When does electronic word-of-mouth matter? A study of consumer product reviews

Jason Q. Zhang, Georgiana Craciun, Dongwoo Shin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

382 Scopus citations

Abstract

Online consumer product reviews, a form of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), have attracted increased attention from researchers. This paper examines the persuasiveness of eWOM. Drawing on regulatory focus theory, the authors propose that the consumption goals that consumers associate with the reviewed product moderate the effect of review valence on persuasiveness. Data from lab experiments and actual online retailers suggest that consumers who evaluate products associated with promotion consumption goals perceive positive reviews to be more persuasive than negative ones (i.e., a positivity bias). Conversely, consumers who evaluate products associated with prevention consumption goals perceive negative reviews to be more persuasive than positive ones (i.e., a negativity bias).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1336-1341
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Business Research
Volume63
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2010

Keywords

  • Consumer product reviews
  • EWOM
  • Persuasiveness
  • Self-regulatory focus

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