Perceived Usefulness of Online Reviews: Effects of Review Characteristics and Reviewer Attributes

• In Event: ICA Plenary Interactive Paper/Poster Session III
  In Interactive Paper Session: Information Systems Interactive Poster Session

Abstract

Analyzing 5,525 reviews of restaurants on Yelp.com, we examine how characteristics of review content and attributes of reviewers influence consumers’ evaluations of online reviews. Our results show that review content specificity and engagement significantly affect how consumers rate online reviews. Moreover, reviewer activeness and reputation influenced consumers’ evaluations of reviews even after controlling for the effects of the review content characteristics. The findings indicate that both central and peripheral routes of message processing might be in play when consumers evaluate online reviews. Social review systems facilitate individuals’ information acquisition and decision-making through digital word-of-mouth communications. This research contributes to research on social review systems by advancing theoretical and methodological approaches to user perception and behavior on online review sites. It also has implications for policy makers developing laws and guidelines for online review content and practitioners who create peer-production content mechanisms.

Authors

• Hyunjin Seo, U of Kansas

• Fengjun Li, U of Kansas

• Roseann Pluretti, University of Kansas

• Jeongsub Lim, Sogang U

• Hao Xue, U of Kansas

• Sreenivas Vekapu, U of Kansas