온라인 리뷰 평점의 방향성과분포의 모드수와 범위가 구매의도에 미치는 영향

Many consumers are likely to check online reviews before making a purchase decision. Online reviews are mixed with positive reviews and negative reviews. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of the valence (positive vs. negative) and distribution of online review rating on purchase intention. We examine the different effects of online review on consumers’ purchase intention based on an experiment study conducted under a 2(two different valence of review: positive vs. negative) × 2(two different numbers of modes in review distribution: unimodal vs. bimodal) x 2(two different ranges of dispersion in review distribution: narrow vs. wide) between-subjects design. The results showed that positive online review positively affected the purchase intention. Also, there was an interaction effect of the ranges of dispersion in review distribution and the numbers of modes in review distribution. The unimodal review was analyzed to be more effective when review is widely dispersed, whereas the bimodal review was analyzed to be more effective when review is narrowly dispersed. The results of our study suggests managerial implications for marketing communication strategy.