Do online reviews still matter post-purchase?

Abstract

Purpose The influence of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) information, such as online reviews, on consumers’ decision making is well documented, but it is unclear if online reviews still matter in post-purchase evaluation and behaviours. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which online reviews (aggregate rating (AR) and individual reviews (IR)) influence consumers’ evaluation and post-purchase behaviour by considering the valence congruence of online reviews and consumption experience (CE). Design/methodology/approach Following social comparison theory and relevant literature, the authors conduct an online experiment (pre-test: n=180; main study: n=347). The authors rely on a 2 (CE valence) ×2 (AR valence) ×2 (IR valence) between-subjects design. Findings Congruence/incongruence between the valences of CE, AR and IR affects consumers’ post-purchase evaluation at the emotional, brand and media levels and review-writing behaviour. In comparison to aggregated rating, IR are more important in the post-purchase stage. Similarly, consumers have a higher eWOM-writing intention when there is congruence between the valences of CE, AR and IR. Practical implications The authors demonstrate the importance of service providers continually monitoring their business profiles on review sites to ensure consistency of review information, as these influence consumers’ post-purchase evaluation and behaviours. For this reason, the authors illustrate the utility of why media owners of review sites should support the monitoring process to facilitate the engagement of both businesses and customers. Originality/value The authors break new ground by empirically testing the impact of online review information post-purchase seen through the theoretical lens of social comparison. The approach is novel in breaking down and testing the dimensions of post-purchase evaluation and behavioural intentions in understanding the social comparison elicited by online reviews in the post-purchase phase.

Assessing word-of-mouth reputation of influencers on B2C live streaming platforms: the role of the characteristics of information source

“…Word-of-mouth is a social behavior of noncommercial exchange of information about products and services between people (Arndt, 1967), which has become a crucial source of consumer reference information. Online word-of-mouth denotes consumers' online sharing activities about products, services, and brands in the postpurchase stage (Yen and Tang, 2015;Liu et al, 2019). Reputation is usually considered an indicator used by customers to assess or compare products before purchasing to decrease uncertainty in decision-making (Tournois, 2015).…”

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

“…Online reviews can instill trust (Evans et al, 2020) and influence consumers' attitudes (Casado-D ıaz et al, 2020). They impact sales (Li et al, 2020) and can also influence postpurchase evaluations (Liu et al, 2019).…”

Examining the Impact of eWOM-Triggered Customer-to-Customer Interactions on Travelers’ Repurchase and Social Media Engagement

“…Although a negative opinion consensus may allow the customer to achieve self-enhancement, it also minimizes the customer's interest in the hotel (Liu et al 2020). By contrast, when there is a critical response to a customer's negative eWOM, the focal customer is more likely to seek further information and reevaluate their opinion, and there are two potential reasons for this.…”

“…This is important because, even in the postpurchase/post-eWOM stage, a focal customer's evaluation and behaviors toward the hotel may vary. It is essential to understand how different responses from other customers affect the focal customer's post-eWOM behaviors (Liu et al 2020;Dedeoğlu 2019;Filieri and McLeay 2014).…”