Online persuasion of review emotional intensity: A text mining analysis of restaurant reviews

Consumer-generated restaurant reviews are important sources in consumers’ purchase decisions. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of emotional intensity on perceived review usefulness as well as the moderating effects of review length and reviewer expertise. Data from 600,686 reviews of 300 popular restaurants in the US were obtained from Yelp. Using a text mining approach and econometric analysis, empirical results show that (1) positive emotional intensity has a negative impact on perceived review usefulness, whereas negative emotional intensity has a positive impact on perceived review usefulness; (2) among the two most prevalent discrete negative emotions in online reviews (i.e., anger and anxiety), reviews expressing anger are more useful than those expressing anxiety; and (3) review length and reviewer expertise can moderate the effect of emotional intensity on perceived review usefulness.     

Infusing new insights: How do review novelty and inconsistency shape the usefulness of online travel reviews?

Review usefulness represents a vital indicator for evaluating the quality of online reviews in the tourism industry, and various heuristic cues have been recognized as determinants of this indicator. This study constructs a comprehensive conceptual framework based on the heuristic-systematic model to observe how two systematic cues, namely, review novelty and inconsistency, shape the perceived usefulness of reviews. Through an empirical analysis based on 1,744,693 reviews of 62,543 restaurants in the United States, we unveil a positive effect of review novelty on review usefulness but a negative effect of review inconsistency. We also underscore the moderating effects of several heuristic cues in the model, including review valence, reviewer expertise, and restaurant popularity. These results indicate that systematic and heuristic cues simultaneously and interactively determine review usefulness. The findings present theoretical implications to the literature and practical implications to hospitality professionals and designers/managers of review platforms.     

The impact of language style on consumers′ reactions to online reviews

The current research examines the novel impact of an online review's language style (figurative vs. literal) on consumers' attitudes towards a hotel and their reservation intention. Previous marketing research advocated for the use of figurative language to advertise hedonic consumptions. Yet, we found that, in the context of online hotel reviews, figurative language doesn't offer significant advantages in terms of persuasive power. Specifically, our findings indicate that, when a review is posted by a reviewer with low expertise level, consumers actually exhibit lower levels of attitude and reservation intention if the review is written in figurative (vs. literal) language. When the reviewer possesses high expertise level, the language style effect was attenuated. Finally, serial mediation tests show that the causal link between language typicality → perceived reviewer expertise explains the language style effect on consumers' pre-purchase evaluations.     

Does conspicuous decoration style influence customer's intention to purchase? The moderating effect of CSR practices

Using an experimental research design, this study examines the main effect of conspicuous hotel decoration style on consumer purchase intention, and tests the moderating role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and the mediating role of image perception on the relationship between conspicuous decoration style and purchase intention with Chinese consumers. The results indicate that decoration style had a critical role in explaining Chinese customers’ purchase intention. Specifically, a low conspicuous decoration style led to stronger customer purchase intention than did a high conspicuous decoration style. The relationship between conspicuous decoration style and customer purchase intention was found to be fully mediated by image perception. The findings emphasize the significance of CSR in influencing Chinese customers’ purchase intention with hotels of a highly-conspicuous decoration style. Externally oriented CSR practices (i.e., corporate philanthropy, environmental protection) were found to be more significant in moderating the relationship between conspicuous decoration style and purchase intention than internally oriented CSR practice (i.e., employee treatment). Hotels engaging in philanthropy and environmental protection, can not only elicit a positive response from consumers, but also help mitigate the risks of a loss of organizational legitimacy as a result of high conspicuous decoration.     

Can time soften your opinion? The influence of consumer experience valence and review device type on restaurant evaluation

The objective of this study is to investigate how review temporal distance influences the conformity of consumer restaurant review ratings. By employing an innovative dataset pairing consumer reservation records and consumer online reviews, the findings of this study indicate that (1) in general, temporal distance has a positive influence on restaurant evaluation conformity; (2) consumption experience valence moderates the influence of review temporal distance on restaurant evaluation conformity, with a negative dining experience strengthening the positive effects; (3) review device moderates the influence of review temporal distance on review conformity, with reviews posted via mobile devices weakening the positive effect of temporal distance; and (4) compared to reviews posted via PCs, mobile reviewers appear less likely to be influenced by prior reviews. Findings from this study provide practical insights for restaurants’ management of online reviews.     

The effect of online reviews on hotel booking intention: The role of reader-reviewer similarity

Due to the experiential nature of travel-related products, online reviews have become an increasingly popular information source in travel planning and have a profound effect on consumers’ buying decisions, particularly in hotel booking. On the basis of homophily and similarity-attraction theory, we posit that review valence is positively related to consumers’ hotel booking intentions, and expect this relationship to be moderated by surface- (demographic) and deep-level (preference) similarities. The findings from two experiments conducted in Germany and Macau indicate that review valence significantly affects hotel booking intention, and that reader-reviewer demographic similarity moderates this effect. This three-way interaction reveals a substituting moderation effect between demographic similarity and preference similarity. One practical implication is that travel websites should find methods of exposing users to reviews written by those with either similar demographic characteristics or preferences, which facilitate travelers’ decision-making processes.     

