Abstract
Consumers are increasingly using both texts and images to express their opinions about products rather than using texts alone. Generally, texts usually contain more detailed description of product attributes, contributing to the diagnosticity of reviews, whereas images are visually more attention-grabbing on the screen, contributing to the accessibility of reviews. These two types of information complement each other in influencing potential consumers' evaluation on review helpfulness. However, extant studies mainly investigate the impact of texts and images on review helpfulness independently. Based on signaling theory and level of processing theory, this study attempts to investigate the potential interaction effect of textual signal and imagery signal instead of only examining them in isolation. Particularly, textual signal is operated as review length, while imagery signal is operated as number of pictures in a review. Furthermore, this study also examines whether these effects vary in different signaling environment that is conceptualized as the number of reviews associated with a product. By developing a Tobit regression model for 4,063 online reviews of 39 Huawei mobile phones crawled from ZOL.com, this study empirically demonstrates that review helpfulness is positively influenced by both types of signals. Interestingly, the interaction between two types of signals has a negative impact on the perception of review helpfulness. The results also reveal that the signaling environment augments the impact of textual signal but does not significantly influence the impact of imagery signal. Additionally, it is also found that the signaling environment mitigates the negative impact of the interaction between two types of signals on review helpfulness. These findings are anomalous to the established knowledge on consumer behaviors and possible explanations are presented. Based on these findings, both theoretical and practical implications for the improvement of online review mechanism are discussed.
Highlights
The rapid development of the Internet has provided consumers with extensive opportunities to search for sufficient product information before making purchase decisions
Since the information created by consumers is perceived to be more credible and interesting than that by sellers [1], the user-generated content (UGC) in the form of online reviews has gained popularity, and becomes an important resource of information for helping consumers make purchase decisions [2], [3]
This study focuses on the interplay between textual signal and imagery signal
Summary
The rapid development of the Internet has provided consumers with extensive opportunities to search for sufficient product information before making purchase decisions. Since the information created by consumers is perceived to be more credible and interesting than that by sellers [1], the user-generated content (UGC) in the form of online reviews has gained popularity, and becomes an important resource of information for helping consumers make purchase decisions [2], [3]. An overwhelming number of reviews varying in the value for facilitating consumers’ decision making have induced information overload and increased search costs [4], [5]. Helpful reviews contribute to well-informed decisions [4], and maximization of customer satisfaction [6]. It is essential to recognize the factors influencing online review helpfulness, which can help practitioners improve their online review mechanisms and assist consumers in making better decisions
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
