The Interplay of Central and Peripheral Information in Online Reviews

• In Event: Social Media and Persuasion

Abstract

A web based experiment (N=357) examined how search goals, reviewer similarity, and levels of self-disclosure interacted with review quality in the formation of an attitude judgment towards a product, and intended purchase of the product. Participants were given a search goal motivation and shown Yelp reviews for a hotel before answering a questionnaire, to determine their attitude toward a target hotel. High quality reviews resulted in more favorable attitudes towards the hotel, which increased the purchase intention. A significant interaction was also found between reviewer similarity and review quality, suggesting that better quality reviews were expected from in-group members, than outgroup members. Findings suggest that consumer’s goals may alter the effect that cues have on the formation of attitudes in online-based shopping.

Authors

• Brandon Van Der Heide, Michigan State University

• Soo Yun Shin, Michigan State University

• David Beyea, Michigan State University

• Yue Dai, Michigan State University

• Benjamin Prchal, Michigan State University