Less is more: online consumer ratings' format affects purchase intentions and processing

Kostyk, A. , Niculescu, M. and Leonhardt, J. M. (2017) Less is more: online consumer ratings' format affects purchase intentions and processing. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 16(5), pp. 434-441. (doi: 10.1002/cb.1643)

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Abstract

Online customer ratings of products and services are commonplace in e‐commerce; however, the format in which these ratings are presented to consumers can vary. Although not anticipated by classical models of decision making, latter models such as prospect theory and feelings‐as‐information theory suggest that the presentation format of online customer ratings could affect subsequent consumer decision making. In the present research, 3 empirical studies test whether online customer ratings' formats differentially affect consumer purchase intentions. The results offer support for feeling‐as‐information theory and suggest that online ratings presented in a mean (vs. distribution) format result in higher purchase intentions as a result of increased processing fluency. Implications for the presentation of online consumer ratings in e‐commerce, based on these findings, are addressed.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Kostyk, Dr Alena
Authors: Kostyk, A., Niculescu, M., and Leonhardt, J. M.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
Journal Name:Journal of Consumer Behaviour
Publisher:Wiley
ISSN:1472-0817
ISSN (Online):1479-1838
Published Online:02 March 2017

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