When profile photos matter: the roles of reviewer profile photos in the online review generation and consumption processes

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 391-412
Author(s):  
Jong Min Kim ◽  
Miyea Kim ◽  
Sookyoung Key
Keyword(s):  
Sample Size ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Online Review ◽  
Generation Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Review Helpfulness

Purpose Many online review sites, such as TripAdivisor.com, encourage review posters to upload a profile photo to improve the perceived reliability of online reviews. This study aims to examine the roles of reviewer profile photos in the online review generation and consumption processes. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected via Amazon MTurk. Two experimental studies were conducted. Study 1 had a sample size of 106 respondents. In Study 1, this paper examined the role of a reviewer profile photo in the online review generation process. Study 2 had a sample size of 482 respondents. In Study 2, this paper examined the role of a reviewer profile photo in the online review consumption process under two different circumstances, namely, comprehensive and incomprehensive review text. Findings The findings show that reviewer profile photos play different roles when consumers generate online reviews versus when they consume reviews. In the review generation process, reviewers are more likely to upload a profile photo to improve the credibility of their reviews. On the other hand, in the review consumption process, reviewer profile photos do not contribute to an increase in the perceived review helpfulness. Originality/value If the readers have difficulty processing the review content, review profile photos play a critical role in determining perceived review helpfulness. This study provides both theoretical and managerial implications by indicating how reviewer profile photos play different roles in online review posting and consuming behavior.

Brand equity, online reviews, and message trust: the moderating role of persuasion knowledge

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fayez Ahmad ◽  
Francisco Guzmán
Keyword(s):  
Brand Equity ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Review Literature ◽  
Online Review ◽  
Persuasion Knowledge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This paper aims to investigate whether a message from a brand with stronger brand equity generates more trust than a message from a brand with lower brand equity, and thus is more likely to encourage consumers to write online reviews. This paper also explores what happens when consumers become aware that brands are trying to persuade them to write a review. Design/methodology/approach Through three experimental studies, where participants were randomly assigned to a brand that has either a stronger or weaker brand equity, participants’ intention to write reviews was measured. Trust in the message was measured to study its mediating role, and persuasion knowledge of the participants was manipulated to investigate its moderating effect. Findings The findings confirm that consumers are more likely to write online reviews when a message comes from a brand that has stronger brand equity, trust in the message mediates the relationship between brand equity and consumer intention to write an online review, and persuasion knowledge has a differential effect on consumer intention to write reviews. Originality/value The study adds to the brand equity and online review literature by providing evidence that a higher level of consumer trust on brands that have stronger brand equity leads to an increased intention to write a review for the brand. It also shows that consumers’ awareness of the motive of the brand is more beneficial for brands with strong brand equity, contributing to persuasion knowledge literature.

The interactive effect of insight and cuteness in driving purchase likelihood: a lay belief of creativity

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Septianto ◽  
Rokhima Rostiani ◽  
Widya Paramita
Keyword(s):  
New Products ◽  
Interactive Effect ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
New Product ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Narrative Study ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Purchase Likelihood

PurposeWhile new product introductions can potentially promote growth and benefit for brands, it remains unclear how marketers can develop effective communication strategies to increase the chance of success for new products. The present research investigates the role of cuteness in leveraging the effectiveness of a narrative emphasizing an insight versus an effort in this regard.Design/methodology/approachThis research presents two experimental studies. Study 1 examines the moderating role of cuteness on the likelihood of purchasing a new product featuring an insight-based (vs effort-based) narrative. Study 2 extends the findings of Study 1 using different stimuli and establishes the underlying mechanism.FindingsResults show that when a cuteness appeal is present, an insight-based (vs effort-based) narrative will lead to a higher purchase likelihood. However, these differences do not emerge when a cuteness appeal is absent (a control condition). Further, perceived brand creativeness will mediate this effect.Originality/valueThe findings of this research contribute to the literature on lay belief of creativity, cuteness, and product narrative, as well as managerial implications on how to promote new products.

Shoppers' Intention to Provide Online Reviews

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 35-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sai Vijay Tata ◽  
Sanjeev Prashar ◽  
Chandan Parsad
Keyword(s):  
Online Reviews ◽  
Online Review ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Moderating Role

With an increase in e-commerce activity, online reviews have become a pertinent source of information for shoppers. Existing research is limited to examining select predictors of shoppers' intention to write reviews; however, there exists a gap in deciphering the role of review involvement in intention to write reviews. The present study pertains to the influence of the usefulness of site and product, and shoppers' satisfaction, and also on the intention to write reviews online. Besides this, the article also explores the moderating role of review involvement on the relationship between shopper satisfaction and their intention to post reviews. The study reveals a few interesting and counter-intuitive findings that add to literature and practice in understanding online review posting behaviour. Theoretical and managerial implications based on the findings are also presented.

