The impact of selected factors on consumer responses to conflicting online consumer reviews

Abstract

Online consumer reviews (OCRs) carry economic value for businesses, and consumers rely on them to reduce perceived risks and enhance predictability before buying a product or service. Nevertheless, the near-ubiquitous prevalence of conflicting information in OCRs poses challenges to both consumers and OCR-platform managers. The OCR literature is inconclusive with regard to the effect of conflicting OCRs on consumer attitudes and behaviors and presents contradictory empirical findings. This underscores the necessity for a deeper exploration into the dynamics at play. Accordingly, this dissertation aims to elucidate the moderation of the effect of conflicting OCRs on consumers’ OCR processing outcomes. Specifically, it explores the effects of a personal factor, namely dialecticism, and a contextual factor, mental imagery, on the impact of conflicting OCRs on consumer attitudes and intentions. Utilizing a verbal protocol analysis in Study 1, the research probes into how consumers navigate through and process discrepancies inherent in OCRs. Building upon the insights gleaned from Study 1, a conceptual framework delineating the influence of conflicting OCRs on consumer attitudes and behavioral intentions was developed. The framework’s robustness was subsequently tested across three online experiments, each situated within distinct consumption contexts: a houseboat rental (Study 2), earphone purchase (Study 3), and hotel accommodation booking (Study 4). The findings from Study 1 illustrate the nuanced ways consumers interact with conflicting OCRs, including instances where conflicting information is sought after to bolster decision-making confidence. In Study 2, it was observed that the presence of conflicting OCRs adversely impacted consumers’ recommendation intentions, a phenomenon that was mitigated among individuals with high levels of dialectical thinking. Furthermore, the negative influence of conflicting OCRs on attitude confidence - a mediator in the relationship with recommendation intentions - was similarly moderated by dialectical thinking. Aiming to validate these insights in a different product category, Study 3 replicated the experiment with a search product while also introducing a different operationalization of conflict within OCRs. The findings largely paralleled those of Study 2, albeit with the moderation effect of dialectical thinking on direct product evaluations not holding. Finally, Study 4’s exploration into the role of mental imagery, induced by images accompanying OCRs, unveiled a positive moderation effect on the nexus between conflicting OCRs and hotel booking intentions. This dissertation contributes to the burgeoning literature on OCRs by attempting to resolve the inconsistencies in the past literature. The four studies shed light on the nuanced effects of conflicting information, underscored by the interplay of personal and contextual factors. These insights advance academic discourse and offer pragmatic implications for businesses in leveraging OCRs to foster a conducive consumer decision-making environment.