Abstract
This study examines and compares the effect of online review manipulations on product sales in U.S. and China. Two studies of field data from the two countries find that review volume and/or valence (ratings) from websites with manipulations are a poor predictor of product sales in comparison to websites with fewer manipulations. In terms of manipulation intensity, increasing the number of positive reviews does not affect product sales, while deleting the negative reviews shows inverted U-curve relationship between manipulation intensity and product sales in both countries. Meanwhile, we also find several interesting differences in the effect of manipulations between e-commerce operators of the two countries. Our empirical results offer meaningful implications for firms on managing online reviews and provide valuable insight to industry associations and policy makers.
| Original language | English |
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| Number of pages | 18 |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2015 |
| Event | 2015 AIB Southeast Asia Regional Conference : Global Business and Consumers in a Networked World - Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang, Malaysia Duration: 3 Dec 2015 → 5 Dec 2015 https://www.ln.edu.hk/hkibs/AIB/2015/aib2015/Home.html |
Conference
| Conference | 2015 AIB Southeast Asia Regional Conference : Global Business and Consumers in a Networked World |
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| Country/Territory | Malaysia |
| City | Penang |
| Period | 3/12/15 → 5/12/15 |
| Internet address |
Keywords
- Online product reviews
- Review manipulations
- E-commerce