Quantifying the Effects of Online Review Content Structures on Hotel Review Helpfulness

Wenjie Fan, Yong Liu, Hongxiu Li, Virpi Kristiina Tuunainen, Yanqing Lin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)
65 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Purpose Drawing on attribution theory, the current paper aims to examine the effects of review content structures on online review helpfulness, focusing on three pertinent variables: review sidedness, information factuality, and emotional intensity at the beginning of a review. Moreover, the moderating roles of reviewer reputation and review sentiment are investigated. Design/methodology/approach The review sentiment of 144,982 online hotel reviews was computed at the sentence level by considering the presence of adverbs and negative terms. Then, the authors quantified the impact of variables that were pertinent to review content structures on online review helpfulness in terms of review sidedness, information factuality and emotional intensity at the beginning of a review. Zero-inflated negative binomial regression was employed to test the model. Findings The results reveal that review sidedness negatively affects online review helpfulness, and reviewer reputation moderates this effect. Information factuality positively affects online review helpfulness, and positive sentiment moderates this impact. A review that begins with a highly emotional statement is more likely to be perceived as less helpful. Originality/value Using attribution theory as a theoretical lens, this study contributes to the online customer review literature by investigating the impact of review content structures on online review helpfulness and by demonstrating the important moderating effects of reviewer reputation and review sentiment. The findings can help practitioners develop effective review appraisal mechanisms and guide consumers in producing helpful reviews.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)202-227
Number of pages26
JournalINTERNET RESEARCH
Volume32
Issue number7
Early online date20 Oct 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 19 Dec 2022
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

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