What to Choose? A Study on User’s Choice for an Online Review System.
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2017-06-29
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en
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Abstract
This study examined which factors determine user’s choice for an online review system. The research question was: ‘To what extent do user’s expertise and status motives have an influence on user’s choice for an online review system (consumer online review system vs. professional online review system) in the context of restaurants?. An experiment was conducted in which status-motives were manipulated. In line with what was expected based on the similarity-attraction theory (Byrne, 1961), for women, user’s expertise had an effect on user’s choice for an online review system. Women with high expertise were more inclined to choose a professional review system. For men, however, no significant effect was found for user’s expertise. In contrast to what was expected based on the upward mobility theory (Bourdieu, 1984), for women, status motives did not influence user’s choice for an online review system. For men, status motives did have a significant effect on user’s choice for an online review system. Men primed with status-motives were more inclined to choose a professional review system. This study contributed to the literature on online reviews, since this is the first study that focussed on user’s choice for an online review system instead of on individual reviews.
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen