Revealing consumer review attitude through online review and website cues
ISSN: 0736-3761
Article publication date: 8 April 2024
Issue publication date: 26 April 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Consumer-perceived review attitude determines consumer overall information adoption and is a core part of consumer’s online-shopping. This study aims to focus on factors that could influence consumer review attitude and can be used by marketers to shape individual information perception.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used the questionnaire method to collect data from online shoppers and the modelling of structural equations as an empirical approach to analyse the data.
Findings
The findings demonstrate that both systematic and heuristic cues impact the reviewer’s credibility and perceived website attitude differently, which, in turn, influence review attitude. Review characteristics, such as factuality, consistency and relevancy, have a positive relationship with reviewer credibility, while only review consistency and relevancy appears to have a relationship with review attitude. Website characteristics such as reputation, familiarity and social interactivity positively influence the website attitude, which positively influences review attitude. Apart from this, review skepticism has a significant negative relationship with review attitude.
Practical implications
This study could help to foster a positive attitude towards online reviews. Digital marketers need to motivate trusted reviewers to post consistent, fact-based reviews. Further improving the overall website reputation and interactivity could bring a positive attitude towards the reviews. Also, digital marketers must filter and avoid contradictory reviews or reviews that have a bipolar message and reviews expressing numerous emotions to enhance review relevance and consistency.
Originality/value
The current study addresses the need to understand the formation of consumer review attitude through both review and website characteristics using heuristic – systematic model. The paper captures the complex process undergone by the consumer to decipher review attitude and thereby extend the understanding of consumer information processing.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author wants to express his sincere appreciation to Dr K. Mohammad Jasim, currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Trinity College, Dublin and an Assistant Professor (Marketing and Analytics) at VIT Business School, Vellore Institute of Technology. His invaluable guidance as an advisor, coupled with his expertise in hypothesis development and theory building, has significantly enriched the scholarly foundation of this manuscript.
Citation
Natarajan, M. and Periaiya, S. (2024), "Revealing consumer review attitude through online review and website cues", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 41 No. 3, pp. 261-280. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-07-2020-3938
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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