Following the breadcrumbs: An analysis of online product review characteristics by online shoppers |
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| Authors: | Sidharth Muralidharan Hye Jin Yoon Yongjun Sung Jessica Miller Arturo Lee |
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| Institution: | 1. Temerlin Advertising Institute, Southern Methodist University, 202 Umphrey Lee Center, PO Box 750113, Dallas, TX 75275, USA;2. Department of Psychology, Korea University, 145, Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-701, Republic of Korea |
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| Abstract: | Consumer-generated product reviews are a driving force behind online purchases; at the same time, unfavorable reviews can discourage interested online shoppers and eventually hurt the brand. The objective of this exploratory study was to analyze a diverse range of characteristics and the valence of online product reviews that would aid in responding to customer dissatisfaction. Product reviews (N = 1982) from Amazon.com were collected and content analyzed. Some of the key findings include the following: (a) price was the most commonly discussed product feature; (b) online shoppers found two-sided reviews to be most informative, contradicting the commonly held assumption that negative reviews were more informative and diagnostic in nature; and (c) ‘no action’ was the most common end action across two-sided and negative reviews, indicating that varying levels of dissatisfaction might not always lead to a negative end action. Implications for marketers are discussed. |
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| Keywords: | online product reviews satisfaction review valence review quality emotions end actions |
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