Place Familiarity and Attachment: Moderators of The Relationship Between Readers’ Credibility Assessment of A Travel Blog and Review Acceptance

This study examines how the readers’ credibility assessment of a travel blog article written about a destination relates to the following: intention to adopt the opinions expressed in the article; intention to recommend the article to others; intention to visit that destination; and place familiarity with and attachment to that destination. Partial least squares analysis revealed that past experience with the destination is needed for readers to use their credibility assessment of the article to recommend it to others. Place identity negatively moderates between blog’s credibility and review acceptance. Past experience is needed for place familiarity to be a moderator.     

Impact of online reviews on hotel booking intention: The moderating role of brand image,star category,and price

This paper analyses the impact of online reviews on hotel booking intention. The moderating effect of brand image, star category, and price on this relationship was also tested. A quantitative approach has been followed by collecting questionnaires from a convenience sample of 432 customers who have previous experience with online booking. Results of the research revealed that reviews with positive valence do not affect booking intention, while reviews with negative valence have a strong impact. In addition, it was found that several moderators made this impact more or less severe. Brand image demonstrated a slight moderating effect due to the factor's inherent subjective nature. A moderating effect was also observed for both price importance and star category on the relationship. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the need for hotel managers to address online customer reviews, and specifically negative ones, to take advantage of promotional opportunities.     

Helpful or harmful? A double-edged sword of emoticons in online review helpfulness

Emoticons are graphic demonstrations of facial expressions. They have become a common and easy-to-use tool for online users to express ideas or feelings. Earlier research highlights the importance of emoticons in computer-mediated communications. However, limited attention has been given to the use of emoticons in online reviews. Using the Cognitive Tuning Theory as the backbone, we attempt to examine how emoticons in online reviews influence review helpfulness. One lab experiment with restaurants as the context and one empirical study with data of 4870 hotel reviews from Facebook business pages were conducted. The hypotheses were assessed via multilevel regression analysis using R programming language. Results indicate that positive emoticons enhance review helpfulness when the review is narrative-based and negative emoticons increase review helpfulness when the review is list-based. Processing fluency serves as the underlying mechanism. We discuss theoretical and practical implications.     

Factors influencing customers’ dine out intention during COVID-19 reopening period: The moderating role of country-of-origin effect

COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the restaurant industry and reopening provides restaurants an opportunity to survive this crisis. This study examined the interplay of perceived importance of preventive measures, dining involvement, brand trust, and customers’ intention to dine out at American Chinese restaurants during the reopening period. Additionally, the study investigated the moderating role of country-of-origin (COO) effect on these relationships. 296 U.S. restaurant customers recruited via a market research company completed the online survey. Structural equation modeling was used for data analyses. The results indicated that dining involvement had a direct positive effect on customers’ intention to dine out. Moreover, both perceived importance of preventive measures and dining involvement could enhance customers’ intention to dine out indirectly via brand trust. Positive COO effect moderated the relationship between perceived importance of preventive measures and brand trust. The study provided significant implications for restaurant operators in the U.S during the reopening period.     

More than words: Do emotional content and linguistic style matching matter on restaurant review helpfulness?

Many consumers feel overwhelmed by the unwieldy glut of information on peer-review websites (e.g., Yelp). Review helpfulness as a peer-rating mechanism on these websites enable consumers to quickly identify the most informative reviews and thus decreasing the information overload. The purpose of the study was to examine the influential factors on review helpfulness for restaurants on Yelp from affective content and communication style perspectives. The affective content was evaluated with eight emotional dimensions (joy, sadness, anger, fear, trust, disgust, anticipation, and surprise) in Plutchik’s emotion wheel. The communication style perspective was assessed with linguistic style matching (LSM). 262,205 pieces of consumer reviews were analyzed with negative binomial model. Both LSM and six out of the eight emotional dimensions (except anticipation and surprise) were found to have significant impact on review helpfulness. The study contributes to the knowledge body of review effectiveness from an innovative angle and provide pertinent managerial implications.     

Online reviews and purchase intention: A cosmopolitanism perspective

In recent years, marketing managers have realized that online reviews are an essential element in customer decision-making. However, there has been little valid measure of online reviews and no systematic analysis of their effect on consumer purchase intention. Drawing on the uses and gratification (U&G) and consumer culture (CCT) theories, this study develops a valid measure of online reviews and analyzes their effect on purchase intention. With a sample of 1112 hotel customers from three countries (Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam), this study validates the positive effect of online reviews on purchase intention through the perceived effectiveness of social media platforms (PESMP) and online trust while confirming the moderating role of cosmopolitanism.     

