greater purchase intention for products carrying CRM messages, displaying similarities with American and Dutch millennials. When exposed to CRM advertising with promotion messages for hedonic products, French millennials, similarly to their South African and American counterparts, show greater purchase intentions, exhibiting cause sensitivity with hedonic products to reach aspirational goals. Research limitations/implications Inconsistent findings related to French millennials’ willingness to pay are linked to possible message formulation and product nature biases. The study contributes to the CRM literature by bridging regulatory focus and product type in a CRM campaign context, while contrasting millennials’ perceptions from diverse countries. Practical implications To improve CRM effectiveness toward millennials, firms must ensure the consistency between the causes, types of messages and products. Social implications CRM campaign efficiency is enhanced when promoted by brands, thereby increasing millennials’ engagement toward the causes. Originality/value This paper is the first to explore, in a single study, CRM campaign regulatory focus and product type among French millennials compared with their international counterparts.

scholarly journals Examining the effects of interorganizational learning on performance: a meta-analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 574-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anni Rajala
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Interorganizational Learning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Research Designs ◽  
Different Types ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Relationship learning is viewed as an important factor in enhancing competitiveness and an important determinant of profitability in relationships. Prior studies have acknowledged the positive effects of interorganizational learning on performance, but the performance measures applied have varied. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between interorganizational learning and different types of performance. The paper also goes beyond direct effects by investigating the moderating effects of different research designs. Design/methodology/approach This paper applies a meta-analytic approach to systematically analyze 21 independent studies (N = 4,618) to reveal the relationship between interorganizational learning and performance. Findings The findings indicate that interorganizational learning is an important predictor of performance, and that the effects of interorganizational learning on performance differ in magnitude under different research conditions. Research limitations/implications The paper focuses on interorganizational learning, and during the data collection, some related topics were excluded from the data search to retain the focus on learning. Practical implications The study evinces the breadth of the field of interorganizational learning and how different research designs affect research results. Moreover, this meta-analysis indicates the need for greater clarity when defining the concepts used in studies and for definitions of the concepts applied in the field of interorganizational learning to be unified. Originality/value This study is the first to meta-analytically synthesize literature on interorganizational learning. It also illuminates new perspectives for future studies within this field.

The role of virtual try-on technology in online purchase decision from consumers’ aspect

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 529-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingting Zhang ◽  
William Yu Chung Wang ◽  
Ling Cao ◽  
Yan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Decision Process ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Purchase Decision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Purchase ◽  
Online Retailers ◽  
Integrative View

Purpose Online shopping has continued to grow in popularity, and the advance of internet technology has enhanced customers’ experiences. One technology online retailers have been using to increase sales is virtual try-on (VTO). The purpose of this paper is to investigate how such technology affects online consumers’ purchase decision process towards purchase intention, especially from an integration of utilitarian, hedonic and risk perspectives, by using advanced partial least square (PLS) approaches. Design/methodology/approach This study applied a web-based survey approach for data collection from online apparel retailing websites. The survey instrument was developed by adapting previously validated measurement items. The valid data collected were analysed using PLS with multi-group analyses. Advanced PLS techniques such as examination of discriminant validity using heterotrait-monotrait ratio, tests of out-of-sample prediction performance, and measurement invariance of composite models were applied. Findings The results of examining the proposed model reveal that customers’ attitude towards VTO technology can affect their intention to purchase a garment online, which is affected by perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment and perceived privacy risk. Perceived ease of use is found to affect perceived usefulness and perceived helpfulness. The results also show no significant differences among age groups and genders in terms of the role of VTO technology in the full decision process towards online purchase intention. Originality/value This study enhances the understanding of the roles that VTO technology plays in consumers’ online purchase intention by providing an integrative view of its utilitarian value, hedonic value and risk. This study demonstrates the feasibility of applying advanced PLS techniques to investigate online consumer behaviour, particularly in the field of VTO application in online retailing. Implications for online retailers and designers of VTO technology are also derived from the findings.

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