TY - JOUR
T1 - The effects of prior reviews on perceived review helpfulness
T2 - A configuration perspective
AU - Zhu, Yongmin
AU - Liu, Miaomiao
AU - Zeng, Xiaohua
AU - Huang, Pei
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2020/3
Y1 - 2020/3
N2 - Understanding what makes a review helpful is important for consumers and online review management. Previous studies have explored the effects of review attributes, with the underlying assumption being that consumers assess each review independently of prior reviews of the product. Drawing on configuration theory and the literature on prior knowledge influencing consumer information search behavior, we propose that there should be a fit between prior reviews and focal review attributes in determining perceived review helpfulness. Using data from Amazon, we empirically demonstrate their complex interdependency through fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. The results show that descriptive reviews with more words and moderate ratings are perceived as more helpful when all prior reviews have been posted recently, while evaluative reviews with extreme ratings are more helpful when prior reviews exhibit greater disagreement. Our findings help reconcile some conflicting results in the previous literature and provide guidance on review management.
AB - Understanding what makes a review helpful is important for consumers and online review management. Previous studies have explored the effects of review attributes, with the underlying assumption being that consumers assess each review independently of prior reviews of the product. Drawing on configuration theory and the literature on prior knowledge influencing consumer information search behavior, we propose that there should be a fit between prior reviews and focal review attributes in determining perceived review helpfulness. Using data from Amazon, we empirically demonstrate their complex interdependency through fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. The results show that descriptive reviews with more words and moderate ratings are perceived as more helpful when all prior reviews have been posted recently, while evaluative reviews with extreme ratings are more helpful when prior reviews exhibit greater disagreement. Our findings help reconcile some conflicting results in the previous literature and provide guidance on review management.
KW - Configuration perspective
KW - Perceived review helpfulness
KW - Prior reviews
KW - Review attributes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85079669106&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.01.027
DO - 10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.01.027
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85079669106
SN - 0148-2963
VL - 110
SP - 484
EP - 494
JO - Journal of Business Research
JF - Journal of Business Research
ER -