Who says that book is good? Product review reception in the context of cultural consumption
Rutanen, Matti (2018)
Kuvaus
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Tiivistelmä
Drawing on the litarature about online product reviews, cultural consumption, source credibility and enjoyability, the present study examines how the authorship of an online review paired together with review reader’s characteristics can influence people’s actions and judgements regarding the reviewed product to better understand the dynamics of online product review reception in the context of cultural consumption and more specifically fantasy and science fiction books. To do this, this study developed a conceptual framework which was based on existing literature on the aforementioned subjects.
A sample of 338 responses was collected via social networks and social medias such as Facebook and Reddit. The collected data was gathered with two online surveys, that were otherwise identical, but where the author’s status was changed from a normal person to a professional book author. Results were derived from the collected data with quatitative methods primarily by using t-tests and hierarchical regression models, with an added twist of interaction effects conducted via A. Hayes’s PROCESS.
The results showed that there was no statistically significant differences in consumers’ purchase intention or perceived review quality between reviews written by normal person or professional author. However, it was found that in both cases the perceived trustworthiness of the reviewer affected consumer’s purchase intention and that if the reviewer is a professional author also the enjoyability of the review affects consumer’s purchase intention. Moreover, it was found out that in some cases review readers’ characteristics such a prior knowledge regarding the reviewed product and product category had a moderating interaction effect with consumers’ perceived review quality, that together affected consumers’ purchase intentions. Based on results, companies should focus on providing readers with credible, enjoyable reviews (and reviewers). Authors should also make sure that their reviews are enjoyable for the readers to read to maximize their influence.
A sample of 338 responses was collected via social networks and social medias such as Facebook and Reddit. The collected data was gathered with two online surveys, that were otherwise identical, but where the author’s status was changed from a normal person to a professional book author. Results were derived from the collected data with quatitative methods primarily by using t-tests and hierarchical regression models, with an added twist of interaction effects conducted via A. Hayes’s PROCESS.
The results showed that there was no statistically significant differences in consumers’ purchase intention or perceived review quality between reviews written by normal person or professional author. However, it was found that in both cases the perceived trustworthiness of the reviewer affected consumer’s purchase intention and that if the reviewer is a professional author also the enjoyability of the review affects consumer’s purchase intention. Moreover, it was found out that in some cases review readers’ characteristics such a prior knowledge regarding the reviewed product and product category had a moderating interaction effect with consumers’ perceived review quality, that together affected consumers’ purchase intentions. Based on results, companies should focus on providing readers with credible, enjoyable reviews (and reviewers). Authors should also make sure that their reviews are enjoyable for the readers to read to maximize their influence.