What moderates the influence of extremely negative ratings? The role of review and reviewer characteristics

Online customer reviews are increasingly used by travelers to inform their purchase decisions. However, the vast amount of reviews available nowadays may increase travellers’ effort in information processing. In order to facilitate traveller’s decisions, social commerce organizations must help travellers rapidly identify the most helpful reviews to reduce their cognitive effort. Academic literature has often documented that negative reviews are judged as helpful by consumers. However, extremely negative reviews are not always perceived as such. This study is the first that unveils what factors moderate the influence of extremely negative reviews on review helpfulness. The study has adopted a sample of 7455 online customer reviews of hotels to test hypotheses. Findings show that reviews with extremely negative ratings are more likely to be helpful when the review is long and easy to read and when the reviewer is an expert or discloses his identity (i.e. geographical origin).     

Why do you use Yelp? Analysis of factors influencing customers’ website adoption and dining behavior

The number of review websites has increased within the past years since more people rely on online reviews to help their decision-making process. Previous studies have either focused on the attributes of the content posted on review websites (i.e., reviews) or customers’ behavior concerning their selection of review website on which to post reviews. This study, however, extends the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to investigate the factors that influence individuals’ restaurant review website adoption behaviors to read reviews and make dining decisions. In addition, this study will look at the differences in individuals’ perceptions of various restaurant review websites (i.e., Yelp vs. others). The findings revealed the role of influential factors on individuals’ review website adoption and dining decisions as well as the differences in proposed structural relationships among various restaurant review websites.     

网络点评对民宿顾客住宿意愿的影响——信任的中介作用探讨

网络点评是影响民宿顾客住宿意愿的重要因素。本研究以信任理论为基础,从顾客需求视角探讨民宿顾客对网络平台的信任和对民宿主人的信任在网络点评和民宿顾客住宿意愿之间的作用。研究发现:(1)网络点评对民宿顾客住宿意愿的直接影响效应显著;(2)顾客信任的二维度(对网络平台的信任和对民宿主人的信任)在网络点评和民宿顾客住宿意愿之间起串联中介作用,但是顾客信任的两个维度不能单独在网络点评和民宿顾客住宿意愿之间起中介作用。本研究揭示了网络点评对民宿顾客住宿意愿的作用路径,为民宿营销提供了新视角。     

The impact of latent topic valence of online reviews on purchase intention for the accommodation industry

This study utilizes machine learning (ML) natural language processing (NLP) algorithms and statistical methods in order to measure the impact that qualitative textual reviews have on booking intentions for accommodations. Using over 400,000 online reviews from 1256 accommodations in South Korea, latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) is used to determine the topic of the review content, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are used to identify the valence of the reviews, and spatial probit models are used to determine the impact of the review content and valence on booking intention, while controlling for several other variables. It is found that positive reviews about an accommodation’s ambiance, value, service, front office, accessibility, surrounding neighborhood and room capacity result in significantly higher booking intentions, while negative reviews in the service, front office and surrounding neighborhood result in lower probability of booking. A number of explanatory variables also have varying effects on booking intentions.     

Improving text summarization of online hotel reviews with review helpfulness and sentiment

The considerable volume of online reviews for today's hotels are is difficult for review readers to manually process. Automatic review summarizations are a promising direction for improving information processing of travelers. Studies have focused on extracting relevant text features or performing sentiment analysis to compile review summaries. However, numerous reviews contain nonspecific or nonsentimental content, hindering the ability of sentiment-based techniques' to accurately summarize useful information from hotel reviews. This paper proposes a systematic approach that first constructs classifiers to identify helpful reviews and then classifies the sentences in the helpful reviews into six hotel features. Finally, the sentiment polarities of sentences are analyzed to generate the review summaries. Experiment results indicated that the performance of the proposed approach was superior to other methods.     

The Moderating Role of Severity of Service Failure in the Relationship among Regret/Disappointment,Dissatisfaction, and Behavioral Intention

This study examines the moderating role of severity of service failure between emotions and dissatisfaction, as well as between dissatisfaction and behavioral intention. Results showed that when customers’ regret and disappointment are low, service failure severity has an amplifying impact on their dissatisfaction. It also demonstrates that when customers’ dissatisfaction levels are low, service failure severity plays an important role in their negative word of mouth and switching intention. Therefore, if a restaurant can reduce its number and frequency of critical service failures, then restaurant operators can dramatically enhance customers’ word of mouth testimonials and customer retention.     

Hosts’ online affinities and their impacts on the number of online reviews on peer-to-peer platforms

Different from traditional hotels, hosts' affinity is an essential feature of homestays. This study uncovers how Airbnb hosts demonstrate their affinity online through the data from 114,310 listings, and examines the relationship between hosts' affinity and the number of reviews, as well as the moderating role of hosts' affinity in the associations among sub-ratings, host listings count, and the number of reviews. The findings indicate a positive link between hosts' affinity and the number of reviews. Guests tend to assign higher overall scores to homestays with poor performance but high affinity, and may alter their homestay attribute requirements in future reservation decisions. Hosts' affinity from guest reviews has greater direct and moderating effects on the number of reviews than hosts' self-statements. Interestingly, hosts' affinity from guest reviews can reduce the guests' requirements for homestay attributes of multiple listings. Meanwhile, hosts’ affinity displayed by host self-statements exhibits the opposite moderating effects.