Title redacted: the impact of negative online review censorship

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Stevens ◽  
Carol L. Esmark Jones ◽  
Mike Breazeale
Keyword(s):  
Product Information ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Online Review ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Relationship ◽  
Exchange Product ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Harmful Effects

Purpose Consumers are increasingly using review sites to exchange product information, whereas companies attempt to maintain control of brand-related communications. One method marketers may take to retain control is to remove negative opinions about the brand. This paper aims to examine the impact on consumer’s brand perceptions when negative reviews are censored. Design/methodology/approach Two experimental studies were conducted to assess whether censorship of a negative online review, in the form of removal by the company, weakens brand relationship quality (BRQ) dimensions. Findings The results show that censoring negative online reviews has a damaging effect on BRQ. Additionally, the findings indicate that a brand may not be able to increase BRQ when a negative review has been posted, however strategic measures can be taken to diminish the potentially harmful impact. Originality/value As many brands still do not adequately understand how to handle negative online reviews, this research offers valuable implications in furthering the examination of negative electronic word-of-mouth and ways to diminish its harmful effects. Additionally, while substantial research focuses on the positive consequences of brand relationships, this research answers calls to examine the negative impacts to BRQ.

The helpfulness of online reviews

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming-Yi Chen ◽  
Ching-I Teng ◽  
Kuo-Wei Chiou
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expression ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Attribution Theory ◽  
Causal Attribution ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Online Review ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Store Performance ◽  
Review Helpfulness

Purpose Online reviews are increasingly available for a wide range of products and services in e-commerce. Most consumers rely heavily on online reviews when making purchase decisions, so an important topic is that of understanding what makes some online reviews helpful in the eyes of consumers. Researchers have demonstrated the benefits of the presence of customer reviews to an online retailer, however, few studies have investigated how images in review content and the facial expressions of reviewers’ avatars influence the judgment of online review helpfulness. This study draws on self-construal theory, attribution theory and affect-as-information theory to empirically test a model of the interaction effects of images in review content and the facial expressions of reviewers’ avatars on online review helpfulness. Furthermore, the purpose of this paper is to identify an underlying mechanism of causal attribution toward store performance on the above effects. Design/methodology/approach This study conducted two online experiments. Study 1 is a 2 (images in review content: one person with a product vs a group of people with a product) ×2 (facial expression of the reviewer’s avatar: happy vs angry) between-subjects design. Study 2 is a 3 (image: product alone vs one person with a product vs a group of people with a product) ×2 (facial expression of the reviewer’s avatar: happy vs angry) ×3 (valence of the review: positive vs negative vs neutral) between-subjects design. Findings The results indicate that when consumers were exposed to a happy-looking avatar, they were likely to express higher perceptions of online review helpfulness in response to an image showing a group of people in a restaurant than they would for an image of one person in the same situation. In contrast, when consumers were exposed to an angry-looking avatar, their perceptions of online review helpfulness did not differ in response to images of either a group of people or of one person. Furthermore, cause attribution toward store performance mediated the interaction between images in content of reviews and the facial expression of a reviewer’s avatar on the perceptions of online review helpfulness. Practical implications The authors provide insights into how to develop guidelines on how online reviews should be written so that readers perceive them to be helpful, and how to design effective reward mechanisms for customer feedback. Originality/value Compared with previous studies, this study provides further contributions in three ways. First, it contributes to the literature on review content by showing which images in reviews are deemed to be helpful. Second, it extends previous findings from the literature relating to online peer reviews by demonstrating the importance of facial expressions in reviewers’ avatars (i.e. happy vs angry) when explaining helpfulness, rather than the strength of purchase intent. Third, this study contributes by further highlighting a novel mechanism which shows that a causal attribution toward store performance motivates the perceptions of online review helpfulness.

Does the length of a review matter in perceived helpfulness? The moderating role of product experience

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Han Jia ◽  
Sumin Shin ◽  
Jinfeng Jiao
Keyword(s):  
Online Reviews ◽  
Product Type ◽  
Online Review ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Level Of Involvement ◽  
Customer Reviews ◽  
Product Experience ◽  
Online Customer Reviews ◽  
Review Helpfulness ◽  
Product Ratings

PurposeThis paper aims to offer a framework explaining how product experience (i.e. think vs feel) and product involvement (high vs low) influence the helpfulness of online reviews. It also reexamined how online consumer review dimensions help to build online review helpfulness under different contexts.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using content analysis on 1,200 online customer reviews on 12 products from four categories to measure the relationships between online review dimensions and the helpfulness of reviews. The regression analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe findings indicate that the effectiveness of length of a review is moderated by product type; for think products, longer reviews yield higher helpfulness. Furthermore, the level of consistency between individual review ratings and overall product ratings is associated with review helpfulness. The length of product descriptions and product ratings is moderated by the level of involvement. For products with high involvement, longer descriptions yield higher helpfulness.Originality/valueA conceptual connection to customer interaction is proposed by online customer reviews that vary by product type. The findings provide implications for online retailers to better manage online customer reviews and increase the value of product ratings.

