The Effects of Online Reviews of Opinion Leaders on Users’ Investment Intentions in Virtual Financial Communities

Abstract

With the rapid development of internet financial community, more and more people opt to obtain financial information through online reviews. Based on the perspective of online reviews of opinion leaders, we explored the influences of online reviews of opinion leaders on users' investment intentions in the financial community. We introduced the concepts of user trust and online interaction propensity and built a theoretical model. Our results, based on data collected from 205 users of a famous financial virtual community, suggested that the online reviews of opinion leaders had a significant effect on users' investment intentions. In conclusion, financial institutions should pay attention to opinion leaders and enhance communication and relationships with them.