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How customers are influenced by
product reviews: research on the persuasive
effects of source credibility in an online review
context
Thije Boksebeld
Master Thesis Defence Marketing Management
Date: 05/07/2018
Introduction (1/2)
Nowadays: Before purchasing new products, consumers
increasingly consume product reviews
However:
- Anonymous character
- Reduced social presence
Therefore it is hard to assess if trust is warranted.
→
People then look for online safety cues
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‘’Source credibility’’
Introduction (2/2)
Source credibility:
‘’a message communicator’s perceived expertise and
trustworthiness ‘’
Effective persuasion tactic
+ Increased acceptance
+ Dampened effect on counterarguing
+ Effective in low and high processing
→
Uncertain how both dimensions function
→
If applicable in online review context
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Source credibility in an advertising context:
A source with high credibility, compared to one low in credibility, appears
to result in a positive attitude toward the endorser and the
advertisement.
- More believable and truthful
- Dampers cognitive response activation (less counterarguing)
- Effective in Low and High processing (ELM)
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(Heesacker, Petty & Cacioppo, 1983; Kruglanski and Thompson 1999; Petty, Wheeler & Tormala, 2003; Pornpitakpan, 2004)
Theoretical background
Differential effects antecedents
‘’e.g., Sometimes trustworthiness more persuasive than an untrustworthy
one, whether or not it was expert’’
Expertise → cue for cognitive trust (i.e., competence, skills,
knowledge)
Trustworthiness → cue for affective trust (i.e., motivation,
reputation guaranteed by others)
Source credibility in an online review context
Source credibility as an online safety cue → adoption of eWOM
messages (online reviews) → more positive attitudes
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Research framework
Methodology
Data collection and sample
156 participants collected online
Design
Online experiment - four conditions*
- Expertise
- Trustworthiness
- Combined
- Control
Analytical methods
Direct effects: ANOVA – t-Tests
Indirect effects: Mediation models (Hayes)
* used the perceived source credibility
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Results (1/3)
Results (2/3)
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Results (3/3)
Discussion (1/2)
Both dimensions more positive attitude than low credibility
→
Trustworthiness highest
→
Not a dampened effect on counterarguing
→
Applicable in online review context
eWOM adoption accounts for the positive effects of source
credibility
Thus in an online review context:
Source credibility → Cognitive trust → higher eWOM adoption
→
More positive attitude
Discussion (2/2)
Managerial implications:
✓
Applicable in online review context
✓
Useful to provide the possibility of writing eWOM messages
✓
Reward top-reviewers (e.g., peer-rating measurement)
✓
Turn skepticism down (e.g., try-out product etc.)
Limitations:
- Manipulation
- One (high involvement) product
- One positive review
References
Chatterjee, P. (2001). Online reviews: do consumers use them? Advances in Consumer Research,
28, 129–133.
Cheung, M.Y., Luo, C., Sia, C.L., and Chen, H. (2009). Credibility of electronic word-of-mouth: Informational and normative determinants of online consumer recommendations. International
journal of electronic commerce, 13(4), 9-38.
Cialdini, R.B. (2009). Influence: Science and practice (5th edition). Boston,, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Fennis, B.M., and Stroebe, W. (2016). The psychology of advertising (2nd edition). Psychology
Press.
Harmon, R.R., and Coney, K.A. (1982). The persuasive effects of source credibility in buy and lease situations. Journal of Marketing research, 255-260.
Heesacker, M., Petty, R.E., & Cacioppo, J.T. (1983). Field dependence and attitude change: Source credibility can alter persuasion by affecting message‐relevant thinking. Journal of personality,
51(4), 653-666.
References
Hovland, C., Janis, I., and Kelley, H. (1953). Communication and persuasion. New Haven, CT:
Yale University Press.
Kelman, H. C., & Hovland, C. I. (1953). " Reinstatement" of the communicator in delayed
measurement of opinion change. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 48(3), 327. Kruglanski, A.W., and Thompson, E.P. (1999). Persuasion by a single route: A view from the unimodel. Psychological Inquiry, 10, 83–109.
Petty, R.E., Wheeler, S.C., and Tormala, Z. L. (2003). Persuasion and attitude change. In T. Millon & M. J. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of psychology, 5, 353–382.
Pornpitakpan, C. (2004). The persuasiveness of source credibility: A critical review of five decades' evidence. Journal of applied social psychology, 34(2), 243-281.
