Third-person effects of online product reviews: Moderating roles of review tone, product involvement and customer loyalty
Abstract
This paper examines how online customers perceive the power of online product reviews (OPRs) for themselves and other customers and the effects of reviews on brand attitude, purchase intention and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) intention according to the third-person effect (TPE) hypothesis. Using a sample of 1,571 online shoppers, this experimental study looks into the effects of message tone (positive versus negative online reviews), involvement (high-involvement versus low-involvement products) and loyalty (loyal customers versus non-loyal customers) on online consumer behaviours. Overall findings confirm the TPEs of OPRs on eWOM intention, but not on brand attitude and purchase intention. Consumers tend to believe that other customers are more likely to be involved in eWOM intention than they are by writing positive OPRs when they are purchasing low-involvement products. Although message tone, product type and brand loyalty (ie positive OPRs, OPRs of low-involvement products and status of loyal customers) influence consumers’ brand attitude and generally increase purchase intention, the TPEs of OPRs on brand attitude and purchase intention are not significant. These findings provide implications for marketers who target the growing online customer base upon the influence of OPRs in the online environment. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/
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Author's Biography
Jae Hee Park is a PhD student with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is an associate professor with the School of Communication, University of North Florida. He teaches courses in principles of media planning, social media for communication and integrated marketing communication. His research interests are online brand communities, online consumer behaviours, online political communication, intercultural studies and online marketing communication. His work has appeared in the Journal of Promotion Management, Public Relations Review, Journal of International Consumer Marketing, Quarterly Review of Business Disciplines and Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies.
Don Lee is a PhD student with the University of Florida. He is an associate professor of sport and fitness administration at the Department of Health and Human Performance, University of Houston (UH). Before joining UH in 2014, he spent six years teaching at both Division I and Division III institutions, specialising in sport management. Dr Lee’s research focuses on sport consumer behaviour, with particular emphasis on game attendance, team merchandise purchasing and media sports consumption. Additionally, his work extends to measurement in sports behaviours and branding.
Jungkun Park is a professor and the Director of the Institute of Luxury Brand Management, Hanyang University. He earned his master’s degree in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and his PhD degree in retailing and consumer studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. With 15 years of teaching experience at Purdue University and the University of Houston, Prof Park has specialised in consumer behaviour and research methodology. His research has been featured in numerous top-tier academic journals, focusing on luxury brand management, technology and consumer behaviour in retail contexts, including electronic, mobile and ubiquitous commerce. Prof Park has served as an editorial board member, an associate editor, and a guest editor for special issues on luxury, including Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, and as a co-editor for the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services.
Weon Sang Yoo is a professor of marketing at the Business School, Korea University. Prior to joining Korea University, he served as an Assistant Professor at Singapore Management University. He earned a BA degree in economics from Korea University, an MBA degree from The George Washington University, USA, and a PhD degree in business administration from The University of British Columbia, Canada. Dr Yoo specialises in the economic analysis of competitive marketing strategies, distribution channel management and retailing. His research has been published in leading academic journals, including Marketing Science and Management Science.