Organizational tenure and knowledge-sharing behaviours

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 291-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daria Sarti
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Social Exchange ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Organizational Tenure ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to contribute to research on the broad theme of knowledge-sharing (KS) behaviours and the impact that different organizational tenure may have on them. In this relationship, the relevance of the leader in enhancing sharing dynamics among employees is highlighted. Design/methodology/approach This study focuses on KS attitudes among employees with different numbers of years spent in the same organization, seen through the theoretical lens of a social exchange perspective. Specifically, the role of the leader in building a social exchange with co-workers is investigated as a managerial lever able to favour KS among a more experienced workforce. This paper starts by considering the relationship between organizational tenure and employees’ KS attitude. Furthermore, the specific role played by the leader–member social exchange with regard to this relation is described. The study’s hypotheses are tested on data collected from employees (N = 150) working in a non-profit organization located in central Italy. Findings The results suggest that a negative relationship exists between employees’ organizational tenure and KS attitude. In addition, the critical role of a leader’s support is demonstrated in moderating the effect of different organizational tenures on the KS attitude. Research limitations/implications This paper has both theoretical and managerial implications. Originality/value This paper contributes to the research on the important role of leaders in enhancing KS behaviors among co-workers when the number of years in the same organizations is a variable of interest.

How does review disconfirmation influence customer online review behavior? A mixed-method investigation

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (11) ◽  
pp. 3685-3703
Author(s):  
Hengyun Li ◽  
Fang Meng ◽  
Bing Pan
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Method ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Service Evaluation ◽  
Online Review ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumption Behavior ◽  
The Social ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Fake Reviews ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose With the growing online review manipulation and fake reviews in the hospitality industry, it is not uncommon that a consumer encounters disconfirmation when comparing the existing online reviews with his/her own product or service evaluation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of review disconfirmation on customer online review writing behavior. Design/methodology/approach This study used a mixed-method combining online secondary big data modeling and experimental design. Findings Review disconfirmation influences customers’ emotional responses embedded in the review; a customer who encounters review disconfirmation tends to exert more reviewing effort, manifested by writing longer reviews; negativity bias exists in disconfirmation effects, in that negative review disconfirmation shows more significant and stronger effects than positive review disconfirmation. Practical implications Findings from this study provide important managerial implications for business owners and marketers who attempt to influence online reviews. The study suggests that fictitious online review manipulation might be detrimental to the business. Originality/value This research contributes to two literature streams, including research on the social influence of online consumer reviews, and the relationship between disconfirmation and consumers’ post-consumption behavior, by extending the influence of disconfirmation from the offline context to the online context.

Seeking reward or avoiding risk from restaurant reviews: does distance matter?

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 4482-4499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esther L. Kim ◽  
Sarah Tanford
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Online Reviews ◽  
Restaurant Industry ◽  
Risk Avoidance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Base ◽  
Restaurant Reviews ◽  
Gains And Losses ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the extent to which consumers will exert more effort to avoid risk (negative reviews) versus seek reward (positive reviews) when making a restaurant decision. Design/methodology/approach This study investigates the influence of distance and review valence on restaurant decisions. A 2 (base restaurant review valence: negative, neutral) × 2 (target restaurant review valence: neutral, positive) × 2 (distance: 30 min, 60 min) between-subjects factorial design was used. Findings People exert more effort to seek a reward versus avoid a risk. People will drive any distance to dine at a restaurant with positive reviews. However, the tendency to avoid a restaurant with negative reviews declines as distance increases. Practical implications This study emphasizes the critical role of positive reviews in the restaurant industry. This research provides guidance to operators to manage online reviews effectively. The marketing strategy taking into account review valence and distance allows the business to attract new customers and grow its customer base. Originality/value This research synthesizes asymmetry effects and prospect theory with the level of risk associated with the outcome. This research is theoretically noteworthy since the finding of a reverse asymmetry principle is in contrast with the traditional belief of risk-avoidance when comparing gains and losses.

Are two arguments always better than one?

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 1399-1425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jungkeun Kim ◽  
Jae-Eun Kim ◽  
Roger Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Synergistic Effect ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Persuasion Knowledge ◽  
Integrated Marketing ◽  
Integrated Marketing Communication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Theoretical Mechanism ◽  
Better Than

Purpose This research aims to examine the moderating role of consumers’ persuasion knowledge (PK) on the persuasive effect of combined advertising and publicity within the same medium. The synergistic effect experienced when two messages are thus combined is reversed for readers with high PK who are first exposed to publicity then to advertising. Believability of the message is found to be a mediator within this context. Design/methodology/approach Based on a review of the appropriate literatures on PK and integrated marketing communication (IMC), this paper tests the hypotheses using two experimental studies. Findings The results of two experiments show that publicity-then-advertising yields poorer persuasion than advertising-then-publicity, especially under a high PK condition. The reduced synergistic effect of combinations of advertising and publicity is found especially when consumers activate temporary PK and/or when they have chronically high PK. A mediator for a decrease in the synergistic effect of combinations of advertising and publicity, believability, is examined. Practical implications This study contains significant managerial implications for marketing communicators about how to most effectively combine and coordinate publicity and advertising in the implementation of an IMC strategy. Originality/value Other than making a contribution to the IMCs’ literature, this research extends understanding of the power of PK within an IMC framework. The research contributes yet another extension to the original PK model of Friestad and Wright (1994) by suggesting an underlying theoretical mechanism to explain how PK works in the IMC domain.

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